Rebel soldiers beaten up and taken away by 'feared' Russian General in Ukraine: Report

As the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has entered its 80th day, a recording shared by Kyiv's intelligence services revealed that mutinous Russian army soldiers were undressed, tied up, and taken away in vehicles on the instructions of a 'feared' Russian general who has been stationed to reestablish discipline in Ukraine. According to The Daily Beast report, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate released the recording on social media on Thursday. 

In an intercepted phone call, a Russian soldier is overheard informing a friend that the Kremlin has dispatched a general who was named 'Muradov' in the conversation. According to a Daily Mail report, while the general's entire name was not disclosed in the conversation, the soldier is most likely talking about the lieutenant general 'Rustam Muradov', the deputy commander of Russia's Southern Military District, who is known for supervising horrific combat in Syria's civil war. 

The soldier said, “Well, Muradov arrived and arranged a demonstrative tribunal,” further added that he disciplined his squad since "no one wanted to keep going." The soldier went on to say, “So yesterday (Muradov) busted the f**k out of the commanders to make an example, he undressed them, made them pull everything out of their pockets, tied their hands. Then they loaded them into (buses) and took them away,” Daily Mail reported.  

Further, the location of the Russian soldier when he made the phone call with his comrade was not confirmed by Ukrainian officials, but it can be considered to be another example of Putin's forces displaying low morale in the midst of decreasing equipment and supplies. 

'Putin an old nutjob'

Meanwhile, in another audio recording released by the Main Intelligence Directorate, a Russian soldier was recorded calling President Vladimir Putin an "old nutjob" and was heard criticising his campaign in Ukraine. According to the Daily Mail report, the recent intercepted audio recordings are the latest proof that morale is eroding among Russian fighters.  

In the second recording, another Russian soldier can be heard venting his anger over the Ukraine crisis to a female friend. Putin's Victory Day speech, which was delivered on May 9 during a massive yearly military parade to commemorate the end of Russia's involvement in World War II 77 years ago, appeared to be his biggest grievance. Further, the soldier's female friend informs him that Putin's speech was 'gross,' and that she had been 'shaking all day' after hearing it. 

Apart from this, the United States asserted on Monday that an army of Russian soldiers is refusing to follow Moscow's commands. According to The Guardian report, a senior Pentagon source cited "anecdotal reports" and said that numerous "mid-grade officers at various levels" are ignoring instructions to continue forward with the Donbass operation. The dissidence was also witnessed by "battalion-level officials," according to the US official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. 

(Image: AP)