Russian Troops ‘Sabotaging Own Vehicles’ To Avoid Fighting In Ukraine: Report

Some Russian troops were reportedly "sabotaging own vehicles" to avoid fighting in Ukraine.

New Delhi: Some Russian troops were reportedly “sabotaging own vehicles” to avoid fighting in Ukraine, a Pentagon official was cited as saying in The New York Times. The official said many Russian troops are young who are “poorly trained and ill-prepared” for the fight.

They have “deliberately punched holes” in their vehicles’ gas tanks to avoid combat, the official was quoted as saying in the report. The official said these Russian troops were suffering from “poor morale and fuel and food shortages”.

According to the report, the Pentagon official said Russian commanders leading that armored column may “regrouping and rethinking” their battle plan to advance forward and capture Ukraine capital Kyiv.

Russia renewed its assault Wednesday on Ukraine’s second-largest city in a pounding that lit up the skyline with balls of fire over populated areas, even as both sides said they were ready to resume talks aimed at stopping the new devastating war in Europe.

The escalation of attacks on crowded cities followed an initial round of talks between outgunned Ukraine and nuclear power Russia on Monday that resulted in only a promise to meet again. It was not clear when new talks might take place — or what they would yield. Ukraine’s leader earlier said Russia must stop bombing before another meeting.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has decried Russia’s bombardment as a blatant terror campaign, while U.S. President Joe Biden warned on Tuesday that if the Russian leader didn’t “pay a price” for the invasion, the aggression wouldn’t stop with one country.

(With inputs from The Associated Press)