KYIV —
Russia on Saturday toughened penalties for voluntary surrender and refusal to
fight with up to 10 years imprisonment and replaced its top logistics general
after a series of setbacks to its seven-month war in Ukraine.
اضافة اعلان
The tough new amendments and personnel change come
days after Russia instigated partial mobilization with Kyiv taking back more
and more territory in a counter-offensive.
It also comes as Kremlin-held regions of eastern and
southern Ukraine voted for a second day on becoming part of Russia,
dramatically raising the stakes.
Integrating the four regions into Russia would mean
that Moscow would consider any military move there as an attack on its own
territory.
Russia’s invasion, launched on February 24, and
Ukraine’s recent gains have laid bare flaws with some analysts seeing logistics
as the weak link in Moscow’s army.
“Army Gen. Dmitry Bulgakov has been relieved of the
post of deputy minister of defense” and will be replaced by Col. Gen. Mikhail
Mizintsev, aged 60, the defense ministry said.
Russia’s partial mobilization announced on Wednesday
will likely be one of his first big logistical challenges with the hundreds of
thousands of reservists being called up needing to be equipped and trained
before deployment.
Military-age men have sought to leave, with flights
full and neighboring countries receiving an influx of Russians, including
Georgia where 2,300 private vehicles were waiting to enter at one crossing,
regional Russian authorities said.
Now that President
Vladimir Putin has signed the
legislation, servicemen who desert, surrender “without authorization”, refuse
to fight or disobey orders can face up to 10 years imprisonment.
‘Sham’
Looting will be punishable by 15 years imprisonment.
A separate law,
also signed on Saturday, facilitates Russian citizenship for foreigners who
enlist in the Russian army as the Kremlin seeks to bolster the ranks.
On Friday, US
President
Joe Biden has dismissed as a “sham” the voting on whether Russia
should annex four regions of Ukraine, which ends next Tuesday.
Even Beijing,
Moscow’s closest ally since the war began, called for the respect of
“sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
The voting is being
held in Russian-controlled areas of Donetsk and Lugansk in the east, and
Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south.
For four days,
authorities are going door-to-door to collect votes. Polling stations then open
Tuesday for residents to cast ballots on the final day. Results are expected as
early as late Tuesday or Wednesday.
The snap
referendums were announced just this week after the Ukrainian counter-offensive
seized most of the northeast Kharkiv region — bringing hundreds of settlements
back under Kyiv’s control after months of Russian occupation.
Evidence of ‘war
crimes’
Putin this week warned that Moscow would use “all means” to protect its
territory — which former Russian leader
Dmitry Medvedev said on social media
could include the use of “strategic nuclear weapons”.
Zelensky has
denounced the polls, on Friday calling them “crimes against international law
and the law of Ukraine”.
G7 nations declared
the polls will “never” be recognized and have “no legal effect or legitimacy”.
UN investigators on
Friday accused Russia of committing war crimes on a “massive scale” in Ukraine
— listing bombings, executions, torture, and sexual violence.
In the eastern
Kharkiv region, Ukrainian officials said they had exhumed 447 bodies from a
site near the city of Izyum, which was recaptured from Russian forces.
The Kremlin has
accused Kyiv of fabricating evidence of the alleged war crimes.
Read more Region and World
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
