Among Russian servicemen, the practice of committing suicide on the battlefield is becoming increasingly common. When Russian soldiers are wounded or find themselves in desperate situations, evidence suggests they quickly realize that they will not receive evacuation or help from their commanders, leading to a sense of despair, hopelessness and the perception that suicide is the only viable option.
The situation is exacerbated by Russian propaganda, whichactively spreads myths that soldiers captured as prisoners of war by the Armed Forces of Ukraine are subject to torture and abuse, thus making capture appear a worse alternative to death.
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The issue has been covered in a statement by Ukraine’s “I Want to Live” project, a state initiative which launched a hotline in September 2022 and offers all Russian soldiers a mutually beneficial deal. It guarantees them life in exchangefor “normal, humane conditions under the supervision of the Red Cross.”
The recent statement reads: “[Russian soldiers] go on every assault as if it were their last, because they know that no one will come for the wounded, no one will pull them out, no one will help. Instead of radios and proper first aid kits, they carry instructions in their pockets on how to kill themselves with a grenade, pre-issued by bloated major political officers.”
Suicides are often the result of bullying, psychological pressure, and a feeling of despair among Russian soldiers, especially when they are left to fend for themselves. In addition, Russian army commanders on the front lines often threaten their subordinates with severe punishment or even execution if they surrender, making matters worse.
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“How many thousands have killed themselves in destroyed houses, collapsed trenches, and burning forests, only God knows,” the state project statement says.
“Pushed to suicide”
A Ukrainian military intelligence official told Kyiv Post on condition of anonymity that there has been a wave of suicides among Russian soldiers, with numbers growing: “Some are deliberately driven to such a step by bullying, threats, and a sense of total hopelessness. Others shorten their lives, abandoned on the battlefield,” the source said, adding that extremely low value is placed on the lives of ordinary Russians.
Any other way, Russia simply would not have enough human resources to conduct military operations on such a scale, especially when thousands of people are lost daily in “meat assaults,” the official explained.
“They are pushed to suicide. No modern army of the civilized world would ever allow such losses.”
In cases where a Russian soldier dies as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound or grenade explosion, their death is not considered to have occurred while performing a combat mission. As a result, the deceased's family is understood to not be entitled to state compensation of 5 million rubles.
“A suicide is not considered a battlefield death, and no 5 million will be seen!” the “I Want to Live” project states.
The project emphasizes that the reality of surrender is far from the myths being perpetuated within Russian ranks: “Unlike their commanders, we need them alive because they will be exchanged later, and we will return our people from the Russian GULAG.”
According to the project: “The conscripts from Kursk, who did not listen to their commanders and [Chechen Leader Ramzan] Kadyrov's bandits and surrendered instead of committing suicide, are a living example of this. 115 of them have already returned home through exchange rather than lying in the ground.”
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