“Human safaris” and havoc on the “home front”: How Russian soldiers kill Ukrainian civilians, fellow Russians — and even each other

Amid reports of routine executions of Ukrainian prisoners, it is not surprising that Russian soldiers have also faced similar fates. The Insider has previously reported (1, 2) on the “gulag-style” punishment system inside the Russian units fighting in Ukraine. Until recently, soldiers who committed infractions had only died as a result of excessive torture and beatings (1, 2), with deliberate extrajudicial killings largely tied to the Wagner PMC — infamous for incidents like the sledgehammer execution of Yevgeny Nuzhin, who had returned from captivity in Ukraine. Now, however, the practice seems to have transferred from the effectively defunct Wagner to the regular Russian army.

Russian soldiers often record videos complaining (1, 2, 3) that their commanders threaten them with “zeroing out” (military slang for extrajudicial executions) for disobeying orders — including for refusing to participate in so-called “meat grinder assaults.” In some cases, such as a recent video from soldiers of the 19th Tank Regiment, these threats have reportedly been carried out. Some cases have come to light through Russian criminal proceedings — the most high-profile one involving the murder of seven soldiers from the 6th Motor Rifle Division, who were taken to a frontline basement and killed with grenades.

Another form of “zeroing out” involves forcing soldiers into the aforementioned “meat grinder assaults” — often following conflicts and disputes with their commanders. A recent example saw Russian drone operators Dmitry Lysakovsky (call sign “Goodwin”) and Sergey Gritsay (call sign “Ernest”), both conscripts from occupied Donetsk, killed after being ordered to act as storm troopers. Members of Russia’s pro-war community blamed their deaths on a conflict with unit commander Igor Puzik, who reportedly chose to eliminate his subordinates in order to prevent them publishing “up-to-date information from the front line.” Puzik has retained his position as commander of the unit. Proving the commanders’ guilt in these cases is often impossible, as many Russian units lack formally designated drone operators. These specialists often officially hold other roles, such as rifleman or sniper, and they are sometimes reassigned to assault units due to personnel shortages that have nothing to do with the whims of a superior.

There are also sporadic mentions of “blocking units” being tasked with shooting assault soldiers who refuse to advance. Available public evidence suggests that these practices are generally improvised. A video showing “blocking units” in action was shared on the “Spy Dossier” (Dossier Shpiona) Telegram channel, which is reportedly linked to Russian intelligence.

“The brigade commander (codename ‘Boroda,’ or ‘Beard’) orders an officer (codename ‘Myasnik,’ or ‘Butcher’) to ‘push the group forward’ and ‘make sure no one refuses.’

At 2:25, the phrase ‘if they disobey, you know what to do’ is heard. At 2:38, the soldier recording the video explains ‘what to do — to zero them out, to waste them.’”

The entire “zeroing out” system appears to have developed spontaneously, radically differing from Russian practices in previous wars. During World War II, over 157,000 Soviet soldiers were executed based on military tribunal verdicts alone, but the Soviet military-political leadership sought to formalize the executions through dedicated blocking units and SMERSH counterintelligence officers. The current situation, in which commanders form informal groups tasked with carrying out torture and killings, contributes to the Russian army's moral decay and heightens the risks to Russian civilians as soldiers bring back the front-line culture of violence when they return home.