In a newly intercepted conversation the Ukrainian state project “I Want to Live,” [Хочу жить] reveals how “Viktor,” a Russian soldier currently on the frontline, tells his wife that their commanders have abandoned them without communications, water, or food. He then adds that their own sniper kills anyone attempting to escape.
“You understand I’m f**ked. And you send such messages. It'll be easier when I’m dead,” the soldier says.
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“Today someone tried to leave, and they were shot dead. A sniper is watching from the corner. There's no way through. I’m in deep trouble. No water, no food. Commanders bailed, so survive however you can... Nothing good here, I wish they'd kill me sooner, it's all f**ked up,” Viktor complains to his wife, adding that morale among his comrades is at an all-time low.
He goes on to say that they’ve even considered blowing themselves up with grenades to get injured and be taken to a hospital, but the Russian command has anticipated this, and no one evacuates the wounded.
“There’s no point. Even if you blow up and lose a leg, you won’t be taken out. We have ‘cargo 200’ [fatalities], and no one can recover them because the Ukrainians won’t let us,” Viktor says.
“I Want to Live” points out in its post that “this is exactly why our project was created, and we’d gladly accept a request from Viktor or his wife to help them escape the frontline.”
ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December, 21, 2024
The project was set up by Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) aimed at helping Russian soldiers to safely surrender to the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) and save their lives.
Dissatisfaction is growing among Russia’s troops, as they are increasingly given unrealistic objectives and sent on needlessly dangerous missions by their commanders. In several calls recently intercepted by Ukraine’s military intelligence, individuals discuss ways to avoid further deployment, and the civilian population is panicked by the fear of being conscripted.
Last year, Kyiv Post interviewed “Maria” who works as a professional eavesdropper for Ukrainian intelligence. She recounted some of the shocking things she hears every day.
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.
Examples of the things Ukrainian eavesdroppers have heard can be seen in these links:
‘We Bury Them Right There’ – Russian on Moscow’s Tactic to Avoid Paying for Fallen Soldiers
‘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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