Two Ukrainian soldiers shot two fellow their servicemen before getting into a landing boat on the right bank of the river Dnepr, according to footage filmed by a Russian reconnaissance drone and later acquired by Sputnik.
Then the soldiers hid the corpses in the boat, pushed it away from the shore, and vanished.
After the failure of last year’s much-heralded Ukrainian counteroffensive and mounting lack of ammunition and manpower, more and more Ukrainian troops are refusing to perform combat missions. Others are even risking being shot in the back by units stationed behind them in an effort to prevent them from retreating.
In mid-October, Governor of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, said that Ukrainian barrier troops had opened fire on their own servicemen for refusing to cross the Dnepr River.
Video footage taken by a drone and obtained by Sputnik last December showed one such Ukrainian barrier unit shooting at a group of retreating Ukrainian army fighters.
"The Ukrainian Armed Forces are using the tactics of anti-retreat forces, and with them, they are trying to hold back mobilized and territorial defense forces unwilling to die at the positions," a source told the agency.
Sputnik also obtained audio of a radio intercept of communications between Ukrainian servicemen, revealing that some Ukrainian units are outright refusing to go into battle against Russian forces.
Replenishing the ranks depleted by last year's botched counteroffensive is presenting a challenge for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as Russian troops continue to advance.
Shortly after Russia started its special military operation, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced martial law and a general draft in Ukraine. Under martial law, men aged between 18 and 60 are banned from leaving the country, and men aged 27 and older are eligible to be drafted, with some exceptions.
As the issue of draft dodgers continues to persist, with draft cards being handed out not only at recruitment offices, but also on streets, gas stations, and cafes, Zelensky approved new mobilization measures on April 2. The new law in Ukraine lowers the conscription age from 27 to 25, eliminates the "limited fitness" category for recruits, and requires individuals previously deemed limitedly fit for military service to undergo a medical examination within nine months.