Signs of a significant breakdown in discipline are emerging among Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, with officers on a key frontline reportedly demanding to be transferred away from combat zones. This unrest coincides with a major series of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian territory on Orthodox Christmas Eve.
Frontline Mutiny in Donetsk
According to intelligence from the pro-Ukrainian partisan group ATESH, officers serving with Russian units around the strategic hub of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region are pleading to be reposted to rear areas. The group claims the mass dissent is centred on the 39th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade.
These officers are said to be "completely demotivated" and perceive their posting as exceptionally dangerous. ATESH states that the command is attempting to maintain control through threats of disciplinary action, demotion, and career blocking.
Officers are being forced to report a 'stable situation' that does not exist and sign falsified documents, all while fearing strikes from anti-tank missiles, guerrillas, and Ukrainian forces who have allegedly received targeting data from local residents.
Drunk Commanders and Catastrophic Losses
Separately, in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region, a disturbing report points to lethal incompetence fueled by alcohol. ATESH alleges that the 74th Motor Rifle Regiment is suffering catastrophic losses due to commanders issuing orders while severely intoxicated.
Troops have told the group that this "alcohol-battalion" is losing up to 100 personnel killed and wounded per month, a rate significantly higher than neighbouring units. "The fate of the battalion depends not on tactics and the enemy, but on how much the commanders have drunk today," the report starkly concluded.
Deep Strikes and Wider Pressure on Putin
This internal turmoil for the Kremlin comes as Ukrainian forces executed long-range strikes on 6 January 2026, Orthodox Christmas Eve. Targets hit included:
- An oil facility in Lipetsk, set ablaze.
- The Penza Bearing Plant, a military vehicle producer roughly 930 miles from Ukraine.
- A residential tower in Tver, where a downed drone caused one death and two injuries.
Furthermore, a petrochemicals plant in Sterlitamak and sites in the Leningrad region near St Petersburg were also targeted. In Ukraine, Russian strikes hit a US-owned vegetable oil plant in Dnipro and residential houses in Nikopol.
President Vladimir Putin, who has been publicly invisible so far in 2026, is facing mounting external pressure. This includes the US arrest of his ally Nicolás Maduro, major unrest in Iran, a New Year demand from Donald Trump to stop the killing, and US censure over what it called a "fake" assassination claim.
The combination of frontline mutiny, command breakdown, and sustained Ukrainian attacks deep into Russian territory paints a picture of a Russian military under severe strain as the conflict continues.
