The morale of Russian soldiers involved in the war in Ukraine is underground and discontent towards President Vladimir Putin is spreading, also because they have been forced to carry out what appear to be real crimes. While many Russians are splitting towards the Ukrainian front as a result of the military mobilization decided by the Kremlin, the New York Times publishes some intercepts captured in communications between the Moscow military and their families. Many confess to capturing and killing civilians, looting homes and shops.
“Mother, this is the stupidest decision our government has ever made,” Putin “was seriously wrong,” Serghiei told his mother. “There’s a forest where our headquarters are. I went into it and saw a sea of corpses in civilian clothes. I’ve never seen so many bodies in my fucking life,” says another family member. There are those who say they no longer want to be an assassin and do not intend to sign new military contracts – in the case of the volunteers – and there are also those who question the entire “special military operation”: we have not seen a single fascist here. This war is based on a false pretense. Nobody needed it.” “They just want to trick people on TV by saying ‘it’s okay, there’s only one special operation,’ but in reality it’s a real war,” another soldier tells his girlfriend.
Despite fears that their conversations might be overheard, some say to family members that “Putin is crazy.” He wants to take Kiev, but we cannot do it.” “On the state of the war on the ground, among the intercepts published by the American daily there are some in which the soldiers admit: “Our offensive has stopped. We are losing this war.”
Source: IL Tempo
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
