Captured Russian Soldiers Cry After Seeing Countless Friends Die In War

Captured Russian soldiers have called Vladimir Putin a 'liar' and cried over seeing their friends die during the invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine is facing the 26th day of the Russian president's 'special military operation'. More than 900 civilians have been killed as a result of the conflict, the UN has estimated, but the actual death toll is likely to be far higher.

Thousands of troops on either side have lost their lives, with 7,000 Russian soldiers killed and as many as 20,000 injured, according to US intelligence.

Four Russians captured in Ukraine - Alexei Zheleznyak, Mustafaev Mugsad, Igor Rudenko, Alexander Fomenko - recently spoke at a press conference, where they expressed their dismay and regret with the war, and anger at Putin.

Zheleznyak, who served with the 34th separate motorised rifle brigade stationed in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic of Russia, said: 'Putin, without declaring war, is bombing residents, hospitals, cities of Ukraine,' The Times reports.

Russian soldier Alexei Zheleznyak called Putin a liar (ATEF SAFADI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

'People of Russia, don’t look at the zombies. The Ukrainian people are a brave people. They will stop this even without weapons. They are united.

'No matter how much Putin sends his troops here, he will not capture this territory... our commander-in-chief is a liar and a deceiver of all our people.

'He deceived not only us, but the whole of Russia. He simply made fascists out of us.'

Six captured Russian soldiers appeared at the press conference. (ATEF SAFADI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

Captured Russian soldier Alexander Fomenko broke down in tears at the press conference (ATEF SAFADI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

Mustafaev Mugsad, who served with the same unit, said: 'How people are sitting in basements for days, how they die. I wouldn’t say if I didn’t see it myself... people will remember our aggression for centuries.

'People, military men of Russia, finally take off your rose-tinted spectacles and see what is happening in Ukraine.'

He went on to apologise for Russian troops who 'brought grief and destruction, in one day wiping out the peaceful life of the Ukrainian people.'

Igor Rudenko, a signalman of the 126th separate coastal defence brigade, knew it was time to surrender.

He said: 'I know that the Russian troops have already lost, because the Ukrainian military will simply destroy them. About 15,000 have already died.

Alamy

'If you have any honour left, do not repeat my mistakes. Take the troops away, because Putin does not need us. He does not even take the corpses. They are thrown into mass graves. It’s hard to see.'

Rudenko also said he was a native of Ukraine, pleading: 'I’m on my knees asking for forgiveness from the people of Ukraine for having betrayed my people.'

If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information

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