‘There are simply too few of us.’ Three companies of a National Guard brigade refused to carry out a combat order near Pokrovsk

Three companies of the second battalion of the 15th Brigade of the National Guard, led by their commanders, refused to carry out combat tasks near Pokrovsk.

This was reported by a soldier from one of these units, Vladyslav, to journalists.

“In mid-August, our second battalion was deployed near Pokrovsk. We immediately took up positions, but the problem was that we arrived in Pokrovsk with a severe personnel shortage. After a week of fighting, our numbers dwindled even further—down to 10-13 people per company, including the commanders (the average company size is typically 80-100 personnel). After taking positions near Pokrovsk, we encountered the incompetence of the command—there was no communication with neighboring units, communication was extremely poor, and there was no clear understanding of the positions, or who held them. It got to the point where we were ordered to move to positions without knowing who was already there—sometimes these positions were already occupied by Russians. We simply cannot physically hold the defense with such a shortage of personnel—each of us is outnumbered 30 to 1 by the Russians! The Russians are constantly attacking, launching assaults with battalions supported by heavy equipment. In a week of fighting, we only had a single BTR (armored personnel carrier) come to support us with fire. The Russians are advancing in a continuous stream along the railroad near Myrnohrad. The extreme lack of coordination and communication is evident from the fact that one of the units covering our flank retreated under Russian pressure without notifying us. As a result, one of our groups couldn’t exit the battle—we still don’t know where they are, whether they were killed or captured. That’s why our three companies deployed near Pokrovsk refused to carry out combat orders. The higher-ups came, asking those refusing to carry out orders to step forward. Everyone who remained stepped forward, led by the commanders. The higher-ups recorded this on video and left. Now we don’t know what will happen next; we are waiting for the consequences. All the soldiers who refused have been fighting since the start of the war, they are all experienced and battle-hardened. But there are simply too few of us left,” the soldier explained.