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Calls intercepted by Ukrainian intelligence forces have revealed Russian soldiers were mere moments away from killing a high ranking general who ordered them to the front line.
The audio, published online by Ukraine's Security Services (SBU) details how Russian troops turned on General Valeriy Solodchuk.
In the audio the soldier can be heard saying that nearly all the 215 soldiers left in the once 600-person strong battalion and refused to follow Solodchuk's instructions.
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"Almost all of our [battalion] refused," the man said in the recording.
Their refusal apparently infuriated Solodchuk, with the man adding that he 'started waving his gun and shooting'.
The man claimed: "He says 'I’ll whack you if you don’t f**king go there.'"
The intercepted call continued: "Then, a kid says to him, 'Go ahead, whack!'"
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In the recording the man can be heard describing the chilling moment that happened next.
"He pulled out a grenade, pulled a pin and says: 'Come on, shoot me! We'll blow up together',” he can be heard saying.
“That's it. The special forces guys also started pointing their guns at us. So, we pointed our guns at them."
The voice then added: "In short, we almost shot each other, for f**k's sake. He got on his bobik [a type of Russian Jeep] and left."
The call is understood to be a soldier calling his wife after the confrontation with Solodchuk in Donetsk, according to a report by Business Insider.
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The war has been extremely costly for Russia as troops and supplies dwindle during the invasion of neighbouring Ukraine. Russian troops have even resorted to using parts from dishwashers and fridge parts to fix their broken military equipment, according to Fortune.
And the pinch is being felt by the Russian soldiers who apparently revolted against Solodchuk.
The voice on the audio added: "Our brigade can't capture anything because there's f**king nothing left of it."
It seems Solodchuk's battalion aren't the only ones refusing to carry on with the Ukrainian invasion.
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More than 100 Rosgvardia - or Russian national guardsmen - have been fired for refusing to fight in the invasion, according to court documents translated by the Guardian.
The 115 cases came to light after a Russian court denied their request to challenge their sacking after refusing to fight.
If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information.
Rachel Lang