In two separate statements, Russian soldiers described how they interrogated soldiers as well as civilians and then fired, according to an intelligence official familiar with the findings, who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. The findings, first reported by the German magazine Der Spiegel and confirmed by three people who were informed of the information, further undermine Russia’s claims that the atrocities – including Bucha – are being committed only after its troops leave the occupied territories. Scenes from Bucha, a suburb near the Ukrainian capital, have become a symbol of war atrocities and have galvanized calls for investigations into possible war crimes. One person said the radio messages were likely to provide a greater picture of suspected atrocities in other cities north of Kiev held by Russian soldiers. The foreign intelligence service, known as the BND, may be able to match signal information with video and satellite imagery to make connections to specific killings, two people said. The men also said the move indicated that members of the Wagner Group, a private military unit with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his allies, had played a role in the attacks on civilians while Russian forces were in control of the city. Another person who was informed of the information said that the involvement could be from the Wagner group or another private contractor. In Bucha, the extent of Russian barbarism comes to the fore German intelligence officials on Wednesday briefed members of at least two parliamentary committees on the findings, according to sources familiar with the matter. “The reported hardships strongly influenced the members of the respective committees where they were reported,” said one of the people who was briefed on the information. Another person said that the agency had great confidence in the findings, although it was not specific about how it acquired the radiocommunication. The third person said that the information helps to understand the behavior inside the Russian army, but hardly represents “final evidence as to who shot who at what time”. This person said that the examples discussed by the BND show an atmosphere of panic that leads soldiers to “cut corners”. The reliance of Russian troops on insecure communications devices, including smartphones and push-to-talk radios, has left their units vulnerable to targeting, say Western Defense and Intelligence officials. A BND spokesman declined to comment. A government spokesman, Steffen Hebestreit, made an elliptical reference Wednesday to “credible indications” that Russian forces in Bucha were interrogating detainees “who were subsequently executed”. Vanessa Guinan-Bank contributed to this report.
