Russian troops handcuffed to trees and left for dead after defying orders
Footage from key battle zone in Donetsk is latest evidence of Moscow’s brutal treatment of its soldiers
Russian soldiers were handcuffed to trees and left to die after defying orders to advance into Ukrainian territory, video footage recorded near the front line claims.
The four soldiers, abandoned without food or water, were found by Ukrainian troops in the strategically vital zone near Lyman, which separates the opposing sides in Donetsk.
It is understood the group had been abandoned by their commanders because they refused to advance again after the remainder of their unit was killed attempting to gain ground.
The area around Lyman, north-east of Sloviansk, is a critical stretch of land that serves as a gateway to both the Donbas interior and the northern approaches to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
Fighting in the area has been fierce since Ukraine’s counter-offensive recaptured Lyman in late 2022.
A man speaking in the video, identified as Ilya Sergeyevich Gorkov of Russia’s 36th Motorised Rifle Regiment, claimed his group had been left for four days.
Speaking with his arms tied around a tree trunk, he said they had been abandoned with “no food, no water, nothing, and they won’t take us anywhere to the toilet”.
This is not the first time Russian soldiers have been seen punishing fellow troops by abandoning them between the front lines. In February 2025 footage circulated on social media showing Kremlin forces tying up their fellow soldiers in areas that were exposed to Ukrainian strikes.
‘You’ll die by drone or artillery fire’
In the most recent incident the group were allegedly told “you’ll die here under a kamikaze [drone] or under artillery fire”, according to Ukrainian war bloggers.
It is thought that Mr Gorkov began his fourth deployment to Ukraine in April 2025 as a crew member on a TOS-1A Solntsepyok thermobaric rocket launcher.
He was later reassigned to the infantry and placed in an assault detachment of the 36th Motorised Rifle Regiment in the Lyman area.
War bloggers have reported Mr Gorkov’s mother said his unit was almost wiped out on a mission to take a Ukrainian-held settlement.
When four survivors returned, their commander ordered them to attempt the mission again. The men refused and were then reportedly tied with their arms wrapped around trees.
Russian forces, including elements of the 20th Combined Arms Army and airborne units, have been trying to push westward in Lyman to regain lost ground.
Analysts describe the area as attritional and static, with Russia attempting small-scale assaults because of manpower shortages and Ukraine conducting limited counter-raids to exhaust Russian logistics.
Control of Lyman affects both sides’ ability to manoeuvre in the northern Donbas and secure supply routes linking Svatove, Kreminna and Sloviansk.
According to Western intelligence, Russia has moved to build up its troops in the area despite suffering heavy losses.
Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former British Army colonel and chemical weapons expert, told The Telegraph: “This has been a key objective for Russia, and they have been trying to take Pokrovsk for many months. Hitherto, they have suffered huge casualties.”
He added: “Earlier this week, there were some reports of a large Russian tank assault, but this appears to have been beaten back with huge Russian casualties.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/10/17/russian-troops-handcuffed-left-for-dead-refusing-orders/
Russian soldiers were handcuffed to trees and left to die after defying orders to advance into Ukrainian territory, video footage recorded near the front line claims.
The four soldiers, abandoned without food or water, were found by Ukrainian troops in the strategically vital zone near Lyman, which separates the opposing sides in Donetsk.
It is understood the group had been abandoned by their commanders because they refused to advance again after the remainder of their unit was killed attempting to gain ground.
The area around Lyman, north-east of Sloviansk, is a critical stretch of land that serves as a gateway to both the Donbas interior and the northern approaches to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
Fighting in the area has been fierce since Ukraine’s counter-offensive recaptured Lyman in late 2022.
A man speaking in the video, identified as Ilya Sergeyevich Gorkov of Russia’s 36th Motorised Rifle Regiment, claimed his group had been left for four days.
Speaking with his arms tied around a tree trunk, he said they had been abandoned with “no food, no water, nothing, and they won’t take us anywhere to the toilet”.
This is not the first time Russian soldiers have been seen punishing fellow troops by abandoning them between the front lines. In February 2025 footage circulated on social media showing Kremlin forces tying up their fellow soldiers in areas that were exposed to Ukrainian strikes.
‘You’ll die by drone or artillery fire’
In the most recent incident the group were allegedly told “you’ll die here under a kamikaze [drone] or under artillery fire”, according to Ukrainian war bloggers.
It is thought that Mr Gorkov began his fourth deployment to Ukraine in April 2025 as a crew member on a TOS-1A Solntsepyok thermobaric rocket launcher.
He was later reassigned to the infantry and placed in an assault detachment of the 36th Motorised Rifle Regiment in the Lyman area.
War bloggers have reported Mr Gorkov’s mother said his unit was almost wiped out on a mission to take a Ukrainian-held settlement.
When four survivors returned, their commander ordered them to attempt the mission again. The men refused and were then reportedly tied with their arms wrapped around trees.
Russian forces, including elements of the 20th Combined Arms Army and airborne units, have been trying to push westward in Lyman to regain lost ground.
Analysts describe the area as attritional and static, with Russia attempting small-scale assaults because of manpower shortages and Ukraine conducting limited counter-raids to exhaust Russian logistics.
Control of Lyman affects both sides’ ability to manoeuvre in the northern Donbas and secure supply routes linking Svatove, Kreminna and Sloviansk.
According to Western intelligence, Russia has moved to build up its troops in the area despite suffering heavy losses.
Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former British Army colonel and chemical weapons expert, told The Telegraph: “This has been a key objective for Russia, and they have been trying to take Pokrovsk for many months. Hitherto, they have suffered huge casualties.”
He added: “Earlier this week, there were some reports of a large Russian tank assault, but this appears to have been beaten back with huge Russian casualties.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/10/17/russian-troops-handcuffed-left-for-dead-refusing-orders/
