Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing mounting claims of internal disorder within his armed forces, as Ukrainian intelligence-linked groups report officers refusing frontline duty and commanders allegedly issuing orders while intoxicated, raising questions about discipline and morale as the war grinds on.
The allegations, drawn from intercepted communications and frontline testimony cited by Ukrainian partisan networks, describe conditions approaching mutiny in parts of Russia's military. They come as Ukraine steps up long-range strikes against Russian industrial and military targets, underscoring pressure on Moscow at a sensitive moment.
According to the Ukrainian partisan group ATESH, officers from Russia's 39th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade have been seeking transfers away from the Pokrovsk sector in eastern Ukraine, a battlefield described by analysts as among the most lethal of the war. UNN reported that officers are requesting reassignment to rear positions or quieter fronts to avoid what they see as near-certain death.
ATESH said commanders are attempting to prevent departures through coercion. "The command is keeping officers in check with threats of disciplinary penalties, demotions, and complete career blocking," the group said. It added that officers are being pressured to submit reports portraying a "stable situation" that "does not actually exist."
The group said morale among officers has deteriorated sharply. According to ATESH, they are "completely demotivated, poorly oriented in local conditions, and perceive the Pokrovsk front as a dangerous posting." Officers are "increasingly submitting reports requesting a transfer to the rear or to more peaceful frontline areas," it said.
Separate allegations from the Zaporizhzhia region describe an even more severe breakdown of command. ATESH reported that the 74th Motor Rifle Regiment has suffered unusually high losses due to decisions allegedly made by intoxicated commanders. Soldiers told the group that "orders are given in a state of severe alcohol intoxication, without the slightest understanding of the real situation."
ATESH said the consequences have been severe. "This has already led to the highest losses in the unit during the entire period of combat operations," the group stated, adding that casualties have reached "up to 100 people per month killed and wounded." Analysts affiliated with ATESH concluded that "the fate of the battalion depends not on tactics and the enemy, but on how much the commanders have drunk today."
These reports coincide with a wave of Ukrainian strikes extending deep into Russian territory. Industrial and energy facilities in regions including Bashkortostan, Penza, Lipetsk and Leningrad have been targeted, according to regional authorities and local accounts. In several cases, fires and explosions were reported hundreds of miles from the Ukrainian border.
