A Russian soldier calls his mother from the front. First she reproaches him for not getting in touch for so long. But then he tells her the truth about the war. And her mood suddenly changes.
The Ukrainian secret service repeatedly publishes intercepted telephone calls from Russian soldiers to relatives or friends at home. In a new recording, a soldier talks about the horrific consequences of tank fire – from his own people. Then his mother also understands how bad the war is.
Mom: “Hello darling. Finally you think of your mother. How’s it going?”
Soldier: “I’m at war. Not in a Boy Scout camp.”
Mom: “I see. What’s new?”
Soldier: “The boys were cruelly chopped up.”
Mother: “Excuse me?”
Soldier: “The third battalion from Yaroslavl recently arrived.”
Mother: “Right. The reinforcements?”
Soldier: “Yes. And 20 people were killed outright.”
Mom: “Oh no. Aren’t you hurt? It’s all ok?”
Soldier: “No, not a scratch. I stand here and face the enemy.”
Mother: “Oh darling.”
Soldier: “And it was our tank. He shot twice. And 20 boys are dead. Like I said, the commanders are scumbags. They kill their own people.”
Mother: “Damn garbage bags.”
Soldier: “We have higher casualties from our own people than from the Ukrainians.”
The mother tells her son that the Ukrainians are now attacking Russian cities. Then the recording ends.
