“Russian contract servicemen don’t want to fight in Ukraine anymore,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on July 21.
According to an operational update from the General Staff, Russian armed forces units serving under short-term contracts are refusing to fight and being fired as a result. Added to that, most soldiers on long-term contracts are unwilling to extend their service.
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Previously, the General Staff has reported on other issues affecting Vladimir Putin’s troops, including:
- Drunkenness and failure to obey commanders’ orders – understood to be widespread in the Northern Fleet of the Russian Federation);
- Soldiers seeking to avoid further participation in military action – especially common among those who have come under fire from Ukrainian defenders;
- Insufficient food supplies;
- Low staffing levels – especially among platoon commanders in the units of the 2nd Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District; and
- Low morale and poor psychological state of Russian military personnel, noting cases of desertion.
Intercepted call
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported that Ukrainian intelligence had intercepted a telephone conversation in which a Russian soldier could be heard complaining to his father about resources on the front and the indifference of his commanding officers. According to the soldier, the command had promised to form a new battalion to replace his unit, but it never happened.
“There are less than 200 of us left here. But according to the lists, there are more than 20,000. They say ‘Change your diapers! What are you afraid of?’” – the Russian soldier relayed.
The soldier complained about the short supply of new weapons:
“We don’t even have a single tank. We had one tank – a 72. It was burned,” he told his father.
He also alluded to being left stranded, with his command located 90 kilometers away.
“If something happens to us, if we need some help, they simply won’t come in time. They will wipe us off the face of the earth,” the soldier added.
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