Tapped phone call shows Russian soldiers hope to profit from war: Polish official
Wesprzyj naszą pracę na Go Fund Me. Dziękujemy!A telephone conversation intercepted by Poland’s civilian intelligence agency AW shows that Russian troops hope to profit from their invasion of Ukraine, a Polish security official said on Friday.
Stanisław Żaryn.Photo: PAP/Tomasz Gzell
Stanisław Żaryn, who is spokesman for Poland’s security services, said: “Russia is conducting its criminal war against Ukraine. The soldiers are offered a tantalising prospect of high earnings and the opportunity to make extra gains.”
He added: „It’s a policy typical of Russia, where barbaric behaviour and war crimes are evidently acceptable if they bring benefits.”
’Enticed with the prospect of profit’
In the intercepted conversation, a woman is heard talking to her partner who is taking part in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
“The woman is tired of the war in Ukraine, but her main concern is how much money her partner is going to earn on the front,” Żaryn said.
He added: “The conversation demonstrates that Russian servicemen going to war against Ukraine had been enticed with the prospect of profit. The exchange also suggests that both persons accept what the Russian soldiers are doing in Ukraine.”
Russian public ‘accepts or at least tolerates’ aggression against Ukraine
According to Żaryn, the tapped call represents another indication that the Russian public “accepts or at least tolerates the Russian army’s criminal operations against Ukraine.”
Sanctions starting to bite
Meanwhile, the woman is also heard saying that the Russian health service is “in crisis” as “there aren’t even enough bandages,” the PAP news agency reported.
She further tells her partner that Russians are increasingly opening bank accounts in Armenia “out of fear of having their assets confiscated by the Russian state.”
“They went to Yerevan to set up bank accounts and transfer money so that it can’t be confiscated,” the woman is heard telling her partner, according to Żaryn.
He said these passages prove that, contrary to Russian propaganda, the West’s sanctions against the Kremlin over its invasion of Ukraine “are starting to weaken the Russian state,” as their impact “is already being felt by ordinary Russians.”
Last month, the AW intercepted phone conversations between Russian troops serving in the Ukraine war which suggested that morale was running low in the invading army, according to officials.
The Polish intelligence agency has published the tapped calls on its YouTube channel.
(pm/gs)
Radio Poland>>>
