Russian Soldier Warns Putin's Military May Lose Crimea

Ukrainian military intelligence on Sunday published audio of what it said was an intercepted phone call of a Russian soldier detailing plans he heard of Ukraine soon undertaking a major attempt to reclaim Crimea.

In the audio posted by Ukraine's military intelligence directorate (GUR) on its Telegram channel, a man identified as a member of the Russian military reportedly told a friend he heard Kyiv would deploy a force of 150,000 troops along with tanks to the peninsula. Newsweek could not verify the authenticity of the audio.

Crimea is recognized as Ukrainian territory by many countries, but Russia invaded and annexed the peninsula in 2014. Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his war against Ukraine in February 2022, the region has been the site of frequent attacks, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly vowed to fully liberate the land.

According to a translation by the Kyiv Post, the Russian soldier in the audio shared by GUR tells a friend he heard Ukraine's military is "preparing something" in Crimea.

He reportedly first said Ukraine's armed forces are sending three divisions with a total of 100,000 troops. He later revised the estimate to 150,000 Ukrainian soldiers.

"All these tanks, all that they have prepared, will be f****** thrown in now. They want to recapture Crimea," he said, per the Kyiv Post.

The Russian serviceman then explained that the first two divisions being sent from Zelensky's forces into Crimea "are offensive, and the third will be a sweep."

The Kyiv Post wrote the friend on the call tried to reassure the soldier that Putin's military could thwart such a large operation by bringing in reserve troops, but the message reportedly did not calm down the Russian soldier.

If Zelensky does order such a large offensive in Crimea, the move would seemingly be a course reversal from public comments he made last month during an interview on Ukrainian television. Speaking to journalist Nataliia Moseichuk, the Ukrainian president said he hoped to retake Crimea by political pressure rather than from a direct conflict involving troops.

Newsweek reached out to Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email for comment.

The call shared Sunday by GUR is the latest in a line of alleged intercepted communications involving Russia's forces that the agency frequently posts. The calls typically serve as examples of Putin's forces struggling in Ukraine or demonstrate low morale among Russian troops.

On August 31, GUR shared a clip of a Russian soldier describing an entire unit from his country's armed forces being "slaughtered" by Ukraine's military and suggested they may have been too drunk to fight.