The Russian Defense Ministry has dispatched a commission to the 1196th Motorized Rifle Regiment, stationed in the temporarily occupied part of Kherson Oblast, in response to a rise in suicides and sabotage targeting watercraft by its soldiers, partisans from the Atesh Ukrainian-Crimean Tatar movement report.
The Atesh movement was created in 2022 after the beginning of Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine. It claims to have developed a network of saboteurs inside the Russian military and created an online course instructing Russian soldiers how to wreck their own equipment. In February 2023, it claimed 4,000 Russian soldiers were learning in its online course.
“Agents of ‘ATESH’ within the Russian military confirm that a commission from the Russian Ministry of Defense has arrived at the 1196th Territorial Defense Motorized Rifle Regiment in occupied Kherson Oblast. This visit is directly linked to issues we previously highlighted: an increase in sabotage against watercraft and suicides among soldiers,” the statement reads.
These incidents are eroding discipline and the regiment’s combat readiness, which the Russian command perceives as a significant threat.
Atesh adds that the Russian military leadership is concerned these problems could derail plans for an offensive on the right bank of the Kherson Oblast.
On 20 December, Ukrainian authorities claimed that Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups attempted to advance towards Kherson by boats but failed. The Russians tried a landing under artillery cover. The occupiers launched 1,000 shells at the city in 40 minutes, killing two civilians and damaging more than 30 multi-story buildings.
Kherson Governor Oleksandr Prokudin urged residents not to panic, consider evacuation, and avoid leaving their homes unless necessary.
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