‘Dropping dead like flies’ - harsh realities for Russia's conscripted soldiers unveiled in intercepted phone calls
Intercepted conversations, published on Ukrainian Intelligence You-tube channel on Feb. 12, have disclosed significant casualties among Russian forces mobilized for the conflict in Ukraine. These revelations paint a grim picture of the conditions faced by Russian soldiers, many of whom reportedly die before even reaching the Ukrainian border.
Russian mobilized soldiers die before they even reach Ukraine. "People are dropping flies before even reaching Ukraine," the girlfriend of one of the Russian soldiers said in one intercepted call.
The woman recounted a particularly disturbing incident where a soldier died during training, highlighting the dangers faced by recruits. "The main thing is not Ukraine,” she said. “They brought us [to our settlement] a dead man. He did not even reach Ukraine. He was killed during the training.”
The discussion further unveiled shocking instances of violence and abuse within the ranks, including hangings and assault. "There is a f…load of such cases,” she added. “Someone was hanged, a man was raped." Similar incidents underscore the desperate measures the Russian military has resorted to, including the conscription of prisoners to bolster their numbers.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are effectively neutralizing Russian troops at a rate comparable to Russia's recruitment efforts, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on Dec. 8, 2023.
The Russian offensive has resulted in over 54,000 soldier fatalities within approximately two months, with the Kremlin sacrificing about 400 soldiers for every square kilometer gained in Ukraine, Ukraine's Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov, said on Jan. 23.
British intelligence has assessed that, given the substantial losses suffered, it could take Russia five to ten years to reconstitute its military units to their former levels of training and experience. This ongoing attrition highlights the severe impact of the conflict on Russian military capabilities and raises questions about the sustainability of their offensive efforts in Ukraine.
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