Russia doesn’t care about ‘eyes of the West’ – Lavrov as 'Sent to certain death': Why growing numbers of Ukrainian s

Russia doesn’t care about ‘eyes of the West’ – Lavrov
Moscow cares about international law, not what the West thinks, its foreign minister has told BBC

The fate of British fighters captured in Ukraine and sentenced to death as mercenaries is for the Donetsk People’s Republic to decide under international law, and Russia doesn’t care how that looks “in the eyes of the West,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told UK state broadcaster BBC in an interview on Thursday, on the sidelines of the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

Two British nationals – Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin – were among a trio of foreign fighters found guilty of being mercenaries by the Supreme Court in Donetsk last week. They were sentenced to death, alongside Moroccan citizen Saadun Ibrahim.

When BBC’s Steve Rosenberg asked Lavrov about them on Thursday, the Russian foreign minister said this was a matter for the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), which Moscow recognizes as an independent state and an ally.

“In the eyes of the West, Russia is responsible for the fate of these people,” Rosenberg began, but Lavrov cut him off.

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'Sent to certain death': Why growing numbers of Ukrainian servicemen are refusing to fight on the Donbass frontlines
Many Ukrainian soldiers are terrified by combat conditions and are asking for help on social media

Ukrainian solders are increasingly abandoning their positions and posting videos with complaints about their command. Why is the number of desertions increasing in the war torn country?

The total assistance of Western countries to Ukraine has already exceeded the country’s military budget for 2022, which was to amount to $12 billion. And this is without taking into account humanitarian donations from ordinary citizens all over the world. Very soon, Ukraine will receive another $20 billion for its military needs from the United States.

It would seem that this huge infusion of funds and incessant supply of weapons from abroad should solve all the problems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, its soldiers are increasingly abandoning their positions without authorization, refusing to go to the frontline in Donbass, and publishing video messages online in which they criticize their commanders. In this article, RT looks into why, despite foreign aid to Ukraine, the number of problems involving the deployment of military personnel is growing, and why Ukrainian soldiers are deserting more and more frequently.

A scandalous bill submitted by [Ukraine’s parliament] Verkhovna Rada deputy Mariana Bezugla, giving officers the right to execute servicemen for desertion, was withdrawn on May 24. However, the very appearance of such an initiative clearly indicates that the problem is real, and the authorities are sounding the alarm.

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