Mutinous Russian troops CRY as they complain about lack of supplies and argue about orders to bomb civilian areas in ‘unencrypted radio messages sent to the West’
- Intercepted radio messages reveal the disarray of the invading Russian troops
- Recordings were obtained by British intelligence firm ShadowBreak
- One recording appears to reveal the sound of a Russian soldier in tears
- Another is heard complaining over a lack of supplies or fuel
Russian soldiers taking part in the invasion of Ukraine are in ‘complete disarray’, according to voice recordings obtained by a British intelligence company.
The intercepted radio messages indicate that troops are refusing to obey central command orders to shell Ukrainian towns and are complaining about running out of supplies of food and fuel.
The recordings are among around 24 hours of material obtained by intelligence firm ShadowBreak since the invasion of Ukraine began last week.
In one of the eavesdropped conversations, listened to by The Telegraph, a soldier reportedly sounds as though he is crying.
In another, a soldier is heard losing his temper when asking when food or fuel will arrive. He says: ‘We’ve been here for three days! When the hell is it going to be ready?’
Russian soldiers taking part in the invasion of Ukraine are in ‘complete disarray’, according to voice recordings obtained by a British intelligence company. Above: Images of captured Russian troops
A third message reveals a tense exchange in which the same soldier has to remind a colleague speaking from a command centre that they cannot use artillery on an area until civilians – who are labelled ‘the goods’ – have left.
ShadowBreak’s founder Samuel Cardillo, 26, told The Telegraph he had been sent the messages by amateurs listening in with antennas.
He said: ‘What we have found is that the Russian operatives are operating in complete disarray.
‘They have no clue where they are going and how to really communicate with each other properly.’
He added: ‘There were periods where we heard them [Russian soldiers] crying in combat, a period where they were insulting each other – obviously not a sign of great morale.’
Mr Cardillo said the some of the messages were also ‘proof of war crimes’ because they revealed ordered to fire missiles into urban areas.
Other video recordings are said to show Russian soldiers retreating back into Russia after becoming frustrated, whilst a text message sent by a soldier to his mother is alleged to have said: ‘The only thing I want right now is to kill myself.’
The intercepted radio messages indicate that troops are refusing to obey central command orders to shell Ukrainian towns and are complaining about running out of supplies of food and fuel. Above: Another captured Russian soldier
The body of a soldier, without insignia, who the Ukrainian military claim is a Russian army serviceman killed in fighting in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine
In a further sign that morale may be poor, a senior US defence official told the New York Times on Tuesday that some troops have ‘deliberately punched holes’ in their vehicles’ petrol tanks in the hope of avoiding combat.
Parts of the Russian military are also still using analogue ‘walkie talkie’ two-way radios, making them more vulnerable to interception.
Ukrainian forces are also said to have had no problem jamming Russian communications and interrupting them with the sound of their national anthem.
Another recording obtained by ShadowBreak is said to reveal a soldier in tears, pleading with his command: ‘…it’s slow, it’s slow.’
The communications are also said to show that soldiers were told they would meet little resistance upon entering Ukraine.
Instead, Ukrainian forces are now in the ninth day of resistance to the Russian attack and multiple videos reveal civilians confronting the invading troops and convoys.
Two Russian troops – believed to be Rafik Rakhmankulov, 19 (left) and Mgomd Mgomdov, 26, from Kizilyurt (right) who were captured by Ukrainian forces in the country’s east
The new recordings come after Ukraine on Monday paraded captured Russian soldiers in dozens of online videos.
Footage posted online show tied up ‘demoralised and exhausted’ Russian prisoners of war captured after they failed to break through Ukrainian defences in Kyiv and Kharkiv over the weekend.
Several of the videos were posted on a Telegram channel set up on Saturday by Ukraine’s Interior Ministry called ‘Find Your Own’.
Many Russian troops claimed that they believed they were conducting training exercises in the border regions and did not know they were being sent to invade Ukraine.
Meanwhile Russia’s defence ministry for the first time acknowledged suffering losses in the conflict after several bodies of the Kremlin’s servicemen emerged.
Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov gave no figures on Russia’s dead and wounded but said Sunday his country’s losses were ‘many times’ lower than Ukraine’s.
Meanwhile Ukraine’s defence ministry put the total number of Russian casualties at 5,300, though that number could not be independently verified and the number of casualties from Europe’s largest land conflict since World War II remained unclear amid the confusion.
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