World

Russian soldiers who refuse to fight being imprisoned in underground pits are called ‘Jindans’: report

May 1, 2023
Bharat Times

Many Russian soldiers have refused to fight in the ongoing war in Ukraine.

According to a tweet by the UK Ministry of Defence, Russian soldiers are being punished using medieval techniques as commanders perpetrate poor discipline. These soldiers are being thrown into underground cages called ‘Jindans’ for actions such as getting drunk, trying to break their contracts with the Kremlin and refusing to fight in the Ukraine war. Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in a tweet that it had heard several reports of Zindan being in use. It consists of holes in the ground which are covered with a metal mesh.

In its daily intelligence update on Sunday, the ministry said: “In recent months, Russian commanders have begun punishing offending soldiers for breaches of discipline by detaining them in ‘jindans’, holes in the ground covered with metal gratings.” Those are improvised cells.” ,

It further added, “Several recent reports from Russian personnel give similar accounts of misconduct at Zindans, including being drunk and attempting to terminate their contracts.”

The ministry said this marked a major shift in Moscow’s strategy as the Ukraine war continues, adding that the initiative “has become increasingly hard, especially since the autumn of 2022”.

‘Jindan’ was part of the ancient punishment technique. According to newsweek, they were previously used in parts of the former Russian Empire. The outlet further stated that there are photographs that show the use of ‘jindan’ in parts of Central Asia in the early 20th century.

The shift in Russian strategy occurred when Russia’s Chief of General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov, took control of Moscow’s military operations in Ukraine, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.

General Gerasimov took office in mid-January following a reshuffle of Moscow’s top military officials. The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank wrote on 11 January that “his appointment was aimed at reforming Russian command and control at the beginning of the new year.”

Huffington Post said Moscow had inflicted 200,000 casualties since its invasion of the neighboring country in February last year.