Russia Maltreats Own Soldiers 'Almost To The Point Of Execution,' Intercepted Call Reveals

KEY POINTS

'We want to leave, but they don’t let us,' a Russian soldier said in the intercepted call
The call was intercepted near the city of Izium in Kharkiv
At least 23,800 Russian soldiers have been killed in the war so far, says Ukraine

Russian leaders are maltreating their own soldiers, at times almost to the point of killing them, an intercepted call has revealed.

Ukraine’s Security Service on Monday released another recording of an intercepted phone call where a Russian soldier was heard saying that their leadership threatened to shoot them after they refused to take part in the war.

“They treat us here really tough in general, almost to the point of execution. We want to leave, but they don’t let us. He says: ‘We were told to shoot you,’” the soldier said.

When the person on the other line asked why they refused to join the Russian offensive in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, the soldier said: “Well, they send us directly to the front line, to real hell. There we’re cannon fodder… There is just the artillery… and to go under the artillery fire – it’s a f***ing suicide.”

It is unclear who the person on the other line was. However, the Security Service noted that the conversation was intercepted near the city of Izium in Kharkiv.

The latest intercepted phone call comes after Ukraine’s Security Service last week released voice recordings where a Russian commander revealed he tried to shoot at his own soldiers after they refused to fight in Ukraine.

“Mine also got very scared. All are tired out. I can’t get them up morally or physically. I even shoot some. And to no avail,” the commander said. “About 60 young servicemen have been added… half of them are cowards, dammit, and panickers.”

It is unclear if the two recordings were describing the same incident. The Security Service did not specify where the Russian commander was located when the call was recorded. It was also not presently clear when the recordings were made.

The declining morale among Russian soldiers may be caused by the rising number of deaths on their side. As of Monday, an estimated 23,800 Russian soldiers have been killed 68 days into the war, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense.

In addition to deaths among soldiers, at least 24 Russian generals and senior officers have been killed in the war, as of Sunday.