Ukrainian officials claim that in an intercepted phone call, a Russian soldier says his commander shot himself in the leg to get out of the war in Ukraine.
According to The Daily Beast, in the phone call released by Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate on Saturday, the man, Nikita, who is identified as a solider speaking to his mother, expresses doubt about Ukrainians surrendering.
"This won't end anytime soon. What the hell do I need this for? At 20 years old...I'm not at all interested in Ukraine. I need to come back and resign," he states. "I had a commander...who shot himself in the leg just to get out of here. And that was in the very beginning!"
Newsweek could not independently verify the intercepted call.
The soldier's mother then says that someone has to "defend Russia," The Daily Beast reported, adding: "They will just kill us all, it'll be World War Four and Russia will lose!"
The soldier goes on to say that people in his brigade are "are just disappearing on their own. Some of them vanished without a trace, some were taken prisoner, some are hiding, some are already in Russia."
The Daily Beast reported that in another intercepted call released on Friday, Ukrainian officials claim that a wife of a Russian soldier told him to "fall off a tank" to get out of the war.
"There's no way out," she said. "Otherwise you will be there until September...They will not swap you out, because everyone is refusing. You just don't need to shoot yourself in the leg, because who the f*** knows how that would end. Or let someone whack you on your side."
Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
In another call shared by the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) this week allegedly intercepted from Russian troops, a Russian soldier said that the body armor provided to them by the military is "terrible."
In addition, the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia's military administration reported this week that Russian soldiers shot Russian cars to avoid going to Ukraine. "According to locals, in Polohy, the Russian military shot about 20 of their cars," the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration wrote on Telegram, "Only to avoid going to the front line."
Ukrainian officials also said this week that they found Russian military documents suggesting a previous plan for a total occupation of Ukraine
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Xander Landen is a Newsweek weekend reporter. His focus is often U.S. politics, but he frequently covers other issues including ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
