Three years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, both sides of the front are facing a silent but devastating battle - not over territory, but over the will to fight.

A recent investigation by the independent Russian outlet Verstka paints a harrowing picture of violence within the Russian army. Commanders have reportedly executed, tortured, and even forced their own soldiers into "gladiator fights" to enforce obedience. According to Verstka, more than a hundred Russian servicemen have been accused of murdering or torturing comrades, with at least 150 confirmed deaths - and likely many more unreported.

LINK (ru)

The report details systematic brutality: soldiers thrown into pits, beaten for hours, or used as human shields in suicidal missions. Those who refused to obey were labeled "zeroed" - a grim military slang for elimination. Despite thousands of official complaints submitted to Russia's military prosecutor’s office, almost no senior officers have faced accountability.

On the other side of the conflict, a different form of despair is taking shape. Nearly 100,000 Ukrainian men aged 18 to 22 have reportedly left the country in just two months after Kyiv relaxed border restrictions this summer. The policy change, intended to encourage voluntary service and address a shortage of troops, may instead have spurred a quiet exodus.

LINK (en)

For both Russia and Ukraine, the war has become a test not only of military strength but of moral endurance. Many Russian soldiers appear trapped between fear of their own commanders and fear of the front. Many young Ukrainians, meanwhile, seem unwilling to sacrifice their futures in a war that shows no sign of ending.

As these two nations continue to bleed - one through coercion, the other through flight - the conflict reveals an unspoken truth: this is the war no one truly wants to fight.