The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has released an audio recording of a telephone conversation in which two Russian officers are said to have mourned the death of a high-ranking general and the collapse of a secure communications network in Ukraine.
In a conversation confirmed by Bellingcat, a fact-checking group known for exposing Kremlin disinformation, two alleged Russian FSB officers are heard discussing the death of a general killed in action near Kharkov, which came under fire this month.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense named General Vitaly Gerasimov, chief of staff of the 41st Army, and Bellingcat said it confirmed the death from Russian sources. In a statement, the military intelligence service of Ukraine said that Gerasimov was “liquidated” along with “a number of high-ranking officers of the Russian army” in the battles near Kharkov.
If Gerasimov’s death is confirmed, he would be the second Russian general to be killed in Ukraine within a week of the death of Andrei Sukhovetsky, deputy commander of the 41st Army. It was also reported that a pro-Putin Chechen general, Magomed Tushaev, was killed.
Russia’s failure to protect its high-ranking officers confirms reports from Ukraine that the Kremlin’s invasion forces are in disarray. In the call, released by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, one FSB officer is heard complaining that his encrypted communications system has been destroyed, allowing Ukrainian forces to listen in on orders from the Russian military.
Bellingcat chief executive Christo Grozev wrote: “In a telephone conversation in which an FSB officer assigned to the 41st Army reports the death to his superior in Tula, he says that they have lost all secure communication channels. So a phone call using a local sim card. So interception.
Grozev continued: “His boss, who pauses for a long time when he hears the news of Gerasimov’s death (before cursing), is Dmitry Shevchenko, a senior FSB officer from Tula. We identified him by looking for his phone (published by Ukrainian military intelligence) in open source search applications… During the call, you hear a Ukrainian FSB officer asking his superior if he can speak through the Era secure system. The boss says that Era is not working.
Grozen said that Russian cryptophones may no longer work in Kharkiv because Russian troops have destroyed the surrounding cell towers and the Russian encrypted communications system operates using 3G or 4G.
A statement released by the military intelligence of Ukraine speaks of serious problems with communications between Russian troops: “The data obtained also indicate serious problems with communications in the occupying army and with the evacuation of their defeated units.”
Russia has not commented on reports of Gerasimov’s death.