Putin's army on the brink as Russian soldiers revolt over new draconian 'punishment' law

Vladimir Putin is facing a furious backlash from pro-Kremlin military bloggers after Russia's parliament passed a new "punishment" law for soldiers serving in Ukraine.

Russian MPs passed a "law on disciplinary arrest" at a session of the Duma on Wednesday, after its third reading.

The new bill will allow Russian commanders to imprison soldiers in so-called "punishment pits" for an array of offences without having to obtain prior authorisation from a military court.

Throughout the military campaign, soldiers have bitterly complained of being held in makeshift pens, either cellar basements or literally just holes in the ground for minor offences.

Now the new law lists 20 offences punishable by detention in a "pit pen", one of which includes the possession of a mobile phone.

The move to ban Russian soldiers from using mobile phones has infuriated supporters of Putin's war, who accuse the army of trying to cover up its disasters.

"Obviously, this is the desire of the Ministry of Defence. They deprived the army of communications without providing anything in return," said the former Ukrainian parliamentarian and now Russian collaborator Oleg Tsarev.

He added: "There is no doubt that the main reason for the ban is that ugly truths are often leaked through smartphones."

Another pro-Kremlin blogger claimed the law would prevent soldiers from bringing abuses by commanders to light.

"The new norm will allow the law to arrest any complainant and petitioner," said Alexei Zhivov on his Telegram channel.

"It doesn’t really matter whether he’s right or wrong. Complain, use a 'gadget', welcome to the 'pit' or assault units.

"And then, if you survive, you’ll change your mind about complaining forever."

War correspondent Semyon Pegov, who goes by the moniker Wargonzo, said soldiers needed mobile phones for navigation, as they had no other reliable equipment.

The author of the pro-war Telegram channel "Two Majors" said the decision would make it much more difficult for troops on the frontlines.

He said: "This is how State Duma deputies have had a fight with common sense and are introducing provisions into bills that either will not be implemented or will completely paralyse work on the front.

In a video posted online last year, Russian soldiers said they had been locked up in a "pit" for refusing to go to the frontlines.

One said: "We are locked up in this pit for refusing to go to the front line.

"There are no commanders that would take us to the front line. There is no equipment, evacuation teams, or radios. We are just thrown into the woods like dogs."