[imagesource: Anatolii Stepanov / AFP]
A British intelligence company has obtained voice recordings of Russian soldiers on the front lines.
Having been met with such stern resistance from both Ukrainian military forces and citizens, morale appears to be ebbing and ground troops are “operating in complete disarray”.
In some instances, reports The Telegraph, troops can be heard crying.
There is also evidence that they are refusing to obey central command orders:
A senior Pentagon official said on Tuesday that parts of the Russian army made up of young, poorly trained conscripts were “ill-prepared” for battle and in some cases had “deliberately punched holes” in their vehicles’ fuel tanks to make sure they did not reach the front line.
The defence official declined to reveal the source of the intelligence, but indications of poor Russian morale can be heard in audio recordings of radio messaging between troops obtained by British intelligence company ShadowBreak Intl.
Audio also likely illustrated Russian troops firing on each other and trading insults.
Video has even also shown Russian soldiers leaving the battle and walking back to Russia.
It’s a different story for those behind the rocket missile attacks and airstrikes, as Ukraine was bombarded yesterday across multiple cities.
During the invasion, footage of ordinary Ukrainians standing up against Russian troops has been widespread.
This was filmed in Henichesk last week:
In the south-eastern city of Melitopol, residents used their bare hands to push on Russian military vehicles.
Kupyansk, in the north-east, saw residents attack a Jeep with Russian markers:
When you’re up against this sort of resistance how can you not be disheartened?
While Russians are too scared to protest, Ukrainians are throwing molotov cocktails at enemy tanks. pic.twitter.com/53Z3pBkVhZ
— Anastasiia Lapatina (@lapatina_) February 28, 2022
The caption for that video is unfair because thousands of Russians have protested at great personal risk.
One human rights group that tracks political arrests says there have been 6 440 detentions due to anti-war demonstrations in different cities across Russia.
Back to the troops on the front line:
Parts of the Russian military are reliant on mobile phones and analogue “walkie-talkies”, making them vulnerable to interception by radio enthusiasts.
The intercepted conversations shed light on troops’ confusion about engaging targets in civilian areas and voice stress and frustration about the lack of supplies…
Ukrainian forces also had no problem jamming the Russian communications, which are often interrupted by recordings of the Ukrainian national anthem.
ShadowBreak founder Samuel Cardillo said some troops were forced to run sound checks and operate on public frequencies to ensure communication.
This made it easy for members of the public to listen in:
“Through the hours of recordings we have over multiple frequencies, you will be able to hear fighter jets, helicopters, tanks, artillery, heavy ballistic missiles talking analogue because not all the units have digital communication methods. It’s such a huge vulnerability coming from Russia in such an operation. It’s insane.”
Cardillo also said the recordings offered proof of war crimes with instructions given to fire ballistic missiles into areas packed with citizens.
Those with knowledge of Putin’s inner circle say he has grown increasingly frustrated with the slow progress being made.
The worry is that as he becomes more frustrated and out of touch with reality he decides to go nuclear, putting to use his extensive weapons stash.
Despite the Russian troop struggles documented above, the siege on Kharkiv and other cities continues.
In Kyiv, according to a recent report from a journalist on the ground, “it’s so quiet in the city centre you can even hear the wind blowing between buildings”.
That’s because most residents have taken shelter in basements, bomb shelters, and other underground spaces with a massive convoy of Russian military vehicles approaching.
You can follow live updates from Ukraine via CNN and the BBC.
[source:telegraph]
