A disturbing account from a former Russian army medic has shed light on the violent chaos, corruption, and ruthless leadership within President Vladimir Putin’s military.
The woman, who joined the army in June 2023, has described a nightmarish experience during her time with the 19th Tank Regiment, exposing a brutal system where profit and cruelty took priority over the lives of soldiers.
Her unit was commanded by Evgeniy Borisovich Ladnov, known among soldiers as the “butcher commander.” Under his watch, the regiment reportedly became a place where corruption flourished and human life held little value. The medic claimed that soldiers who were wounded or killed in battle were deliberately mislabeled as missing in action. This allowed commanders to avoid paying compensation to families and instead redirect those funds for their own use.
According to her account, the leadership often left injured soldiers behind on the battlefield, denying them medical evacuation to keep them off official records. In some cases, soldiers were allegedly executed by their own officers simply for being disliked or seen as a problem. The medic recounted incidents where grenades were thrown into dugouts or soldiers were directly shot by commanding officers.
The system, as she described it, operated like a grim business. Soldiers were treated like assets to be traded, used, or discarded as commanders saw fit. With no regard for rules or morality, officers enriched themselves while young men were left to die or vanish without a trace.
Ladnov, the commander at the center of these claims, was reportedly killed in a Ukrainian drone strike in November 2024. His death has not brought an end to the chaos, according to the medic, who eventually fled the army and is now being hunted by Russian military authorities. She has expressed her fear of being captured and forced back into service, saying she would prefer death over returning to what she described as a brutal and lawless environment.
This testimony offers a grim picture of the internal breakdown within parts of Russia’s military. While the Kremlin continues to project strength, reports like these suggest deep cracks beneath the surface—where corruption, fear, and violence rule over discipline and duty. As the war drags on, it appears that the toll is not only measured in casualties on the battlefield, but in the destruction of the army from within.