Ukraine intercepted the Russian soldier’s call to his mother.
He says he was told by his commanders when the war might end.
And that the heart diseased and severely visually impaired are sent to the front.
The counter-offensive has so far been slow for Ukraine. The Russian defensive lines with mile-long minefields have been difficult to penetrate, although the American think tank ISW on Friday reported on “tactically significant” advances in three sectors in Zaporizhzhya.
Putin has signaled that the Russian tactic is to exhaust Ukrainian forces in a long war of attrition. Last week, the New York Times wrote that the US worries about such a scenario and fears that the current Ukrainian strategy could play into his hands.
Intercepted the conversation
In a wiretapped conversation, as Ukraine’s military intelligence published on Tuesday, a Russian soldier tells his mother that the war will continue for another three years. At least that is the message he received from his superiors.
– What they are telling us is that this crazy situation is here to stay until 2026. Russia will “take back territories”, says the soldier in the conversation.
He also complains that other soldiers are sent to the front without being physically fit to fight:
– Mom, let me explain. Here we have a man who underwent heart surgery in Moscow. And what do you think happened? They tell him that he is fit for battle, that he is healthy.
Another in the platoon is almost blind, according to the soldier.
– He can’t see further than his hands. But guess what they say? They call him healthy too.
“Only two of us live”
The intercepted call has been brought to the attention of Kyiv Post and Newsweek. Both write that it is believed to have been called from the front in Luhansk, but that it is unclear exactly when.
Ukraine’s intelligence service has previously released other intercepted calls from Russian military personnel. Last week, an audio clip was published in which a soldier says his unit is stuck between Ukrainian forces and hired Russian contract soldiers who have been tasked with killing their own if they try to retreat or flee.
– Only two of us are alive. The rest are dead, said the soldier according to Newsweek.