EXCLUSIVE INVESTIGATION: Putin's War on Russian Soldiers — Dictator's Officers Are Kidnapping, Assaulting and Terrorizing Their Own Troops
Grisly images smuggled from the Ukrainian front by Russian soldiers reveal horrific abuse by officers.
April 27 2026, Published 7:15 a.m. ET
Grisly images smuggled from the Ukrainian front by Russian soldiers reveal monstrous abuse by their commanding officers, including electrocutions, beatings, and even some being forced to fight to the death for their superiors' amusement, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
In one shocking clip, a Russian soldier with the 132nd Separate Guards Motor Rifle Gorlovka Brigade is seen imprisoned inside a box with only his chained head poking out.
Horrific Abuse Videos Expose Russian Army Brutality
Under Vladimir Putin, a 132nd Brigade soldier is shown imprisoned in a box while a commander taunted: 'Are you hungry? Eat, you dog.'
Nearby, a plastic container with bread and meat sits tantalizingly out of reach. "Are you hungry?" a sadistic commander asked. "Eat, you dog. You're going to die there, you know."
Another repellent video shows two Russian soldiers chained to a tree and forced to bark like dogs by a superior who then urinates on them. "These are our dogs who ran away from us," the officer is heard saying, "but we caught them."
In yet another horrific clip, two 132nd Brigade soldiers are duct-taped to a tree. One has a bucket on his head, which his commander kicks while demanding: "Why did you refuse orders?"
The unsettling images have emerged as Russia's invasion of Ukraine plods into its fifth year – with estimates suggesting as many as 325,000 dead Russian troops and another staggering 1.2 million casualties for dictator Vladimir Putin's ragtag army.
Experts claim the systematic abuse of soldiers, or "dedovshchina," which translates to "hazing," is a grim reflection of Russia's dog-eat-dog society, where "violence, extortion, and corruption are endemic," said Keir Giles, an expert on the nation's military.
According to Giles, the abuse is also fueled by the class tension inherent in Russia's society, with Putin replenishing the gutted ranks by raiding rural towns and the disenfranchised for recruits.
Poor Recruits Forced Into Brutal Service
Keir Giles linked Putin's military to 'dedovshchina' hazing, citing deep-rooted violence and class divisions in Russia.
Cops get hefty sums to shanghai arrested criminals into service, while other outcasts – the homeless, convicts and minorities – are forcibly conscripted.
"These are people that come from the poorest levels of Russian society," said Giles, who added many recruits have never seen a toilet or a toothbrush before joining the Russian army.
"Putin does not want to mobilize large numbers from cities, where people can exchange information and understand the real cost of the war," Giles added. "If casualties are concentrated in rural areas, that vulnerability is reduced."
Meanwhile, a U.S. national security source told RadarOnline.com that the abuse is the Russian army's "weakness."
Brutal Discipline Sends Soldiers to Death
A U.S. security source contrasted Putin's army with Joseph Stalin's World War II forces, citing a lack of nationalist motivation.
"In World War II, Russia prevailed because [Joseph] Stalin appealed to the people's nationalism, their love of the Rodina, or motherland," said the source. "The modern Russian army lacks that motivating impulse and that is why, I believe, they will always fail, even when favored by superior numbers."
Frontline reports have emerged of Russian officers executing soldiers to steal their bank cards, starving them, forcing them to spend their own money on medical care and ordering them on suicide missions, or "meat storm" assaults, as punishment for menial transgressions.
"Caught with a smartphone – sent to assault, dead in three days," read one anonymous Telegram message sent by a soldier on the front. "Detained by military police without a combat order – sent to assault, dead within a day. Didn't extend your contract – assault. Didn't sign a contract – assault."
Wounded Soldiers Sent Back to Battle
Reports tied to Putin's forces describe troops being sent on deadly 'meat storm' assaults as punishment.
Nightmarish videos show Russian officers using their wounded as cannon fodder, with one grunt forced to charge on crutches and others ordered into battle with broken arms and legs and ruptured intestines or without eyes.
"I fought five times, two severe injuries and a severe brain injury," a soldier said in one clip.
"Now they hang guns on me and take me to the front line without any problems."
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Soldiers Forced Into Deadly Fight Pit
Footage from Putin's war shows a commander forcing two soldiers to fight, saying: 'Whoever kills the other first gets to leave.'
Still another chilling video shows two shirtless Russian soldiers in a ditch while a commander above them is heard saying, "Here's the deal. Whoever kills the other first gets to leave the pit."
The two-minute video then shows the men fight until one strangles the other to death.
"I want nothing to do with this country anymore," a fed-up soldier said on one video. "To all the organizations out there, please help."
