The Security Service of Ukraine has claimed that it intercepted a phone call between a Russian soldier deployed to Kyiv and his wife in Moscow.
The audio clip, which was also uploaded on YouTube, features an unnamed soldier complaining to his spouse about being sent “to slaughter” in Ukraine.
He stated that orders soldiers received were ill-conceived because defending forces were always ready and waiting to conduct counter-offensives.
“They’ve adjusted guns to these … trenches,” the soldier exclaimed. “You reach there, at some point, and they’re … watching you!”
The Russian soldier allegedly told his wife that Ukrainian soldiers with long-range precision weapons are making it difficult for Russia to launch effective counterattacks.
“At that, they just sit drinking coffee and press buttons – and just throw shells on you,” he says. “So many of our tanks have been burned here, so many pieces of equipment, damn it!”
‘No Equipment Specialists’
As the soldier allegedly aired his frustrations about countering Ukrainian attacks, his wife tried to calm him down by saying that he and his team also needed to fire at the opposing forces using their tanks.
However, the soldier responded that such an attack would be ineffective as Ukrainian troops are positioned too far from the Russians.
“What the hell,” he said. “They start firing at you from three to four kilometers (1.87 to 2.5 miles) away. Where are you going to shoot from a tank?”
Before the audio stopped, the Russian soldier was heard complaining about the lack of equipment specialists sent to Ukraine to help hit opposing forces with more precision.