Thread by @ChrisO_wiki

1/ The 'SVOshnik' – a drunk, traumatised, violent veteran of the Ukraine war – has become a figure of fear in Russia. Russian journalist and activist Anastasia Kashevarova, who has fought for soldiers' rights, admits that some veterans are out of control. ⬇️

2/ Many participants in the Ukraine war have been discharged, usually through ill-health or in some lucky cases, having completed contracts. They have brought with them a wave of violence and crime, with even prostitutes avoiding them.

https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1962073553622208760

3/ A large part of the problem, as Kashevarova notes, is that participants in the 'Special Military Operation' (SVO) are often treated with deference by law enforcement agencies, leaving ordinary people vulnerable to their violent behaviour. She writes:

4/ "For a long time, I tried to avoid the idea that being a SVO participant isn't a license.

Being a SVO participant carries a great responsibility to the front, to society. The face of a soldier is the face of the Russian Army, the face of the Defender of Russia.

5/ "Unfortunately, society today views SVO participants with disdain; every word they say causes a backlash, as if they're insulting a defender of the Motherland.

6/ "We can trample and humiliate doctors, volunteers, civil servants, members of parliament, journalists, and teachers, but SVO participants are immune to all attacks, no matter what they do or where they fight.

7/ "In one hospital, out of respect for the real soldiers and doctors—I don't want to name the hospital—some SVO participants got drunk and started a riot. This happened at night.

8/ "The police and the National Guard were called, but they couldn't do anything because they were military personnel. The soldiers undergoing treatment had been drinking, and when their alcohol was taken away, they threatened to slit their wrists if it wasn't returned.

9/ "They surrounded the nurses' station, threatening and shouting. Other soldiers came to the aid of the doctors, who refused to give up the alcohol, and tried to calm the troublemakers.

10/ "These guys, true warriors, sent me a bunch of videos, some of which I won't post but can pass on to the investigative authorities, the Ministry of Defence, and the Ministry of Health.

11/ "These drunken defenders shouted at the real soldiers who stood up for themselves and the doctors: "You can go pack your things, I'll make sure you're not here." Ultimately, it was the drunks and troublemakers who were expelled from the hospital for breach of discipline.

12/ "After this, the instigator of this chaos, Vitaliy Sokol, began spreading information that they were kicked out of the hospital for fighting for their rights, but he kept silent about the fact that everything had been explained to them, that they demanded alcohol and…

13/ …access to the premises for more than just family members, that they demanded, excuse me, "fuck rooms" for meetings with girls of low social responsibility. "I fought, you all owe me." He began spreading lies in Ukrainian public groups; they really love this kind of crap.

14/ "The wife of one of the fighters, who was so rowdy, drinking, and threatening the medical staff, once told me, "You should bow at his feet."

15/ "For what? For not getting treatment, but lashing out at doctors and girls? For receiving payments and demanding that everyone grovel and humiliate themselves before him?

16/ "Because he received a minor wound and shows everyone what a hero he is in the rear, and is trying to get discharged under category D, while at the same time the guys in the front line can’t even wait for evacuation?

17/ "The guys are fighting on crutches, they're brought back to their units with Ilizarov devices, and those returning with prosthetics—they're the ones we must fight for. I will stand up for those of our guys who can't get this treatment, who can't wait for their vacations.

18/ "I will stand up for those who followed their hearts, not just to make a buck. I will stand up for the mobilized and the regular soldiers, for the true contract soldiers and volunteer battalions, who are struggling to defend their rights.

19/ "But I certainly won't defend the riffraff who attack doctors, drink, and then, once sober, go to the enemy and spread lies about their country through their social media accounts.

20/ "Hospitals are now under very strict security because people recruited by the SBU and HUR, posing as volunteers or comrades, have started coming in and handing over poisoned food.

21/ "But it's impossible to explain this to alcoholics and drug addicts who only know the word "give."

To prevent such situations, we need:

1. Strong political officers who would monitor the moral character of soldiers in the Russian Armed Forces.

22/ "2. The introduction of a unified registry of volunteers allowed into restricted facilities and military hospitals, as doctors really need help.

23/ "3. Strong security at hospitals and civilian clinics where our soldiers are treated, as nurses are unable to cope with them. Perhaps assign military police and commandant's offices to such facilities.

24/ "4. Stop the informational and political support for the permissiveness that some members of the SVO are guilty of." /end

Source:
t.me/akashevarova/8…