An intercepted call released by Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) indicates Russian commanders may be coercing newly arrived foreign recruits into high-risk assault operations.
According to HUR, the recording captures conversations between Russian commanders discussing how to handle foreign fighters described as unwilling to carry out assigned missions.
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In the call, one voice in Russian instructs a subordinate to prepare for the arrival of foreign personnel.
“Silva, you’re the one I need. Look, tomorrow they’ll bring in foreign specialists to you — they’re ready to carry out tasks, but they don’t really want to do it. Will you be able to force them to go?”
The response suggests that coercion is expected and normalized.
“Well, how, of course we can, damn it. If they signed a contract, of course. I’ll tell them what, I don’t know, beat them, I don’t know. We’ll… I don’t even understand how exactly.”
In a separate part of the conversation, the speaker appears to outline methods of enforcing compliance.
“You can beat the sh*t out of them, just not the legs — we need the legs. But yeah, you can. We’ll have to force them to go, otherwise we’ll have to go ourselves. And there’s no real desire for that, f**k, so we’ll still have to make them.”
Ukrainian intelligence says the exchange reflects a broader pattern of coercion within Russian ranks, extending to foreign nationals recruited to support operations in Ukraine. Physical violence and intimidation remain key tools used by commanders to compel participation in combat missions, particularly among those reluctant to fight.
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