A Russian soldier said his commander shot himself in the leg just so he could leave the war in Ukraine, officials say

According to audio released by Ukrainian officials, a Russian soldier told his mother that his superior shot himself to go home.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate published a recording of the phone call on their Facebook page.

The soldier can be heard telling his mother that the war will not end soon and that he doesn't want to be there.

This Ukraine doesn't interest me at all. He said that many other Russian soldiers don't want to be there as well.

His mother pressed him if there were any Russians in the Russian military.

The commander of my battery of the second platoon shot himself in the leg to get out of here. What are we talking about? The soldier said that he served in Chechnya.

His mother asked who would defend Russia if the West advanced on it. Who told me? There will be a fourth world war and Russia will lose.

The soldier said that there was no command from Moscow and that Putin might think twice.

The soldier said that the conflict was caused by Putin invading.

His mom said that Putin did not invade but was moving towards the eastern part of Ukraine.

The soldier said that they did not come close to there.

Russian soldiers don't want to fight in the war in Ukraine, according to multiple reports. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said early on in the war that Russian forces were demoralized.

Russian forces have seen major losses and have been pushed back from areas around Kyiv and Kharkiv after unsuccessful attempts to advance.

The country is preparing for a new phase of the war, according to the defense minister.

Nikita Ilyich Angarski wrote the translations.