Soldier of Ukraine's 5th Regiment of Assault Infantry react after firing a US-made MK-19 automatic grenade launcher towards Russian positions in less than 800 metres away at a front line near Toretsk in the Donetsk region
AFP

KEY POINTS

  • Russian soldiers from Irkutsk called on Putin to deal with 'lawless and criminal orders from command'
  • 'Please help. There is nowhere else to turn,' the soldiers said in the message to the Russian president
  • Ukraine says Russia has lost more than 150,600 soldiers in the war

Some Russian soldiers are now begging President Vladimir Putin for help as fierce battles against Ukrainian forces lead to mounting losses among ranks and equipment, according to two recently published videos.

In one of the videos, mobilized soldiers from Russia's Irkutsk region appealed to Putin for help in dealing with "lawless and criminal orders from command," adding that they are being sent to the frontline without any support or communications.

"The command directly says that we are consumables. Commanders from the DPR are firing machine guns at our mobilized, as [soldiers] refuse to go to assault units," members of Russia's regiment 1439 from the Irkutsk region said in the video published by news outlet Lyudi Baikala, as translated via Google Translate.

"Our command has replenished the unit with new mobilized six times now. This is evidence of the incompetence of our superiors and of the whole unit. Please help. There is nowhere else to turn," the soldiers added.

In a separate video published on the SuperNova Plus Telegram channel, another Russian soldier, who was seen standing near a burning tank, called the Russia-Ukraine war a "clusterf**k."

"Our tank is burning over there. Big greetings straight to everyone from the front line. First-hand evidence of what is happening here. It is a clusterf**k, but we are pushing," the soldier said, according to CNN.

The videos come as Russia's losses in the war continue to mount. As of Tuesday, Russia lost 150,605 soldiers, according to estimates from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The figure included 715 military personnel who were killed over the past day.

As per Ukrainian estimates, Russia has also lost 3,397 tanks, 6,658 combat armored machines, 2,398 artillery systems, 2,058 UAVs and 5,264 automobile equipment and fuel tanks.

Despite suffering significant losses, Russia continues to push toward the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast in hopes of earning its first major victory in over half a year. The city has been the site of brutal fighting between Kyiv's and Moscow's troops over the past months.

In addition, Russian troops are also still attempting to cross a road intersection outside the town of Mykilske in the eastern Donbas region. The intersection, however, has been mined by Ukrainian forces.

Armenia accused Russian soldiers of failing to prevent the throttling of the Lachin corridor because it says Moscow is distracted by its offensive in Ukraine
AFP