There's a morale crisis amongst Putin's invading forces

Morale amongst the Kremlin’s invading forces is faltering as young, frightened soldiers continue to face stiff resistance and heavy losses on the seventh day of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, its democratic neighbor to the south.

"Looking at the Russian operation so far, they're having tremendous problems with logistics and communications. The whole effort seems shambolic," tweeted Michael Kofman, an expert on the Russian military at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, DC.

Looking at the Russian operation so far, they're having tremendous problems with logistics and communications. The whole effort seems shambolic. Some structural, some probably more specific to this operation, but will be doing a separate thread on those problems later.

— Michael Kofman (@KofmanMichael) March 1, 2022

But as Ukrainian forces continue to capture Russian soldiers – many of whom have claimed they were instructed to “fire at everyone, even civilians” – videos have emerged of tearful young conscripts telling their families they had been “sent to their deaths” in Ukraine. 

In one video obtained by The Mirror, a group of Russian POWs interviewed by Ukrainian forces claimed they had been used as “cannon meat” by Putin’s invading force.

One captive was filmed speaking to his mother over the phone, telling her: “They sent us to death, everyone killed everyone” before breaking down in tears. “I love you, too,” he added tearfully.

Another soldier could be heard saying, “We came for training. We were lied to and that’s why I am here.”

“At the beginning we were told that we were going for training. Eventually after we were sent to the frontline everyone was demoralized,” another soldier said.

“Nobody wanted to fight but we were told that we would be enemies of the state and because its wartime we might even get shot.

“We were thrown as ‘gun meat’, although people in our unit at least don’t want this war, they just want to go home and want peace.”

In another video posted to Twitter, an injured Russian solder tells his family that he is the only member of his battalion to have survived.

A Russian soldier captured in Ukraine tells her family that all of her battalion mates are dead.

"Our commanders betrayed us. I miraculously survived. I'm fine now"

The Russian soldier's mother is crying.#Ukraine #Russia #RussiaUkraineCrisis pic.twitter.com/uWRz1ZB7hO

— Beth Boykins (@BethBoykins22) February 27, 2022

“Our commanders betrayed us. I miraculously survived,” he can be heard telling his crying mother.

But not only captured Russian soldiers have expressed discontent with the ongoing war in Ukraine and the Pentagon revealed on Tuesday that many soldiers have even began sabotaging Russian military vehicles and surrounding in droves, the New York Post reported.

“Not all of them were apparently fully trained and prepared, or even aware that they were going to be sent into a combat operation,” a senior Defense Department official told reporters during a background briefing.

“We have picked up independently, on our own, indications that morale is flagging in some of these units.”

During an emergency special session of the U.N. General Assembly on Monday, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the U.N. Sergiy Kyslytsya shared what he said were the last text messages an unidentified Russian solder sent to his mother – just moments before he was killed in battle. 

Ukrainian Ambassador to the @UN @SergiyKyslytsya reads text messages between a Russian soldier and his mother moments before he was killed.⁰

"Mama, I'm in Ukraine. There is a real war raging here. I'm afraid. We are bombing all of the cities...even targeting civilians." pic.twitter.com/kbWYZfbSpE

— CSPAN (@cspan) February 28, 2022

After the soldier’s mother asked about her son’s location so that she could send a care package, the soldier revealed that he was on the frontlines.

“Mom, I’m in Ukraine,” he said. “There is a real war raging here. I am afraid. We are bombing all of the cities, together. Even targeting civilians. We were told that they would welcome us and they are falling under our armored vehicles, throwing themselves under the wheels and not allowing us to pass. They call us fascists. Mama, this is so hard."