New allegations, publicised by Ukrainian military journalist Yuriy Butusov, claim Russian commanders have subjected their own soldiers to torture, mutilation and unofficial "penal battalion" punishments before sending them into near-suicidal assaults. Disturbing footage circulating online reportedly shows troops taped to trees, forced to dig oversized pits, and in one case having a finger severed with cutters by an officer who then urinates into a cup and orders the victim to drink it. The claims implicate specific units fighting for Russia in Ukraine and add to a growing body of accounts alleging brutal internal discipline within the Russian military.

The allegations centre on the 36th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, part of Russia's Vostok group of forces, with soldiers said to have been beaten, electrocuted and sent into combat without ammunition for minor infractions. Four alleged victims were named, including Vasily Ivansky, said to have had his fingers cut off, with some of the men reportedly killed and others' fates unknown. The reports also name brigade commander Col. Kurabek Karayev, nicknamed "The Butcher" by his own men and accused of forcing subordinates to kill wounded comrades, despite having been honoured as a "Hero of Russia" by Putin's defence minister nine months ago. The footage emerged shortly after a major Ukrainian strike on a Russian oil facility killed 13 people, one of the deadliest single attacks of the war.