A Russian soldier has been filmed collapsing to the ground in pain after shooting himself in the stomach in a prank that went wrong while based in the Donbas region of Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin's forces have been attacking regions in the east of Ukraine since the invasion began on February 24.
And in an misguided attempt at a light-hearted moment one soldier turned a gun on himself while wearing a bullet-proof vest.
Clearly thinking that the protection would shield him he fired the gun at his stomach while shouting: "Look, this is the f***ing Donbas," reported the Daily Star.
But the crack of the bullet was followed immediately by the soldier collapsing in a heap on the ground.
He seemed to be badly winded, struggling to breathe and looked in pain, while his colleagues saw the funny side.
His fellow troop who captured the stunt on camera, could be heard laughing and saying: “Looks like he is injured.”
Russia is engaged in a fierce battle with Ukraine in the east of the country and while they are making gradual progress, they have also sustained heavy losses with an estimated 35,000 deaths since the invasion began.
After initially attacking Ukraine from all directions, apparently with the belief that they would quickly overrun their neighbour, they were forced to change tactics and only continue their assault from the east.
Moscow has been drafting in conscripts from the territories it controls in Ukraine, with reports suggesting that those who refuse to serve have been threatened with the death penalty.
Commenting on Russia’s attempts to conscript men in the Luhansk region, Ukraine’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Liudmyla Denisova, said: “The Russian occupiers are searching the area for men who have moved deep into the occupied territories and to safer locations places to flee shelling.
“They raid apartments, households, and suburban areas. Conscripts are taken away at gun-point, and in case of any resistance, the men are threatened with execution.”
Russian troops are currently engaged in heavy fighting supported by widespread artillery fire as they launch a major offensive for Ukraine's Donetsk region, Ukrainian officials said, a day after Moscow declared victory in the neighbouring province of Luhansk.
