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Leaked Recording Reveals Russian Officer Forcing Injured Troops Back to Ukraine Frontline
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Ukrainian intelligence officers have intercepted a conversation that demonstrates the inhumane treatment of Russian subordinates by their command.
The corresponding audio recording was released by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (HUR) on March 1.
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The recording captures a Russian infantryman pleading for medical intervention for severe wounds and advanced frostbite. Despite his desperate appeals, his superior officer responds with a barrage of profanities and orders him back to his position.
The soldier, begging for help, explains his condition.
“Our hands, the hands are wounded—these hands are done for, they're frozen, frozen through. They need to be bandaged, bandaged! They’re festering, the hands are already rotting. Mine has gone numb too. I don’t want to lose my hand, I don’t want to lose my hand; I told you this morning,” the soldier says, begging for the chance to receive help.
The Russian commander, however, appears indifferent to the physical state of his men, prioritizing the execution of orders over their survival.
According to the recording, the soldier continues to try to reach the commander’s sense of reason, emphasizing the imminent risk of permanent disability:
“Everything is frozen. It’s just that because of this whole situation, I don't want to lose any parts [of my body]. That’s why I’m explaining to you that my hand, my hand needs to be bandaged, the bandages changed, all of that… You understand—you could lose a hand or a leg there,” he explains.
The deteriorating medical conditions and lack of leadership identified by HUR are compounded by a widespread collapse in basic logistics. Beyond the lack of bandages and treatment, Russian troops are increasingly reporting critical shortages of food and water, according to further intercepted communications.
On February 3, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate published an audio recording highlighting the severe malnutrition affecting frontline units. In the clip, a Russian soldier describes a state of total exhaustion, noting that his uniform now “hangs on him like a coat hanger” due to extreme weight loss.
“We don’t eat, we don’t drink at all… If I turn sideways, you wouldn’t even notice me,” he says in the recording, claiming that food deliveries have essentially ceased.
The soldier further remarked that his physical decline has been so drastic that he is now only recognizable by his beard.
According to Ukrainian officials, such accounts of abandonment and the “growing trend” of frontline forces left without basic logistical support have become increasingly common in recent weeks.
Earlier, it was reported that frontline Russian infantry units are increasingly turning to opioids as a coping mechanism for the immense psychological trauma of the war.
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-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
