‘Wipe Them Out Mercilessly’ – Russian Commander Orders Execution of Any Who Disobey, Intercepted Call Reveals

Intercepted Call Reveals Russian Commander Ordered Troops to Kill “Whiners”

Ukrainian military intelligence has released a chilling intercepted phone call in which a high-ranking Russian commander instructs his troops to kill anyone who complains or disrupts military operations, warning that he will make examples out of those who refuse to fight.

The call, made public by Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) on Monday, May 26, captures the commander giving brutal orders: “Pass this on to the guys. Anyone interfering with the mission, anyone whining or acting out—eliminate them mercilessly.”

The commander’s voice is filled with rage as he vents about soldiers unwilling to follow orders. “They showed up and started whining right away. No matter what we told them—how to do it, how to do it better—they didn’t care. They listened to no one. Now they’re begging for breaks or smokes.”

He adds that brutal force will bring order: “We’ll take out a couple of them, and the rest will shut the hell up.”

Such threats echo the infamous tactics of Soviet-era "barrier troops" during World War II—units tasked with shooting their own soldiers if they retreated, most notoriously during the Battle of Stalingrad.

In a separate incident, Ukraine’s state-run “I Want to Live” project—an initiative that assists Russian and Belarusian soldiers seeking to surrender—released another intercepted call exposing the harsh conditions inside the Russian military.

In the conversation, one soldier mentions a comrade who “500-ed,” using Soviet-era military slang (“pyatsot” or “500”) that refers to a refusal to follow orders. The soldier reportedly disobeyed commands and turned on a radio, compromising their position.

“We already took his stuff. Thought he was a 200,” one soldier says, referencing the code for a combat fatality. “He must’ve been killed, shot.”

Another soldier comments that the man is awaiting extraction, hoping to be pulled from the front. But the first speaker is adamant: “He needs to be shot. He needs to be watched and shot.”

“I Want to Live” says such calls expose the grim and coercive environment within the Russian Armed Forces. “In the Russian army, your only choice is how you’ll die—by Ukrainian fire, by your own comrades, or by suicide,” the project wrote on Telegram.

Last year, Kyiv Post interviewed Maria*, a Ukrainian intelligence operative who monitors intercepted communications. She described the recordings as often shocking. Russia has routinely dismissed such intercepts as fabrications, but Maria insists they are authentic: “They’re all real, even if they sound insane. Sometimes I can’t believe what I’m hearing either, but this is the reality.”

Kyiv Post continues to share some of the most disturbing and revealing intercepted conversations. For more, check out additional recordings.