Russian marines ‘MUTINY on warship and refuse to fight in Ukraine’ fuelling hopes of anti-Putin unrest, reports claim
RUSSIAN marines "mutinied" onboard Vladimir Putin's warships and refused to attack a Ukrainian port, reports claimed today.
A fleet was poised to begin a beach assault on strategic gateway Odessa, but the crack troops are said to have defied orders and steamed back to Russia instead.
claims a "riot" broke out on the warships, based in nearby Crimea.
At the same time, a number of Russian helicopters and drones were flying over Luzanivka beach, preparing for landing.
The beach, just north of Odessa in southern Ukraine, was defended with mines and anti-tank hedgehogs.
Just before an all-out amphibious assault was due, the Russians radioed Ukrainian defenders to say the attack was off, it is claimed.
They are reported to have them to hold fire and allow the fleet to leave the bay unharmed.
The alleged mutiny echoes the famous rebellion by the crew of the battleship Potemkin in the same area in 1905.
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Retired Ukrainian diplomat Olexander Scherba, sharing the news on Twitter, wrote: "Last night a large group of Russian warships was about to launch landing on Odesa beaches.
"They approached the coast. Russia was about to shell the beach. Ukraine was about to shoot back when they suddenly withdrew.
"Reports that marines from Crimea refused to attack Odesa."
The mutinous Russians were marines from the 810th Brigade, according to Russian opposition politician Ilya Ponomarev.
He was the only member of Russia's Duma to vote against the 2014 annexation of Crimea.
He wrote on Facebook: "Ukrainian Air Force and other defenders of Odesa were preparing to give a decisive fight back to the opponent, but at the very last moment the Russians came in contact and asked to give them the opportunity to leave the Gulf.
"According to our data, there was a real rebellion on Russian ships; Russian men refused to follow the order and storm the coast of the Slavic Russian-language city."
Speaking directly to his country's armed forces, he added: "Russian soldiers, take an example from your comrades!"
Crimea was annexed by Putin's paratroopers in 2014 but is still internationally recognised as part of Ukraine.
In June 1905, the crew onboard the Russian imperial warship Potemkin mutinied against their officers during the same year's popular uprising.
They docked in Odessa after seizing control during a voyage in the Black Sea, and later sought refuge in Romania.
The mutiny, often seen as the first step leading to the 1917 Russian Revolution, was later the subject of the celebrated 1925 Soviet film Battleship Potemkin.
Russian soldiers, take an example from your comrades!
Ilya Ponomarev
Several unconfirmed reports in recent days claim Russian troops are leaving their posts because they do not want to fight their Ukrainian "brothers".
On Monday, footage appeared to show a Russian T-72B tank "abandoned with fuel and in fully working condition".
Some Russian troops are alleged to have stolen cars from Ukrainians to escape, while others have turned over their equipment to the enemy and refused to fight.
ITV's Dan Rivers said a Ukrainian soldier told him: "There are small groups of Russians still inside [Kharkiv], but they are totally demoralised and are now stealing cars from civilians to try and escape."
Taras Kuzio, a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, crediting a Ukrainian news network, tweeted: "5,000 Russian soldiers in staging area in Russia, north of Kharkiv have revolted and refusing to attack Ukraine."
He added: "Earlier report from front lines around Crimea is half of Russian soldiers turned over equipment to the Ukrainians, again refusing to fight."
Meanwhile, a Belarusian military chief has ordered his troops not to fight in Ukraine, declaring it is "not our war", in a direct challenge to Vladimir Putin and his ally, Belarus' president Alexander Lukashenko.
Retired lieutenant colonel Sakhashchyk Valery Stepanovych said the conflict "may have catastrophic consequences for our country".
He added: ";Likely, many will not return home alive, the Russian army with massive military experience has been in the waters for three days now - casualties number in the thousands."
Stepanovych call on his "brothers" to "not participate in this dirty deed" and told them this is "not our war".
His comments came as Ukraine said a column of Belarusian tanks and troops had joined Russia's invasion today.
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Around 5,700 Russian troops have been killed so far in the war, Ukraine claims, with 198 tanks, 29 aircraft, and 29 helicopters destroyed.
The Russian government has said it will pay the families of fallen Russian soldiers 11,000 Rubles (£81).
It comes as Russia faces accusations of war crimes after allegedly committing indiscriminate carpet-bombing on Ukraine's second city Kharkiv.
In a message to his people on a Facebook video, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said the bombing was "terror against Kharkiv, terror against Ukraine. There was no military target on the square".
Describing the attack on an administrative building in central Kharkiv as "outright, undisguised terror," he added: "No one will forgive. No one will forget. This strike on Kharkiv is a war crime."
He said Kyiv and Kharkiv are Russia's "most important targets" and said Putin's forces would use terror to "break" the country's resistance.
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At least 10 more people have been killed and 35 wounded in rocket strikes in central Kharkiv today, home to 1.5 million people.
A huge Russian military convoy is advancing on Kyiv as the conflict enters its sixth day, with armoured vehicles, tanks, and other military equipment stretching some 40 miles, according to the latest satellite images.
US senator Chris Murphy has warned that Putin's troops are preparing for a "long and bloody" siege of Ukraine's capital.
Today, Russia's defence ministry has issued a chilling warning to residents in Kyiv, telling them to leave their homes ahead of a planned further bombardment.
In a sinister statement published by Russian state news agency Tass, it said Putin's forces are preparing to launch "high-precision strikes" against targets in the city.
"We urge Ukrainian citizens involved by Ukrainian nationalists in provocations against Russia, as well as Kyiv residents living near relay stations, to leave their homes," the statement read.
But experts have questioned how long Russia can continue to fight an unpopular and costly war.
Russian individuals and businesses have been slapped with sanctions, their sports teams have been kicked out of international competitions, and the Russian Ruble has plummeted to a historic low.
At the same time, the International Criminal Court has announced it will investigate Russia's alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
And following the mass closure of Russia's air space, the country is facing heavy restrictions on sea travel as well.
On Sunday, Turkey labelled Russia's invasion as a war, and hinted at limiting the movement of warships through the Turkish Straits and into the Black Sea, a strategic route to Ukraine.
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Some 660,000 refugees have already fled Ukraine since the start of the war, including 150,000 over the past day, in what is feared to be the biggest movement of people since the Second World War.
A second round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine has been scheduled for Wednesday, according to Russian state media, after Monday's near the Belarus-Ukraine border ended without a breakthrough.
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