BLANK STARES
Injured Russian soldiers freeze and appear terrified as they are awarded bravery medals for Putin’s Ukraine invasion
CHILLING footage shows injured Russian soldiers looking terrified as they are awarded bravery medals for their role in Putin's Ukraine invasion.
The wounded troops sat silently in a row of wheelchairs while Russian deputy defence minister Alexander Fomin hailed their war efforts.
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Despite the Colonel-General's enthusiasm, the young soldiers - many missing a limb from the horrors of Putin's invasion - looked shellshocked and full of despair.
Footage broadcast by the Kremlin-controlled Channel One showed Fomin declare "I serve Russia" as he greeted each ailing troop with a handshake before pinning a medal to their chest.
"You all carried out the orders assigned to you, you all gave one hundred percent," Fomin told the wounded men.
"Like real men, like real soldiers, you continued the glorious military traditions of our grandfathers and fathers."
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But - scarred from the horrors of the frontline where Volodymyr Zelensky says 16,000 Russian troops have been killed so far - the terror-stricken young men remained silent.
In another harrowing clip, a bedbound soldier who lost a leg in the bloody conflict looked wide-eyed and scared as deputy Russian defence minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov stood over him in hospital.
"I hope you'll get back on your feet," he told the unsettled looking fighter as he gave him a medal.
As the minister asked him questions, the crippled soldier managed just a few words in response as he stared blankly up at him, reports.
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Vladimir Putin’s troops have been hit by plummeting morale after the quick victory promised by the tyrant turned into a bloodbath in the face of fierce Ukrainian resistance.
Ukraine is now littered with the burnt-out wrecks of Russian tanks and armoured vehicles, charred remains of downed aircraft, and the dead bodies of soldiers - many of whom were teenage conscripts.
As the fighting takes its toll on Russian troops, stories are beginning to emerge of anger and plummeting morale.
One soldier allegedly drove his tank into his commanding officer as he protested horrific losses among his comrades.
Colonel Yuri Medvedev was hospitalised with severe leg injuries after the reported incident.
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Meanwhile, a terrified Russian soldier told his gran he wants to “get the f*** out” of Ukraine and expected the war to be over in two weeks.
The unnamed soldier was heard speaking in an intercepted telephone call home released by the Ukrainian government.
And in another case, a Russian fighter surrendered with a tank in return for £7,500 and Ukrainian citizenship.
The man, named only as Misha, waved the white flag and begged to switch sides after military colleagues ran away and his commander threatened to shoot him.
It comes as Zelensky claimed 16,000 Russian troops have died in Ukraine so far.
Ukraine is said to be close to major victories in the battle for Kyiv as British defence officials said there was now a "realistic possibility" that the towns of Bucha and Irpin would be encircled by Ukrainian forces.
The Ministry of Defence said Russian troops are facing "considerable supply and morale issues" and it was unlikely they would be able to regroup and take the capital.
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On Friday, Russia signalled for the first time it was giving up on plans to capture Kyiv and would focus instead on "liberating" rebels in the east.
It was viewed as a humiliating admission of defeat for Vladimir Putin.
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