A recently leaked report by Verstka sheds light on the horrifying brutality that has taken over the Russian Army. It’s exposing the brutal torture and execution of anyone who refuses to follow orders in this uneven war in Ukraine. The report uncovers systematic methods employed by mid-ranking officers to enforce obedience, exposing a culture of fear that permeates military ranks.
As Verstka writes, soldiers who fail to follow orders are punished harshly. They can be tossed into holes with steel tops, soaked in water, and hammered with blows for several hours or days on end. This savage cruelty serves to create fear in the ranks of soldiers, making them too afraid to speak out and ensuring absolute adherence to orders.
During the analysis the 101 servicemen were found to be responsible for murder, torture or execution of other soldiers. A striking statistic is that the vast majority of the alleged perpetrators are mid-ranking officers in their 30s and 40s. The majority of them have been used in earlier Russian military operations, or are from penal battalions. Verstka has verified over 150 deaths attributed to these practices. They say they’re sure the real toll is much, much higher.
“In many cases, the soldiers were deliberately executed or sent to their deaths,” the report states. It sheds light on an alarming practice which involved commanders designating “execution shooters” who were ordered to execute anyone who refused to fight. After executing the prisoners, they would frequently dump the bodies in rivers or mass graves. They fraudulently classified these deaths as KIA.
Verstka detailed horrifying examples of how Russian Army soldiers were tortured and murdered. One of the most shocking examples surfaced in a video released by Ukrainian monitoring groups that track Russian troops. In this video, a chilling command is heard: “Finish him off already, what are you waiting for?” And soldiers experience firsthand the dire consequences in the ranks, as few order-defiers are willing to do.
Yet the report paints a picture of an all too common financial extortion. Reportedly, commanders required bribes from enlisted persons so they could be relieved of unnecessary but risky deployments. The Russian Army is now allegedly deploying troops in mass as “mayachki.” These soldiers are routinely deployed into combat where they are equipped with the means to attract enemy fire.
In the first half of 2025, Russia’s chief military prosecutor’s office registered almost 29,000 complaints from soldiers and their relatives. This tidal wave of complaints only adds to the confusion. Over 12,000 complaints specifically targeted retaliations taken by supervisors. Yet, it is this very disclosure that exposes a fundamental flaw in the military establishment.
Despite the mountain of evidence compiled by Verstka, few of the perpetrators named have been held to account for their actions. A source within the military prosecutor’s office expressed concerns about addressing these issues publicly: “If we open this, it could harm operations.”
This report uncovers new evidence of the pervasiveness of the Russian Army. This means that they are not only active in external conflict but contending with triggering internal concerns, such as violence and/or oppression directed at their own personnel.