- Ukraine's defense ministry published an intercepted call between a Russian soldier and his parents.
- In the purported call, the soldier says his unit is on strike and that he's trying to scheme his way out of the war.
- Ukrainian intelligence alleged the number of Russian troops who refuse to fight is "growing."
Ukraine's defense ministry published intercepted audio of Russian troops claiming to be on "strike" and trying to pull strings so they can get sent home from the war.
In a conversation released on Tuesday by Ukraine's intelligence division, a Russian soldier told his parents that his unit is on strike after relocating positions — "from a shithole to another shithole."
"Everyone is already tired of it all and everyone is on strike," the soldier, identified as Andrey, said. "They threw us off the highway into the fields, and nothing was equipped there. Everyone is already tired of it all and everyone is starting to rebel," adding that his work is "pointless."
Andrey's father responded that his son's 90-day service period will end soon, but the son shuts him down on the purported call.
"90 days is off the plate. We have already been told to not even think about it," Andrey said, adding that he was told his deployment in Ukraine would last until "the end of the operation, and then another two months."
Andrey then asked his parents to get a certificate saying he has high blood pressure so he could go home, citing some fellow soldiers who managed to leave the war.
"Let's try to get you out of there," Andrey's father responded.
On the reported call, Andrey's mother said a mutual acquaintance's unit of 400 Russian soldiers surrendered their weapons and were brought to Donetsk, where they were treated like "dissidents" and "revolutionaries."
The acquaintance was then placed in the sanatorium department of a mental hospital "so that when he is discharged, he can drive a car and work," the mother said on the call.
Ukrainian intelligence alleged in its post that "the number of those who refuse to fight against Ukraine in the so-called [Donetsk People's Republic] is growing,"
Russian forces have struggled with low morale throughout the invasion, according to intelligence reports.
Other issues — like poor communication and a fierce Ukrainian resistance — have forced Russian troops into a grinding and bloody campaign in the eastern Donbas region.
Ukraine has claimed that tens of thousands of Russian troops have died so far, though Western states estimate the figure is lower.
Translations by Oleksandr Vynogradov.