Russian soldiers cry as they are asked to fire at everyone

Kyiv: Russian soldiers fighting the war in Ukraine are in disarray and crying as they are asked to "fire at everyone", the New York Times reported, citing an official in the Pentagon. The newspaper further said that these soldiers are sabotaging their vehicles to avoid fighting. The Pentagon official told New York Times that a significant number of the Russian troops are young who are poorly trained and not prepared for a full-scale war. They are also suffering from low morale and shortage of resources, including food and fuel, the official further said.

These soldiers have deliberately punched holes in their vehicles, just to avoid the combat, the NYT report said.

The assessment is presumably based on the statements given by captured Russian soldiers and is the reason why the 40-mile convoy of tanks and armoire vehicles near Kyiv has come to a near crawl in the past few days, the report added. But, the Pentagon official cited by NYT, said that Russian commanders leading the armoured column may be rethinking their battle plans to push forward, and encircle and capture the Ukrainian capital.

A British intelligence agency has released intercepted radio messages, which back the claims made in the New York Times report.

At the UN General Assembly session on Wednesday, Ukraine's ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya read text messages, which he claimed were sent by a Russian soldiers to his mother just before he was killed in Ukraine.

"Mama, I'm in Ukraine. I'm afraid," Kyslytsya said, reading the messages. "They call us fascists. Mama, this is so hard."