BABY-faced Russian soldier have said there were sent to die “like meat” as they blasted “criminal” Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine.
The captured troops said they were “deceived” by Putin into fighting his unwinnable war in Ukraine.
In a press conference aired on Ukrainian TV, five baby-faced soldiers said Ukrainian defenders shattered their column “to ashes” after being left alone without food of fuel for five days.
“We want to stop, we want to tell the truth to the whole world. Children are dying for nothing,” one soldier told a packed press conference.
“Putin is a liar. I want to go home, I don’t want to be here, I am ashamed, forgive me.”
The men said they were nothing but cannon fodder for Russian generals who were sending inexperienced, conscripted troops to their early deaths.
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“We are meat, we are being killed by aircraft and artillery bombing peaceful cities,” one soldier said.
“Comrade president of Russia, you are lying – at your whim you commit such crimes here.
“Putin… You are wrong, you are guilty. I ask to end all of this. Please give the order to all servicemen to return home.”
He added: “I thought the government was reasonable but they have thrown us in like meat.
“This is the fault of the main command.”
It comes as another group of captured Russian soldiers were filmed apologising for having killed “civilians and children” in Ukraine.
The pilots slammed Putin’s “treacherous invasion” during an emotional press conference on Sunday.
It’s understood the seven army reconnaissance officers were shot down from Ukrainian airspace last week.
They were later given the opportunity to speak to journalists at the Interfax Ukraine News Agency – and apologise for their country’s actions.
One of the soldiers, Galkin Sergey Alekseevich, said: “I apologise for myself, for my squad to every home to every street to every citizen of Ukraine, to the elderly, to women, to children for our invasion of these lands.
“I gravely apologise for our treacherous invasion.
“To the generalship of our military units I would like to say one thing – that they’ve acted cowardly, that they acted traitorously to us.”
The 34-year-old, from Roschchinsky, Russia, went on to beg warmongering Putin to “stop sending soldiers” to kill in Ukraine.
Flanked by his comrades on either side with a microphone in front of him, he urged his country to lay down its arms.
It comes as:
“I would like to say to all regiments of the Russian army – lay down your arms,” Alekseevich said.
“And Russian president Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin stop further combat actions.
“Stop bombings, stop sending soldiers here to kill civilians, to perform airstrikes.”
His desperate plea comes after demoralised Russian soldiers last week begged to go home in intercepted calls to their families, saying they were being “massacred” in Ukraine.
One shaken trooper broke down in tears as kind-hearted Ukrainians helped him call his mum.
Another said he and his comrades were like “cannon fodder” adding he would “do anything to come back home”.
Yesterday, an entire CITY in Ukraine was wiped out as the horrific battle continues to get bloodier.
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Russian forces have also been accused of gunning down women and children – killing seven civilians who were trying to escape a village near Kyiv.
Putin’s troops are inching closer and are believed to be just 15 miles from the city as terrified Ukrainians continue to flee their homes.