WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House spokesperson John Kirby has revealed that the United States possesses information indicating that the Russian military is executing soldiers who refuse to follow orders related to the ongoing war with Ukraine. Kirby made this statement during a press conference on Thursday. He further mentioned that Russian commanders are also allegedly threatening to execute entire units if they attempt to retreat from Ukrainian artillery fire. Requests for comments from the Kremlin, the Russian defense ministry, and the Russian embassy to the United States remain unanswered.
The Ukrainian officials declared earlier that Russian forces were not taking heavy losses into account and advancing towards the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka. In response, the United States has been strongly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and providing assistance to Kiev.
According to Kirby, Russia’s mobilized forces are reported to be undertrained, underequipped, and unprepared for combat. He further criticized the military’s use of “human wave tactics,” which involves deploying groups of poorly trained soldiers into battle. Kirby described the threats to execute soldiers as barbaric and suggested that they reflect Russia’s military leaders’ lack of confidence in their performance and their mishandling of the situation.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Kremlin, the Russian defense ministry, and the Russian embassy in the United States are ongoing, as they have not yet responded to the requests for clarification.
The Ukrainian officials previously accused Russia of disregarding significant losses and continuing its offensive towards Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine. The United States has consistently condemned Russia’s interference in Ukraine and has been actively supporting and aiding Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.
The spokesperson, John Kirby, criticized Russia’s military tactics and described them as ineffective and inhumane. He lamented the reports of soldiers being executed for disobeying orders and emphasized the poor training and equipment provided to Russian forces.
John Kirby pointed out that the threats to execute soldiers are indicative of the military leadership’s awareness of their failures. He attributed their mishandling of the conflict and lack of competence to the troops’ inadequate training and preparation.
However, there has been no response or comment from the Kremlin, the Russian defense ministry, or the Russian embassy in the United States regarding these allegations and statements.
Steve Holland and Jeff Mason reported on this matter. Ronald Popeski and Arshad Mohammed also contributed to this report. Daniel Wallis oversaw the editing process.
