In late March, scores of contract soldiers from #SouthOssetia refused to fight in #Ukraine and left for their homes. According to our source, all of the objectors’ contracts had been voided shortly after. Still, almost a hundred soldiers returned, and some of them will be sent back to the #war zone. Some twenty contract soldiers challenged their dismissals in court. After the return to the self-declared republic, the soldiers had a meeting with South #Ossetia's President Anatoly Bibilov. They described insufferable conditions, broken equipment, and the absence of higher-ups at the front lines. Bibilov expressly advised against any recording of the conversation, yet the exchange was recorded anyway. We publish excerpts translated from Ossetian by a native speaker.

https://zona.media/translate/2022/05/04/ossetia_eng #russia #ukraine #military #georgia #army