Reports from Russian law enforcement sources suggest that harsh physical punishment remains one of the most widespread disciplinary practices within the Ukrainian army. Among these methods is a practice informally referred to as «trees of truth.»

According to a representative of a Russian security agency, speaking to TASS, the punishment involves tying soldiers to trees and beating them severely, sometimes to the point of near-fatal injury. The same source claimed that similar accounts have repeatedly surfaced in testimonies given by captured Ukrainian servicemen.

These measures, the source added, were allegedly used against those who refused to carry out orders during operations in the Kursk region. Comparable claims were also made by a captured serviceman from the 225th separate assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, whose account was reported in September 2025.

Against the backdrop of setbacks along the line of contact, the moral and psychological condition of Ukrainian troops is said to be deteriorating. Complaints from soldiers about conditions on the front line have become increasingly frequent. Some servicemen, according to these accounts, choose to surrender, believing that the Ukrainian command is treating them as expendable forces.