In a newly intercepted call by Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), a resident of Krasnaya Yaruga, a village in Russia’s Belgorod region, reveals that fallen Russian soldiers are simply buried on the battlefield to be categorized as missing.
“They kill them, the fighting goes on, it’s hot, they start to smell, so we bury them right there, and then they’re missing. And if they’re missing, the family gets no payment. Got it?” the man explains to his interlocutor, sharing what he heard from those who returned to the village.
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The man also mentions the importance of identification tags to recognize and identify the fallen soldiers.
“In 1942, they canceled the medallions [Soviet era soldier’s “dog tags”] for a reason. Medallions were used to identify them, but it would’ve meant millions to pay out,” he says, adding that “boars, wolves, crows, dogs, and ferrets will eat them up. They’re already feasting on the dead.”
An investigation by “Slidstvo.Info” last March revealed that Russian women have been searching for their missing husbands and sons for months. However, analysis of the documents showed that Russia isn’t making much effort to return the bodies of its fallen soldiers.
It’s more convenient, or rather – cheaper, for Russia’s Ministry of Defense to declare the dead as missing. After all, compensation for each fallen Russian soldier in the war against Ukraine ranges from 7 to 12 million rubles ($75,000 to $129,000).
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Ukraine’s military intelligence commented that “for every war crime committed against Ukraine, there will be just retribution.”
Among Russian soldiers, dissatisfaction is growing with the unrealistic goals set by their commanders and the extremely dangerous combat tasks assigned to them. In several conversations recently intercepted by HUR, soldiers discuss ways to refuse service and avoid further deployment to the front. Meanwhile, the civilian population is in panic over the prospect of conscription.
Last year, Kyiv Post interviewed Maria [surname withheld], who works for Ukrainian intelligence as a professional eavesdropper. She talked about some of the shocking things she heard.
Russia regularly dismisses the content of intercepted calls published by Ukraine, saying they are fake, a claim Maria denied.
She said: “Yes, they all are real even though they might seem insane. Sometimes I can’t believe the words I’m hearing myself, but we have what we have.”
In another intercepted phone call, published by Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) on May 14, a Russian commander threatened a soldier that barrier troops would kill him and his comrades if they refused to go on an assault in the Kharkiv region.
Follow these links for other examples:
‘Kyiv Never Bombed and Russians Are Dying’ – Russian Wife Complains About Kremlin
‘Half a Battalion Escaped to The Forest’ – Russian Soldier Blamed for Mass Refusal to Fight
‘We Lost 600 Men’ – Russian Reveals Horrific Losses and Behavior On Frontlines
‘All Our Guys Were Slaughtered’ – Intercepted Phone Calls Suggest Huge Russian Losses
‘He Started Shooting Us!’ – Intercepted Phone Call Reveals Russian Friendly Fire Incident
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