Ukraine: Wagner soldier 'defects' and issues brutal takedown of Russian military

A soldier who defected from Russia's notorious mercenary army has slammed military leaders who left troops to "rot in the fields". The Wagner soldier, named as Yevgeny, has reportedly defected to Finland after fighting as part of Russia's new assault forces in Ukraine. Yevgney, who served as a company commander in Russia's 433rd Motorised Infrantry Regiment, an outfit aimed at seizing targets quickly and aggressively, accused military bosses of being traitors who leave soldiers to "rot in the fields" in a video uploaded to social media.

It comes after Russia staged its most intense attacks of the war on western Ukraine so far overnight, forcing NATO to scramble warplanes to intervene. President Vladimir Putin used his nuclear-capable Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers to hammer Ukraine in what was already the most intense week of the war for kamikaze drone strikes. Estimates suggested between 20 and 30 missiles and up to 700 military drones were unleashed on the major cities of Lviv, Lutsk and Chernivtsi.