Russia's unsecured communications chatter reveals military secrets in Ukraine

Western officials say Russian troops are not using secure communications

A Ukrainian serviceman with a captured Russian tank in the village of Lukyanivka, near Kyiv. EPA

Russian troops in Ukraine are exchanging military secrets on unsecured lines that make them vulnerable to interception by Ukrainian forces, media outlets and amateur radio enthusiasts, multiple sources have reported.

The lack of security has been credited with causing the death of at least one Russian general and adding to what western officials say is an overall sense of frustration in Moscow over the lack of progress in the invasion.

A Pentagon official said in a recent briefing that Russia’s command and control structure was faltering because the Kremlin’s forces “just weren’t fully prepared for operations of this intensity for so long”.

“We're seeing them use a lot more unclassified communications because their classified communications capability … for one reason or another, is not as strong as it should be,” the official said.

In some cases, Russian troops have even stolen personal phones from Ukrainians so that they can call their families back home, a European intelligence official told The Washington Post.

The lack of security has led to some Russian troops having their phones confiscated because of concerns they will give away a unit’s location, the official added.

Russian servicemen drive armoured vehicles in Volnovakha, near Donetsk, Ukraine. EPA

Ukraine’s military intelligence service has released several batches of what it says are intercepted conversations between Russian troops showing low morale and discontent towards the top brass.

“Losses are big: equipment is blown up, boys die. And this repeats every day,” one Russian soldier was quoted as saying by the Ukrainian side.

Another recording purported to show a Russian soldier talking about being ordered to fire on civilians, as western powers and third parties collect what they say is evidence of war crimes committed by Russia.

Other radio chatter has been picked up by civilian analysts gathering open-source intelligence on the month-long war.

ShadowBreak Intl, a British company that collects geospatial data, said it had collected hours of recordings which suggest the Russian army was unprepared for the scope of the operation in Ukraine.

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  A woman walks past a poster depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin holding his own body, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Sofia, Bulgaria. Reuters

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  A man walks past a residential area destroyed by a rocket strike in Kyiv. Getty Images

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  Ukraine refugees wait in the train station in Przemysl, near the Polish-Ukrainian border. More than 3.8 million have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion. AFP

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  Ukrainian civilians receive weapons training at a shooting range in Brno, Czech Republic. EPA

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  A Ukrainian special police officer patrols near a destroyed building during the night curfew in Kharkiv. AP Photo

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  A Ukrainian serviceman walks past the wreck of a Russian tank in Lukyanivka, Kyiv. Reuters

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  Ukrainian Air Force jets take part in a defence drill over an unidentified location. Reuters

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  Valentina Demura, 70, near the ruins of her home in apartment block in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol. Reuters

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  A message of support for Ukraine at the 94th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Reuters

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  The widow of sergeant Kostiantyn Deriuhin stands at her husband's grave after his funeral at Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine. Reuters

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  A walk amid the ruins after a Russian attack in Byshiv on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. AP

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  A soldier of the Ukrainian territorial defence forces gives a salute during a break in digging a foxhole at Kalynivka, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. AP

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  A bust adorned with a headband in the colours of the Ukraine flag at a checkpoint in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP

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  The Cheremosh Folk Song and Dance Ensemble performs in the streets of the Old Town in Lviv, Ukraine. Getty

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  Eugene Grigorash says goodbye to his wife Victoria Grigorash and their seven-month-old son Roman as their bus leaves Lviv on its way to Poland. Getty

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  People head for an air raid shelter after sirens sound across Lviv in Ukraine. Getty

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  A pro-Ukraine rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. EPA

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  The aftermath of an air strike on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. AFP

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  A protester weeps as she takes part in a 'mothers' march' for Ukraine, in New York. AFP

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  Local people share a basement of a historical building which is being used as a bomb shelter during an air raid warning in Lviv. EPA

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  US President Joe Biden kisses a child while meeting refugees of Russia's war with Ukraine at PGE Narodowy Stadium in Warsaw, Poland. AFP

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  A Ukrainian soldier stands guard at Independence Square in Kyiv. AFP

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  Municipal employees cover the city's monuments with sand bags to protect them from strikes in Kharkiv. AFP

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  Misha, 5, who lost his mother some weeks ago and got injured during a Russian strike, is helped by his grandfather to dress up in the basement of a hospital in Mykolaiv. AFP

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  Ukrainian refugees rest in the ticket hall of Przemysl Glowny train station. Reuters

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  A woman walks past destroyed houses in the village of Krasylivka outside Kyiv. Reuters

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  A man climbs up a ladder to examine his destroyed house in the village of Krasylivka outside Kyiv. Reuters

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  Damage inside an Orthodox Church building in Yasnohorodka, on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP

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  A Ukrainian soldier at a psychiatric hospital damaged by a Russian bombing, in Mykolaiv. AP

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  Displaced people from Dnipro arrive in Lviv, in western Ukraine. Millions are internally displaced. Getty Images

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  A destroyed school in Kharkiv. AFP

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  A Ukrainian fighter on the front line in the north Kyiv region. Reuters

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  A resident walks past blazing buildings and vehicles after a Russian artillery strike in Kharkiv. AFP

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  Black smoke billows from a fuel depot near Kyiv that was used by the Ukrainian Army before it was hit by during a Russian strike. AP

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  Masha, 26, checks her mobile phone at an air raid shelter inside a Kyiv metro station. Reuters

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  A market on fire in Kharkiv after a Russian attack. AP

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  People try to recover items from a shop set on fire during a Russian attack in Kharkiv. AP

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  Nastya Kuzyk, 20, who was injured in an attack on Chernihiv, is comforted by her mother Svitlana, 50, as she recovers in a Kyiv hospital. AP

In one case, a Russian general and his entourage were killed when Ukraine’s armed forces used an intercepted call from his phone to locate his position, US officials told The New York Times.

Experts at the Rusi think tank said in an analysis this month that Russia’s radio communications appeared to be poor, with the reported use of basic walkie-talkies belying the impression created by Moscow of a state-of-the art military.

Russia had been expected to use more advanced hardware and the fact it may be in short supply suggests the Kremlin may not have “adequately considered its communications needs” for the invasion, the officials said.

Ukraine, in turn, was provided with equipment including secure communications and electronic warfare detection systems by the US before the Russian invasion.

Christo Grozev of investigative website Bellingcat published a video which he said showed Ukraine playing its national anthem over a radio frequency to obstruct Russian communications.

British military intelligence said on Monday that Russian logistical shortages were being compounded by “a continued lack of momentum and morale” among its armed forces as the war drags on.

But it said Russia had gained ground near the city of Mariupol as heavy fighting rages for control of the port.