Intercepted Call Suggests Russian Commanders Ordering Killings of Their Own Troops

Ukrainian military intelligence has released an intercepted communication that indicates Russian commanders may be carrying out extrajudicial killings of their own personnel, according to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) on April 2.

The audio recording captures a Russian commander issuing an order to execute a subordinate accused of disobedience or disloyalty, without any formal investigation or judicial process.

In the intercepted exchange, the commander instructs a subordinate identified by the callsign “Shurik” to carry out the killing: “Shurik, I’m telling you, zero the person. If you let him go, you will most likely be hit immediately and your position will be destroyed. The person is no longer working with us,” the commander says.

According to HUR, the recording also shows how commanders respond when soldiers hesitate to carry out such orders.

In the same exchange, the officer escalates pressure and threatens consequences for disobedience: “Did you not understand the order? Do you want to lose so many positions and the guys next to you because of one D’Artagnan,” the commander says.

Ukrainian intelligence states that such actions are not isolated incidents but reflect a broader pattern within Russian units, where commanders are allegedly granted wide discretion to eliminate personnel suspected of refusing orders or acting against instructions.

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According to HUR, these practices are being used as a means of maintaining control over units facing declining morale and operational pressure. The agency adds that the absence of formal procedures in the intercepted case suggests the use of informal enforcement mechanisms within certain units.

Earlier, according to Ukraine’s Operational Command South on October 20, a Russian drone operator killed his own soldier near Orikhiv by dropping an explosive as the serviceman attempted to surrender to Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainian officials said the soldier had decided to lay down his arms, but was targeted before he could do so, adding that similar incidents have been observed in Russian units attempting to prevent surrender or retreat.

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