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Russian soldiers are being killed by their own army, according to multiple reports.
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In Audio released by Ukraine, a Russian soldier said 20 men were killed after a Russian tank fired on them.
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The soldier told his mother that there are more losses “from us” than from the Ukrainians.
Russian soldiers are suffering more losses “from their own side” than from the Ukrainians at the front, including from firing on their own tanks, according to a report. intercepted phone call released by Ukrainian intelligence on Tuesday.
In the audio clip, a Russian soldier identified only as Aleksei told his mother that the military had to send reinforcements after 20 men were killed in an accident at the front.
“Our tank hit hard – shot twice and 20 fucking guys,” Aleksei told his mother, according to The Daily Beast. “I’m telling you, there are more losses of our own [guys]”, which the Ukrainians said, according to The Beast.
It is not clear where Aleksei was stationed. Audio has not been independently verified.
Reports of friendly fire incidents among Russian troops have increased in recent months.
A report by the independent Russian media iStoriesalso published on Tuesday, found a pattern of negligence and deadly mishaps among troops fighting in Ukraine.
While friendly fire occurs in any war zone, experts told iStories that the rate of Russians killing each other has skyrocketed in recent months. Ukrainian military expert Alexander Kovalenko told the outlet that such incidents are now being reported on a daily basis.
The outlet highlighted two incidents in recent months in which one Russian soldier accidentally killed another due to drunkenness and clumsy use of weapons.
One recruit, identified as Roman Moiseev, was accidentally shot by a colleague earlier this year after he tried to remove his loaded machine gun but then touched the trigger.
Moiseev died from his injuries and his colleague was sentenced to two years probation for mishandling his weapon, iStories reported.
Some have suggested that incidents of Russians killing Russians are not always accidental.
The New York Times reported last weekend that the fractured nature of Russia’s military operations in Ukraine, involving mercenaries and regular army troops, is giving rise to inter-force hostilities.
The outlet reported an incident in which a soldier recounted how a Russian tank commander deliberately charged his supposed allies, blowing up their checkpoint.
It is not clear how many Russians have been killed in Ukraine. Last month, US Army General Mark A. Milley estimated 100,000 Russian soldiers they have been killed or wounded since the start of the war on February 24, although the number is likely to be much higher.
Read the original article at Business Insider