A wireless call between a Russian officer and his commander was exposed today (Wednesday) by journalists in Ukraine and revealed the dismal state of the Russian army attacking the city of Mikuliev in the south of the country.
The call was verified as authentic by the British Telegraph, and was apparently recorded by Ukrainian intelligence.
During the conversation, the officer was heard saying: "Half of my soldiers suffer from cold burns. The paramedics have nothing to do with them because all the dressing equipment is needed for the wounded."
The officer explains that his men are sleeping in trenches dug in the extreme cold because they have not been given tents and suitable winter equipment.
"We had to carry our dead with us for five days," the commander protested.
The officer does not seem to understand whether a nearby force was destroyed by Ukrainian gunfire or by Russian-friendly fire.
"We were ordered to stay, but another column continued to be completely destroyed by a Grad missile," the officer was heard telling his commander.
He says that during the fighting a senior officer came to the force under his command who assured them that the fighting would be over within a few hours.
The commander-in-chief was heard saying to his command: "Hold on my son."
The Russian attack on the city of Mikuliev, a shipyard city in southern Ukraine, has suffered severe delays following attacks against Ukrainians.
The Ukrainians managed to recapture the city's airport and push the Russians off the roads leading to it.
They prevent the invaders from encircling the key city.
Nikolaev's occupation is important for the Russians in order to cut off the city of Odessa from the rest of Ukraine and to break the Ukrainian lines of defense from the south.
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