'Drunk' Russian conscripts batter each other in brawl at barracks

Well, Putin wanted men to fight… ‘Drunk’ conscripts batter each other unconscious in huge brawl at training barracks in extraordinary leaked footage revealing Russian army chaos

• Video shows soldiers punching each other, with some ending up unconscious
• Putin’s army intelligence and military police dragged unconscious troops away 
• Video tallies with reports of low morale and drunkenness among Russian recruits

Vladimir Putin’s conscripts have been filmed drunkenly battering each other in an alcohol-fuelled brawl at a training barracks ahead of their deployment to the battlefields of Ukraine.

An extraordinary leaked video shows the ‘drunk’ soldiers punching each other, with some ending up unconscious on the floor during the fight at the barracks in Yurga, Siberia.

The video shows Putin’s army intelligence and military police dragging the unconscious troops, who are from the 74th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, along the street and away from the bloody brawl. 

The footage tallies with reports of low morale and drunkenness among Russian recruits and speaks to wider problems faced by Putin’s military – poor command, discipline and organisation – that have plagued its war effort so far. 

Vladimir Putin’s conscripts have been filmed drunkenly battering each other in an alcohol-fuelled brawl at a training barracks ahead of their deployment to the battlefields of Ukraine

An extraordinary leaked video shows the ‘drunk’ soldiers punching each other, with some ending up unconscious on the floor during the fight at the barracks in Yurga, Siberia. The footage shows Putin’s army intelligence and military police dragging the unconscious troops, who are from the 74th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, along the street and away from the bloody brawl

But the man then realised that military intelligence and police are involved, seeking to break up the fight. Some of the new recruits involved in the fight were held on the ground by the military police with their hands tied behind their backs

A man, likely a Russian soldier, filming the brawl from a building overlooking the chaos, said: ‘Mobilised men are fighting crowd on crowd. Look… they are even dragging some of them to the fields.

‘Some are jumping over here across a fence. This is a really tough fight. Those who pass out are dragged away.’ 

He added: ‘They are beating each other really, really hard. They are just crushing the guys. Some needs assistance, help.’

But the man then realised that military intelligence and police are involved, seeking to break up the fight. Some of the new recruits involved in the fight were held on the ground by the military police with their hands tied behind their backs.

He said: ‘These guys are from intelligence. They are knocking down [the mobilised soldiers].

‘They are taking some of them away to the parade ground.

‘Some of the [mobilised) are getting taped. This is what they are doing to the drunks.’

The footage tallies with reports of low morale and drunkenness among Russian recruits and speaks to wider problems faced by Putin’s military – poor command, discipline and organisation – that have plagued its war effort so far. Pictured: The barracks where the drunken brawl took place 

Separate footage shows how other ‘drunk’ conscripts from Putin’s mobilisation drive are held in an iron cage.

The soldiers – intended for Ukraine – are billeted at Kazan Expo International Exhibition Centre, normally a modern venue for congress and exhibition events.

Colonel Vyacheslav Epifantsev refused to comment on why mobilised soldiers were held in the cage.

But media reported it was for those who took to drink ahead of their posting to the frontline.

There are complaints among Russian soldiers of equipment shortages, poor living conditions and scant training for new recruits. 

Separate footage shows how other ‘drunk’ conscripts from Putin’s mobilisation drive are held in an iron cage

Since Putin announced the mobilization of 300,000 Russians on September 21, independent media, human rights activists and those called up have painted a bleak picture of a haphazard and chaotic effort to round up as many men as possible and push them quickly to the front lines, regardless of skill, training and equipment.

Conscription protests have been harshly put down, and tens of thousands of men fled Russia to neighbouring countries to avoid being pressed into service.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday acknowledged persisting problems with equipment for the draftees, but ‘vigorous measures taken to rectify the situation are already yielding the first positive results.’

He said regional authorities are involved in providing ‘the missing gear,’ and now Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov ‘is personally responsible for this’ in a coordination council Putin has created.

Russian media reported multiple deaths of reservists in Ukraine, with their relatives telling news outlets that they had received very little training.

Ukrainian soldiers inspect a damaged Russian tank near the recently retaken village of Kamianka, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on Sunday

When asked by a reporter why several reservists had died in Ukraine only three weeks after being called up, Putin confirmed that training could last as few as 10 days and as many as 25.

Military analyst Pavel Luzin said Russia isn’t able to train hundreds of thousands of men. ‘The army was not ready for mobilization. It never prepared for it,’ he said.

Putin has promised to finish the mobilization drive by November, when the regular fall draft is scheduled. Military experts and rights groups say enlistment offices and training camps can’t process both at the same time, warning that the call-up may resume months later.

As of mid-October, 222,000 reservists have been recruited, Putin said. Whether it will be possible to enlist another 80,000 in the remaining two weeks is unclear.

To try to broaden the pool, the Russian parliament on Wednesday lifted a ban on mobilizing men who have been convicted of a grave criminal offense and who have been released from prison but whose convictions are still on the books.

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