'150,000 Men Will Be Thrown In’ – Russian Soldier Reveals Fears of ‘Huge’ Ukrainian Crimea Liberation Force

A Russian soldier has been overheard expressing terror at what he calls a “huge” force of Ukrainian tanks and 150,000 soldiers being prepared to liberate occupied Crimea.

In an intercepted phone call released by Ukraine's Military Intelligence (HUR), the serviceman tells a friend that he has heard reports of three divisions of troops and materiel being prepared by Kyiv to retake the peninsula.

“I heard that again these motherf***ers are preparing something," he says.

“Well, f**k, three divisions, 100 thousand people. They are coming from training.

“All these tanks, all that they have prepared, will be f**king thrown in now. They want to recapture Crimea.”

Revising his initial estimate up to 150,000 Ukrainian troops, he adds: “Three divisions are being prepared.

“The first two are offensive and the third will be a sweep.”

Having learned of the apparently critical situation facing Russian forces on the frontlines, the soldier's friend tries to comfort him, saying that Moscow also has reserves, yet this does little to calm the soldier down.

“Well, we have a little bit of reserve,” he says. “It seems that personnel are being trained in Chebarkul (the training base for the special forces of the Russian Armed Forces).”

It’s not clear where the Russian soldier has heard of such a force poised to take Crimea and in a recent interview with Ukrainian TV host Natalya Moseychuk, President Zelensky said he hopes that there will be no direct confrontation between Russian and Ukrainian troops in Crimea

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Zelensky signaled a nuanced shift in Kyiv’s stance on the Russia-occupied Crimea, saying he believes if advancing Ukrainian forces reach the northern border of the Black Sea peninsula, the Russian military might eventually leave without a battle.

“If we are on the administrative or conditional borders with Crimea, I believe that it is possible to politically press the demilitarization of Russia on the territory of Ukrainian Crimea. I believe that this would be better,” Zelensky said, in a nationally televised hour-long interview.

Zelensky’s declaration that Crimea, a territory illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 and held up by Russian state propaganda as a full-fledged part of Russia never “really belonging” to Ukraine, might return to Kyiv’s sovereignty without a conventional military offensive marked a nuanced – but nonetheless significant – shift in official Ukrainian rhetoric on Crimea.

More than 80 percent of Ukrainian voters consider the Crimea territory that was stolen by Moscow should be returned to Kyiv’s control by armed force.

Both the Zelensky administration and even Ukrainian allies – most recently Polish President Andrzej Duda have in recent months said Russian de-militarization of the peninsula, which is absolutely rejected by the Kremlin, must take place for the Russo-Ukrainian War to end.

Though the intercepted call has not been independently verified, and the exact date when it took place is not known, the situation for soldiers on both sides is difficult as Ukraine’s counteroffensive gains momentum.

Ukrainian soldiers have told Kyiv Post they would fight on, but morale has been suffering with no quick end in sight.

However, the release of such intercepted conversations by Ukraine’s intelligence services indicates that Russia’s military finds itself in a much more dire situation, with soldiers coming to fear their own side as much as that of their Ukrainian adversary.

Previous calls include:

'We Lost 600 Men’ – Russian Reveals Horrific Losses and Behavior On Frontlines
‘All Our Guys Were Slaughtered’ – Intercepted Phone Calls Suggest Huge Russian Losses
‘He Started Shooting Us!’ – Intercepted Phone Call Reveals Russian Friendly Fire Incident
‘We’ll Tear You Apart’ – Ukrainian Soldiers Are Trolling Russian Commanders on Telegram
‘War Until 2026’ - Russian Soldier Claims He’s Been Told To Expect 3 More Years of Fighting
‘Trucks Full of Corpses’ – Intercepted Phone Call Suggests Massive Wagner Losses
‘All Our Boys Are Rotting’– Intercepted Phone Call Suggests Heavy Russian Causalities Near Antonivsky Bridge

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Alisa Orlova

Alisa Orlova is a Senior News Manager and correspondent for Kyiv Post. For seven years, she has worked as a TV journalist, covering primarily topics on international policy. Back in September 2022, Alisa joined the Kyiv Post team.

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