Russian soldiers participating in invasion of Ukraine are in “complete disarray”, according to voice recordings received from a British intelligence company.
The intercepted radio reports show that the troops refuse to carry out the orders of the Central Command to shell Ukrainian cities and complain about the exhaustion of food and fuel supplies.
The recordings are among about 24 hours of material obtained by intelligence firm ShadowBreak since the invasion of Ukraine began last week.
In one of the wiretapped conversations, listened to by The Telegrapha soldier reportedly sounded crying.
In another, a soldier is heard losing his temper when he asks when food or fuel will arrive. He says: “We have been here for three days! When the hell will he be ready?
Russian troops involved 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 must remind a colleague at the command center that he cannot use artillery in an area until civilians – who are labeled “goods” – leave.
ShadowBreak founder Samuel Cardillo, 26, told The Telegraph that the messages were sent by amateurs listening to antennas.
He said: “What we have found is that Russian operatives are working in complete disarray.
“They have no idea where they are going and how to really communicate with each other properly.”
He added: “There were times when we heard them [Russian soldiers] crying during battle, a period in which they insulted each other – obviously not a sign of great morality.
Mr Cardillo said some of the reports were also “evidence of war crimes” because they revealed an order to launch rockets into urban areas.
Other videos allegedly show Russian soldiers retreating to Russia after being disappointed, while a text message sent by a soldier to his mother said: “The only thing I want right now is to commit suicide. “
The intercepted radio reports show that the troops refuse to carry out the orders of the Central Command to shell Ukrainian cities and complain about the exhaustion of food and fuel supplies. Above: Another captured Russian soldier
The body of an unmarked soldier claimed by the Ukrainian military to be a Russian serviceman killed in fighting in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine
As an additional sign that morale may be bad, said a senior US defense official New York Times on Tuesday that some troops “deliberately drilled holes” in the petrol tanks of their vehicles in hopes of avoiding a battle.
Some of the Russian military also still uses analog two-way walkie-talkies, making them more vulnerable to interception.
It is also alleged that Ukrainian forces had no problem blocking Russian communications and interrupting them with the sound of their national anthem.
Another recording obtained from ShadowBreak is said to reveal a soldier in tears begging with his command: “It’s slow, it’s slow”.
It is also said that reports indicate that the soldiers were told they would encounter little resistance when entering Ukraine.
Instead, Ukrainian forces are now on the ninth day of resistance to the Russian attack, and numerous videos reveal civilians confronting invading troops and convoys.
Two Russian soldiers, believed to be Rafik Rakhmankulov, 19 (left) and Mgomd Mgomdov, 26, from Kizilyurt (right), who were captured by Ukrainian forces in the east of the country.
The new recordings come after Ukraine on Monday demonstrated captured Russian soldiers in dozens of online videos.
Footage posted online shows tied “demoralized and exhausted” Russian prisoners of war captured after failing to break through Ukrainian defenses in Kyiv and Kharkiv over the weekend.
Several of the videos were published on the Telegram channel, set up on Saturday by Ukraine’s Interior Ministry as Find Your Own.
Many Russian troops say they believe they are conducting exercises in the border areas and did not know they were sent to invade Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry has admitted for the first time that it has suffered losses in the conflict after several bodies of Kremlin servicemen appeared.
A spokesman for the ministry, Major General Igor Konashenkov, did not give details of Russia’s deaths or injuries, but said on Sunday that his country’s losses were “many times” lower than those of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s defense ministry has put the total death toll at 5,300, although that number cannot be verified independently, and the death toll from Europe’s biggest land conflict since World War II remains unclear amid confusion.