A Russian soldier in a phone call with his wife has said he was so angry about not being paid that he swore at his superiors and told them he was “against the authorities.”
In the intercepted phone call, published by Ukraine's Military Intelligence (HUR), the soldier says: "Yes, my home is Russia. I live here. But my family is starving, and I am simply unable to provide for our child's school needs."
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He adds: "I said ‘f••k you all!’ Like that. Yes, I said that I am against the authorities.”
The soldier – who appears to have been conscripted – goes on to say his bosses told him “don’t talk like that,” to which he says he replied: “Why not? I was living normally, then they took me here, and now there's hunger at home. F**k!”
In response, his wife laments about having no money and being unable to provide for their daughter's needs.
"I do not know what to do at all,” she says. “Firstly, my credit is on fire, I need to put in 105 thousand. I already have interest. There's no f**king money.”
The soldier also complains about a lack of ammunition. “We go on the frontline and they say ‘take the ammunition’,” he says.
"And we answer: ‘How will we take ammunition if we don't have it?’
“There is no ammunition! One grenade for each person! Get blown up yourself and f**k it."
ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 2, 2024
While the intercepted phone calls only represent the perspectives of individual soldiers, the ongoing release of these intercepted conversations by Ukraine's intelligence services gives an indication of the dire conditions Russia's military finds itself in.
In another intercepted call released on Tuesday, July 18, a Russian soldier discusses the attitude of Russian authorities towards the military, saying that "they [the Ministry of Defence] treat convicts better."
"Well, overall, it's ridiculous. It's so damn simple. You know, they brought convicts to join us, and the armed forces started recruiting convicts, like Wagner did.
"We have a company of convicts behind us on the second line of defense while we are on the front line.
“And these convicts are only there for a certain period of time, six months. Is that even normal? It feels like I've fallen into slavery, like in tsarist Russia, right?”
He then goes on to claim Russia’s most capable forces are being kept in Moscow instead of being deployed on the frontline because Putin is afraid of a civil war.
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