A Russian commander orders his soldiers to open fire on fellow troops in an apparent act of frustration after their positions were exposed by a neighbouring unit, according to an intercepted phone call released by Ukrainian military intelligence.

In the recording, shared by the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) on April 5, the unidentified officer is heard shouting: "F*** the 55th, shoot them, that’s the battalion commander’s order, shoot them." The 55th seems to refer to a separate Russian unit operating nearby. The commander accuses the soldiers of giving away their location and compromising the operation - without providing further details. The Kyiv Independent, which reported on the release, said it was not able to verify the authenticity of the audio independently. However, if accurate, it would be the latest of numerous recordings seemingly revealing dysfunction and internal chaos within the Russian military command structure.

Poor treatment of Russian soldiers has been a persistent theme throughout the war in Ukraine. Intercepted conversations, battlefield reports, and testimony from prisoners of war have pointed to widespread indiscipline, inadequate training, and brutal tactics — including the use of blocking detachments tasked with shooting those who retreat without orders.

Western officials and military analysts have previously described Russia’s battlefield approach as a "meat grinder" strategy, throwing waves of poorly equipped and expendable troops into front-line positions to wear down Ukrainian defences. Although effective in grinding out territorial gains, the tactic has come at enormous human cost.

In February, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said Russian forces were likely suffering "some of the highest casualty rates since the start of the war," as they pushed into heavily fortified areas around Avdiivka. Ukrainian officials estimated Russian losses in the tens of thousands during that assault alone.

As of March 2025, the UK's Ministry of Defence estimates that approximately 900,000 Russian military personnel have been killed or wounded since the onset of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. This figure includes between 200,000 and 250,000 fatalities, marking the country's largest losses since World War II.

Despite these losses, Russia has continued to apply pressure along a vast stretch of the front. In recent months, its forces have captured several of Ukraine’s last remaining strongholds in the Donbas region. The Kremlin has relied heavily on convicts, conscripts, and hastily trained recruits to maintain momentum.

Ukraine has meanwhile continued to intercept and publish audio recordings which it says expose internal divisions among Russian forces. In one previously released call, a Russian soldier told his family: "Our own artillery hits us more than the Ukrainians."

In December, HUR claimed that North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces opened fire and killed eight Russian servicemen during a confrontation. That report, also unverified, further highlighted the chaotic conditions on the Russian side of the battlefield.

Alongside the April 5 release, HUR also published another recording, apparently captured in Russia’s Bryansk Oblast, in which a woman can be heard welcoming a Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow. She said: “So we can be f***ing bombed, but Moscow Oblast is not? Let them be at least a little bit afraid."

The agency has suggested these intercepts reveal both growing resentment inside Russia and deepening fractures on the front line.