Russian soldier 'throws grenades' on fellow troops as Putin's army descends into chaos

By Ciaran McGrath, Senior News Reporter

Belgorod near the Ukrainian border has been the scene of fierce fighting (Image: AP)

A Russian soldier reportedly threw grenades on his comrades during a drunken rampage in the Belgorod region, killing one and injuring another, in the latest sign of collapsing discipline within Vladimir Putin’s army. According to Astra, a Russian Telegram-based news outlet, the incident occurred on April 16 near the village of Prilesye, close to the Ukrainian border.

A soldier reportedly drank alcohol while on a combat mission and got into an argument with fellow soldiers. He then threw two grenades into a dugout, killing 50-year-old Andrei Osokin and wounding 54-year-old Mikhail Gorlov, before fleeing with a machine gun. The military unit member was quickly declared wanted in pro-war Z-chats, and later detained by Russian authorities, according to local media.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (Image: Getty)

Astra's post said: "A drunk soldier opened fire on his fellow soldiers in the Belgorod region, threw grenades into a dugout and fled. One soldier was killed, one was wounded, and the deserter was detained."

The report added that Osokin "was killed on the spot" and that the soldier who launched into the attack on his fellow military men fled "armed with a machine gun".

The episode is the latest in a growing pattern of internal breakdown within Russian ranks, particularly among poorly trained and ill-disciplined troops pressed into service following mass mobilisation and the use of convicts under the so-called “Storm-Z” initiative.

Analysts have previously highlighted soaring rates of desertion, alcohol abuse, and inter-unit violence among Russian troops, as the war in Ukraine drags on with high casualties and little clear progress.

Russia’s increasing reliance on convicts, former prisoners, and reluctant conscripts has raised serious questions about morale and cohesion across front-line units. Incidents of soldiers turning on their own comrades, sometimes fatally, have become alarmingly common, with reports of fragging — the deliberate killing of superior officers — and suicide steadily rising.

The incident is likely to trigger concern in military circles in Belgorod, a key staging area for Russian forces, and will likely prompt further scrutiny of discipline inside Putin’s under-pressure war machine.