Russian soldiers record eerie video predicting their deaths, accuse commander of corruption

A soldier’s chilling video filmed from the front line has sparked an investigation, with haunting accusations levelled at Russian commanders rising to the surface.

The war in Ukraine has produced reams of horrific footage plastered across social media feeds for over two years.

The unsettling reality of viewing real-time combat footage from your smartphone has given everyone around the world a glimpse of what it is actually like on the front line.

Brutal videos of soldiers being torn apart in ditches are regularly taken down because of social media platforms’ policies against violence. But an equally haunting video has made the rounds this week, offering an chilling perspective of those fighting on the ground.

The short clip shows two Russian soldiers predicting their own imminent deaths on the battlefield. The pair of drone operators were set to embark on a “suicide mission” to take down Ukrainian positions near Pokrovsk.

Veteran drone operator Dmitry Lysakovsky captured some of his haunting final words in a clip that exploded on Telegram before making its way to more streamlined social media platforms.

Lysakovsky claims himself and his comrade were ordered on the near-impossible mission as punishment for defying their commander, igniting further controversy over the reportedly corrupt leadership in Russia’s military.

The video includes a long list of incredible accusations levelled at their superior.

Two Russian soldiers predicted their own deaths after being sent on what they called a suicide mission as punishment for defying their commander.

A short time into the video, Lysakovsky is joined by another unnamed Russian soldier. They proceed to accuse their commander of faking battlefield reports, disbanding an effective drone unit, and even collaborating with a Ukrainian intelligence spy network.

Lysakovsky warned his countrymen against serving in Russia’s defence ministry, claiming their commanders are indifferent to the lives of their men.

“A whole long range UAV recon unit was destroyed so that we would stop receiving factual frontline information,” he said.

“Our regiment commander already reported the capture of Lesovka. And obviously (that’s) a lie.

“It is not taken. Only our groups reached it. Allied groups which are all destroyed. This information, this situation is not unique. It happens across the frontline.”

He said “lies are the norm” on the frontline, alleging that commanders will regularly falsify reports about capturing positions.

“Lies are an absolute norm. It is normal to lie about capturing places,” he continued.

“I am recording this because there is a high chance that I won’t return from this assault.

“War must be called war, and traitors who lie should be shot.

“Therefore, comrades, remember traitors in your ranks are always more dangerous than the enemy.”

After 26 months of combat, the estimated death toll of Russian forces is 469,000. Those figures can vary wildly depending on the source, but the reality is clear — Russian men are routinely being put to the slaughter in the name of Vladimir Putin’s stagnant masterplan.

“Please, don’t serve in the ministry of defence… Your task is to die here so that the regiment commander, reporting to higher-ups, looks good. You are his personal serfs,” Lysakovsky continued.

The viral clip has fast become a thorn in the side of the Russian defence ministry, which has ramped up its efforts in recent months to encourage more young men to enlist to fight against Ukraine.

Russian defence minister Andrei Belousov has since called on General Valery Gerasimov to investigate the deaths of the two soldiers.

Ukrainian sources say Russian shelling killed one person in the eastern city of Pokrovsk, near where the two Russian soldiers were ordered, as Moscow’s troops inched closer to the key logistics hub.

Ukrainian sources say Russian shelling killed one person in the eastern city of Pokrovsk, near where the two Russian soldiers were ordered, as Moscow’s troops inched closer to the key logistics hub.

More than 20,000 people — almost half of its population — have fled the city since August, while Russian strikes over the past two weeks have cut off water and electricity to many of its remaining residents.

“Around 11:00am (0800 GMT), the enemy shelled the western part of the city... Unfortunately, one person died,” Pokrovsk’s military administration said on Telegram.

Russia has been advancing towards Pokrovsk for months, getting to within 10 kilometres (six miles) of its eastern outskirts, according to the local administration.

The city lies on the intersection of rail and road routes that supply Ukrainian troops and towns across the eastern front line and has long been a target for Moscow’s army.

Russian strikes damaged two overpasses in the city earlier this week, including one that connected Pokrovsk to the neighbouring town of Myrnograd, local media reported.

Other eastern cities such as Bakhmut and Mariupol suffered massive bombardment before falling to Russian forces.

Originally published as Russian soldiers record eerie video predicting their deaths, accuse commander of corruption