'Just shoot them' — Russian commander told troops to open fire on retreating soldiers, intercepted comms suggest
A Russian commander ordered his soldiers to open fire on subordinates attempting to retreat, according to an alleged intercepted phone call released by Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) on Sept. 25.
The agency said the recording captured a conversation in Donetsk Oblast in which the commander demanded that troops stand their ground at all costs.
"There is no way to retreat, no way! No one is retreating anywhere; everyone is standing their ground," the commander can be heard saying. "If anyone runs away, shoot them."
"I'll say it again, you f*kers: if anyone runs away, just shoot them."
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the authenticity of the audio.
The alleged order emerged as Ukrainian forces continued their counteroffensive in Donetsk Oblast. Ukraine had reportedly liberated 160 square kilometers (60 square miles) of territory in the area.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 18 that seven settlements in the Dobropillia and Pokrovsk sectors had been retaken, citing a report from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Reports of Russian soldiers being executed for retreating have repeatedly surfaced during the full-scale invasion. The Wagner mercenary group was notorious for employing this tactic.
More than 50,000 Russian soldiers have deserted from the front lines since February 2022, according to an investigation by the independent Russian media outlet Important Stories.
The report said many were forced back into front-line duty under conditions described as near-suicidal.
Following Moscow's partial mobilization in September 2022, Russia President Vladimir Putin increased prison terms for desertion and surrender to 3-10 years.
Yet rights groups and media reports indicate that Russian commanders often rely on coercion and brutality instead of legal punishment to keep their troops in line.
