Putin’s Elite Units Are Refusing to Fight in Ukraine, Soldier Says
A Russian soldier complains of more losses in Ukraine “than in four years in Chechnya” in a new intercepted call released by Ukrainian intelligence.
Reuters
Even Vladimir Putin’s elite units are abandoning the fight in Ukraine and heading home, according to new audio released by Ukrainian intelligence on Tuesday. In a 50-second audio clip that Ukraine’s Security Service says is an intercepted communication between a Russian soldier and his friend, the soldier complains of more losses in Ukraine “than in four years in Chechnya.” His comrade admits that he doesn’t even know the real death toll, as “they don’t voice [the numbers] here.” He then asks if it’s true that members of the RosGvardia, Putin’s National Guard, have been leaving Ukraine along with the special police known as the Omonovtsy. The soldier erupts with fury: “We don’t fucking need them. They’re returning [home] because they’re staging revolts, they don’t want to go any further. All these fucking special forces, our fighters, dammit, backtracked… and they refuse to go further.” Ukrainian authorities did not specify where the purported soldier in the recording was based in Ukraine, and it was not clear when the call was intercepted.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.