A Russian soldier who refused to continue fighting in Ukraine, he was beaten until his face was covered in blood, his father has claimed. The man narrated the ordeal his son suffered to the BBC, saying that he had begged his son not to go. President Vladimir Putin had on September 21 ordered a mobilisation of hundreds of thousands of Russians to fight in Ukraine, sparking protests and an exodus of eligible men from the country. Reports from Russia said authorities would call up 300,000 people with "relevant" skills or military experience.
The young Russian was among those men who enlisted. But the soldier later discussed with his father what would happen if he refused to fight.
"It was a difficult decision for him to take. I told him: 'Better to take it. This is not our war. It's not a war of liberation'," the man told the BBC. The soldier, along with several others who decided not to take part in the fight anymore, put his refusal in writing.
"They beat him and then they took him outside as if they were going to shoot him. They made him lie on the ground and told him to count to ten. He refused so they beat him over the head several times with a pistol. He told me his face was covered in blood," the father said while speaking to the outlet. Their identities have been protected by the BBC.
The soldier was a serving officer in the Russian army when Mr Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 23. Initially he "believed it was right" despite his dad trying to convince him not to go to war, the BBC report said.
But his stand changed after the soldier found out he had been sent to fight with "no intelligence gathering, no preparation and no cover".
Russia has suffered a series of military setbacks in the Ukraine war that triggered criticism of the army's leadership. In October, a new general was appointed to lead Russia's offensive.
Russian forces were driven out of much of the northeastern Kharkiv region in early September by a Ukrainian counter-offensive that allowed Kyiv to retake thousands of square kilometres of territory.
Russian troops also lost territory in the southern Kherson region as well as the Lyman transport hub in eastern Ukraine.
