Channel 5 star Jeremy Vine has sparked fury after he appeared to suggest that young Russian soldiers who are fighting for Putin 'probably deserve to die'.
The 56-year-old broadcaster left viewers stunned when he made the controversial comment on the magazine show.
Jeremy made the comment during a heated phone-call with a viewer who appeared on the show to discuss Russia's current invasion on Ukraine.
After the caller, who was named Bill, suggested that the young Russian soldiers fighting for Putin didn't want to continue fighting against the Ukrainian's, host Jeremy suggested that the soldiers 'deserve to die'.
"Quite a number of those Russians you'll probably find will go across. They were were holding their hands up this morning not wanting to fight Ukrainians. They were told lies by Putin, surprise surprise," caller Bill said during the show.
To which Jeremy replied: "True. But the brutal reality is, if you put on a uniform for Putin and you go and fight his war, you probably deserve to die, don't you?"
The veteran broadcaster's comment divided viewers as the majority appeared to be left horrified by his 'brutal' response.
One furious Twitter user penned: "I cannot believe Jeremy Vine has just said that. Utterly shocked by his lack of compassion."
"Rancid and vile comments from Vine designed to pull in the viewers and gain a reaction," another echoed.
"Wow.... we've really gone and lost all compassion for people. Sickening," someone else tweeted.
Following the backlash, Jeremy made an attempt to defend himself, insisting he was simply offering a counter view to the caller.
"I'm replying to a caller with the counterpoint to his view, which I do day in and day out and which is my job," Jeremy defended.
"My views are neither here nor there."
Jeremy's comment comes after a heartbreaking video of a Russian soldier breaking down in tears as he spoke to his mother on the phone after surrendering to Ukrainians went viral.
The hard-to-watch footage sees a young soldier being comforted by a group of women after throwing down his weapon in tears.
After he borrows one of the kind women's phones to call his mother to inform her that he's still alive, the young soldier falls to the ground with emotion.
He blows kisses as his mother answers, and bursts into sobs as soon as he sees her.
The Mirror has reached out to Jeremy's representatives for comment on this story.
