Drunk colonel sent soldiers to die; Widow's plea to Putin ignites outrage
Russian colonel Aleksei Ksenofontov allegedly got drunk and sent soldiers to certain deaths near Avdiivka, claiming the relatives of the fallen. The wife of one of them appealed to Vladimir Putin. She claims that the colonel was happy when drones and tanks killed soldiers. She is even more outraged because Ksenofontov received the title of Hero of Russia.
The wife of the deceased contract soldier Mikhail Shchebetun, Alina Bolvinova, appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin with accusations against the commander of the 25th Brigade, Aleksei Ksenofontov.
According to her, Ksenofontov, whilst under the influence of alcohol, deliberately sent a group of mobilised and contract soldiers, including her husband, to assault near Avdiivka on 9 March 2024.
According to Bolvinova, as quoted by the Astra channel on Telegram, the commander watched the soldiers die from a tank and, in her opinion, took pleasure in what was happening.
She appealed to Putin. Her husband feared the worst
Mikhail Shchebetun signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defence in January 2024 and was assigned to the 25th Brigade under Ksenofontov's command.
In his last conversation with his wife on 14 February, he said they were being sent on a dangerous mission and suggested that it might be their last conversation.
In April of this year, Ksenofontov was awarded the title of "Hero of Russia". The Astra channel noted that outraged relatives of soldiers who died under his command were not pleased about it.
In the comments, they left dozens of messages asking where their loved ones were and why Ksenofontov received the award.
Avdiivka is a small town in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, which has become one of the most important points on the front in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. In February of this year, the Russians took control of the entire territory of Avdiivka. Vladimir Putin's forces took, among other things, a coke and chemical plant.
Avdiivka had a population of 34,000 before 24 February 2022. Some of the fiercest fighting in the more than two-year war took place around the town.
