In this call intercepted by SBU, a Russian soldier admits that Ukrainian artillery and mortar crews are much more efficient and precise than their Russian counterparts. In particular, the Russian reconnaissance commander complains to a friend that they are barely holding their positions in the village of Dovgenke in the Kharkiv region.
As specified by SBU this discussion was intercepted even before Novaya Kakhovka, Kherson and Chornobayivka – that is, before the Armed Forces started using high-precision HIMARS.
Російські окупанти заздрять «ювелірній» роботі українських мінометників та артилеристів
Про це свідчить нова телефонна розмова російських загарбників, яку перехопила СБУ ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/43iMtXLlTj
— СБ України (@ServiceSsu) July 12, 2022
(R1)=Russian man (R2)=Russian man 2
(R1): Their drones go up, drones or quadrocopters. They go up and we can’t do anything with these drones. Can’t block them, nothing. They can’t do anything with them. Only take them down. Take it down, but it’s f*cking high up there, you can’t even see it. And our services aren’t doing anything. They can’t block it. They *Ukrainians* get the drones up to look where they are hitting. And then they start mortar fire. Occasionally… not that long ago in a day they burned seven vehicles in a village. Some armoured KAMAZ and some other sh*t. Just… *unintelligible*.
(R2): What’s up with our aviation?
(R1): Our aviation is cr*p. A helicopter can only be five kilometers away, fire from distance and f*ck off. And we don’t see it again. In a week it might come two times, work at some forest and f*ck off. There’s f*ck all, nothing at all, no “Su”’s. Only the helicopter *fires* from distance. While the Ukrainian helicopter might come twice in a day, work at us and get the f*ck out similarly.
(R2): F*cking hell.
(R1): There’s nothing. Everything is for the show. There’s nothing. At all. Their mortars and artillery men fire accurately as f*ck. They’ll shoot, then adjust with drones. A drone is often hanging above us. They have drones with thermal vision for the night, and regular ones for the day. They’ll launch a drone, ours can’t do anything with the drones. They hold them roughly along the *front* line, adjusting. They launch a mortar bomb, it explodes somewhere. They will adjust. Ten bam-bam-bam-bam-bam they put down more, and that’s it. The square is closed. Losses inflicted. Worked well, time to go. That’s how they work. They don’t have some massive authority or something to have 500 bombs in their storages. Not a lot of people. They have like 2-3 people in a crew. They’ll come with a mortar, fire and go.
(R2): Everything’s automated.
(R1): Their training is more or less better than ours, but our guys all stand in one place. Missing all the time, nearly firing in their own trenches. F*cking fools.