Ukrainian intelligence services have intercepted a series of phone calls from Russian troops on the front line, revealing a grim picture of heavy losses, inadequate supplies, and low morale.
The 17 calls, which were intercepted since July, feature soldiers expressing their frustrations to their families about the state of Russia's war effort.
One soldier, identified as Andrey, voiced his exasperation to his wife on July 12. "They are f---ing us up," he said, as reported by Reuters. "No f---ing ammunition, nothing.... Shall we use our fingers as bayonets?" He likened their situation to that of the 1941 war, saying, "We're like beggars. It's like 1941 with one rifle between five soldiers. Nothing's changed."
Another soldier, Maxim, lamented how Russian leadership's poorly strategized attacks had decimated his battalion. "Thats it. There is no second battalion left. They f---ing turned it to crumbs," he told his wife on July 3.
The intercepted calls also revealed the grim reality of Russian troops being unable to recover their fallen comrades. Alexei, another soldier, described the horrific scene to his mother on July 12. "They were torn apart. Theyre lying there: they cant even collect some of them. Theyre already rotten eaten by worms," he said. "Just imagine, thrown on the front line with no equipment, nothing," he added.
These conversations provide a rare insight into the morale of Russian forces, who have been largely successful in thwarting Ukrainian counteroffensives in recent months. However, the cost of this success has been high.
In a significant development, Ukraine dismissed its defense minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, on Monday following months of slow progress. Despite this, Ukrainian forces made their first significant gains of their campaign earlier this week, breaking through Russia's first line of defense in Southern Ukraine. "Little by little, I think we're gaining momentum," Ukrainian defense official Yuriy Sak told the BBC.
The Russian forces also faced internal turmoil this summer due to a brief rebellion by the Wagner mercenary group. The group's former head, Yevgeny Prigozhin, launched a mutiny against Russian President Vladimir Putin in late June, leading Putin to withdraw all mercenaries from the war in Ukraine.
This move may have further exacerbated the supply issues Russian troops were already facing. "Everyones scared.... Theyre sending mobilized troops to the front line," Alexei said to his mother. "In the end, the generals couldnt care less."
Login