Since the partial mobilization ordered by Vladimir Putin on September 21, inglorious videos for the Russian army have been circulating on social networks. In these pictures we see newly drafted Russian soldiers who are under the influence of alcohol and therefore not very fit for combat. Nicknamed “alcohol battalions“, these groups of men fuel the ridicule of the Ukrainian media.
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“Never in my life have I seen sober people there”
From a Russian perspective, however, such scenes are not uncommon, according to a former commander of the Russian army. Guest of the program of the Kremlin’s chief propagandist Vladimir Soloviev on the state channel Rossiya 1 Andrey Gurulyov did not say that he was shocked by these pictures, because “this is how it has always been in our country and always will be.”
“Never in my life have I seen sober people there,” added the current Duma deputy, referring to the two Wars in Chechnya Led by Russia in the 1990s.
After watching videos of newly mobilized Russians – so drunk they could hardly stand it – many asked me if it was real. Hear it straight from the horse’s mouth: Former deputy commander of Russia’s Southern Military District: “I’ve never seen sober people there in my life.” pic.twitter.com/zPsVt1A82s
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) October 1, 2022