Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) released an intercepted call on Sunday showing Russian commanders threatening and abusing soldiers to push them into deadly assaults.
The intercepted conversation captures a Russian commander shouting at subordinates who appear unwilling to advance.
“What do you mean there’s ‘plus-plus’ there? What the f*** are you doing – have you completely lost your minds?” the commander can be heard yelling. “What the f*** do you mean ‘refusal’? Move forward, f***ing go!”
Ukrainian intelligence said the recording illustrates how Russian field commanders are under intense pressure to demonstrate compliance with orders and report results to their superiors as quickly as possible.
“Faster, f***, I need to file the f***ing report,” the commander shouts in the intercept, urging troops to advance without delay.
HUR said the intercept reflects an “extremely low moral and psychological state” within Russian units, where intimidation has replaced leadership.
As resistance grows, commanders increasingly rely on direct threats and humiliation to force soldiers into action.
“You f**ing refusers… you f**ing monkeys!” the commander yells at his subordinates in the recording. “Now you’ll go together with them and charge in there!”
Ukrainian intelligence officials say such exchanges point to Russia’s continued reliance on so-called “meat-grinder” tactics – frontal assaults carried out with little regard for losses – and highlight deepening dysfunction within Russia’s military command structure.
The latest audio follows earlier published intercepts pointing to similar patterns of intimidation.
In one previously released call, Ukrainian military intelligence said it intercepted a conversation in which a Russian commander in the Donetsk region threatened to shoot any subordinate attempting to retreat, presenting the recording as evidence of systemic coercion within occupying forces.
In that earlier intercept, the commander is heard shouting that there was “no possibility to fall back” and that “nobody is leaving their f***ing positions.”
“I tell you again, f***: if someone runs anywhere – shoot them, f***. We go only forward, f***, only forward. Victory or death, b***h,” the commander says in the recording.
The precise time and location of the alleged incident remain unclear. Kyiv Post cannot independently verify the authenticity of the intercepted recordings.
Kyiv has repeatedly accused Russian units of heavy-handed tactics, an accusation corroborated by videos in 2023 that depicted Russian troops being thrown into a pit by their commanders for allegedly refusing to fight due to insufficient equipment and support.
Recent intercepted calls also revealed worsening conditions in the Russian military. One soldier complained of a lack of basic supplies, which led to troops dying on supply runs, while another admitted that various personnel – including cooks – were being used as infantry during frontal assaults.
Earlier last year, Kyiv Post also interviewed “Maria,” a professional eavesdropper with HUR, who said the “insane” things heard in intercepted calls are, in fact, real despite their often outrageous nature.
“They all are real even though they might seem insane. Sometimes I can’t believe the words I’m hearing myself, but we have what we have,” she said.
Kyiv Post regularly reposts some of the most revealing and shocking intercepted conversations:
‘Gas Canisters Not Issued, F**k’: Russian Soldiers Crowdfund for Basics, Die on Supply Runs
‘Three Holes in His Leg and Shrapnel in His Neck’ - Just 2 Russians Survived ‘Meat Assault’
Russian Woman Says: ‘Trump Will Lead the Horned One,’ Jews Will Rule the World
‘Brelok F**king Ate Him’: Intercept Reveals Russian Cannibal Soldier
‘They Drive Tanks for Vodka’ – Intercept Reveals Drunk Russian Troops Terrorizing Border Village
‘We Need to Take Odesa’ – Russian Woman Cites Fake ‘Biolabs’ to Justify Mykolaiv Attacks
‘The F**king Guys Are Dying!’ – Intercepted Call Reveals Chaos and Command Breakdown in Russian Army
‘They Even Ate Theraflu, Mom’ – Intercept Reveals Russian Soldiers Starving on Front Lines