Russian soldiers are growing discontent and are planning to “march on Russia”, as revealed in a telephone call released by Ukrainian intelligence.
The call, released by Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Directorate, takes place between two Moscow soldiers, with one in a military hospital and the other still on the front lines.
“B**ch, we haven't been on vacation for years and f**k it,” the soldier still fighting in the war said.
“When are you going home, Vasya? At least tell me,” the wounded soldier asked.
Putin faces growing revolt as Kremlin's soldiers threaten to 'march on Russia'GettyHe replied: “I wish I knew.”
The second soldier asked the wounded soldier how many people were in the hospital with him. He replied: “More than 500 people! Many more will come...”
Describing the ongoing war which he is still participating in, the fighting soldier said: “Everything is the same as it used to be.”
He added: “From here, we must move on to Sinkivka.”
“They're making it difficult for us, squeezing our rights everywhere,” the injured soldier exclaimed.
“The second year has passed, darn it! If I hadn't been injured, I would have stayed there.”
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Russia has suffered the loss of hundreds of thousands of soldiers during the warReuters
The active soldier says that many troops have lost their patience with the Kremlin. He said: “We only have contract soldiers who go on vacation. Soon, we'll gather a crowd and head towards Russia.”
“That's it! I think so too. At some point, you'll become so fed up that you'll grab the MT-LB (armoured vehicle) and get out of there,” his friend replied.
The injured soldier agreed: “Yes, we can even leave on foot – it's not far to go.”
The authenticity of the call has not been confirmed; however, Putin’s forces have been considerably weakened in their latest offensive in which they are trying to storm the embattled city of Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.
Kyiv said Russia suffered 1,120 casualties on December 7, 990 on December 8 and 900 on December 9 but it didn't specify the amount of wounded and the amount dead.
Unverified numbers were posted to Facebook by Ukraine's General Staff who vowed to “beat the occupier!”
The majority of losses took place in Avdiivka which Moscow has been attempting to storm since mid-October.
Russian soldiers are growing discontent and are planning to “march on Russia”,
ReutersThe report also showed that two-thirds of its tank force has also been destroyed, alongside 315,000 of Putin’s soldiers who have been taken out of action since Moscow invaded Kyiv in February 2022.
The intelligence assessment calculated that Russia’s military modernisation had been set back by 18 years due to the conflict.
Pre-invasion, Russia had a force of 360,000 soldiers and 3,500 tanks.
Since February 2022, 315,000 troops and 2,200 tanks have been taken out of action.
These losses are the reason Moscow has relaxed recruitment standards for deployment in Ukraine, the source said to congress.
“The scale of losses has forced Russia to take extraordinary measures to sustain its ability to fight. Russia declared a partial mobilisation of 300,000 personnel in late 2022, and has relaxed standards to allow recruitment of convicts and older civilians,” the assessment said, according to the source.
However, the US report does not state whether the casualties include forces sent into Ukraine at a later date.