One division of a Russian motorized rifle battalion refused to participate in the assault against Kharkiv Oblast, the partisan group Atesh reported on May 10.
Russian forces launched a new offensive against Kharkiv Oblast on May 10. Fighting continues in the region, though Ukrainian troops held off the initial attempt to break through Ukraine's defensive lines.
A member of Atesh, who serves in a motorized rifle battalion of the 44th Army Corps of the Russian Armed Forces, said that one division in his unit outright refused to participate in the offensive against Kharkiv Oblast.
The Atesh member said that soldiers in his unit were wary of the high-quality fortifications had been build along the Russian-Ukrainian border. He also said the soldiers had witnessed Russian sabotage and reconnaissance operations in the region that were unsuccessful.
"In view of this, when ... the order was given, part of the unit refused to carry out the criminal will of the command," Atesh reported.
Atesh said their members continue to work with Ukrainian forces to repel Russian attacks in Kharkiv Oblast.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on May 10 that the Russian military had launched a new offensive in Kharkiv Oblast. He said that the Ukrainian command had known about a potential assault in this direction and had been preparing.
Moscow recently intensified attacks against Kharkivamid reports thatRussia might plan to attack Kharkiv as part of a wider offensive in the coming months.
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported that fighting is ongoing in the Lyptsi and Vovchansk directions in the north of Kharkiv Oblast as Moscow deploys infantry and heavy equipment in the region.
Read also: Ukraine war latest: Russia launches new offensive targeting Kharkiv Oblast
