Russian soldiers' frustration with the Ukraine war is growing. An intercepted phone call reveals morale at the front.
Putin's losses are enormous. British intelligence estimates that around 355,000 Russians were killed or wounded. The losses were particularly bad in February: an average of 983 soldiers per day. Just on Thursday, Russia lost 840 soldiers, according to Ukrainian reports and the Pravda news site. This means that the current losses of the Russian army would amount to over 450,000 soldiers. However, the number cannot be confirmed independently. It is impossible to check how reliable the numbers really are. The phone calls have been heard regularly for several months. Only recently, the secret service intercepted a phone call in which a soldier reported on the cover-up of Russian losses. “Yes, they are all real, even though they may seem crazy. Sometimes I can't believe the words I hear, but we have what we have," said a secret service employee, who remains anonymous for security reasons.