Russian Army soldiers parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Siege of Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in Saint Petersburg on January 18, 2023. DMITRI LOVETSKY / AP
The decree, which was published discreetly on December 30, 2022, is expected to come into force in the near future. Developed by the Defense Ministry, it updates a practice that has been abandoned for twenty years: the establishment of military prisons at Russian Army bases and theaters of operations.
These gaouptvakhty accommodate without trial soldiers accused of serious breaches of discipline, such as B. Refusing to fight or leaving a military position or base. The text states that these detention centers must be housed in shipping containers or simple vans, not in basements or burrows – “unless the protection of soldiers’ lives is involved,” giving the command some leeway.
This evocation of basements is significant. Throughout the fall of 2022, there were regular reports of soldiers being held in underground passages in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, sometimes dozens of men forced into hiding for weeks. Telegram channel Astra has identified up to 11 locations with supporting photos.
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The decree therefore makes it possible to regulate and monitor a practice that is already in force locally but has moved families. It is also another sign that Russia is moving towards a long-term “military special operation” and reorganizing its army.
Short hair and shaved beard
Regaining control is happening on all fronts, even the most seemingly trivial. According to consistent information from British intelligence and officials from Moscow-held Ukrainian territories, the inauguration of General Valéri Guerassimov, who died on the 12th, or the use of civilian vehicles or private phones by the military.
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Another such directive, which required soldiers to keep their hair short and shave their beards, sparked heated debates among military experts, which some saw as an unrealistic requirement designed only to guarantee “clean” images for television sets.
The command appears determined to make people forget the scenes that followed the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of men into the ranks of the army beginning September 21, 2022. This mobilization resulted in fighting, casualties, alcohol consumption on military bases, and numerous conflicts between mobilized and officers, all filmed by thousands of phones.
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