LUGANSK, November 13. /TASS/. The Ukrainian army command is threatening to kill its own soldiers who refuse to fight in Kupyansk, Vitaly Ganchev, head of the Kharkov military-civilian administration, said at a press conference in response to a question from TASS.
"Of course, they are being coerced. They are told: either you go to fight, or we will abandon you there – and sometimes even bury you ourselves. We know how nationalist blocking detachments treat mobilized [Ukrainian] soldiers who refuse to fight. They did not want to fight when they were living their ordinary lives in Kharkov, Odessa, or elsewhere. And they still do not want to fight even when holding an automatic weapon," Ganchev said.
He emphasized that former Ukrainian soldiers who had already surrendered to Russian forces spoke of such threats from their own commanders. Despite the risks, they lay down arms to Russian troops in hopes of saving their lives.
"As soon as they turn themselves in, they are essentially liberated – freed from the oppression of their commanders. So, of course, they tell everything as it is," Ganchev added.