A Russian mum has been left heartbroken after her son jumped to his death a day before he was due to return to the frontline in Ukraine. Mikhail Lyubimov, a 25-year-old soldier, had already endured one tour of duty in Ukraine, which is said to have left him shell-shocked. During a three-month stint on the frontline in Ukraine, the 25-year-old witnessed scenes brutal scenes, according to his mother.
He suffered from panic attacks on his return to Russia and often turned to alcohol to cope.
A day before his return to the frontline, Mr Lyubimov threw himself out of a tenth-floor window in full view of his mother and fell to his death.
His mother, Natalia Lyubimov, revealed that her son had spoken about his fears of returning to the war.
A report of the incident, which took place in a tenth-floor apartment in Moscow’s southern district Tsaritsyno, read: “Natalia said she saw her son jump out of a window of their apartment on the tenth floor.
“The woman rang the police and ambulance, but the man could not be saved.”
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Mr Lyubimov is just one of at least five Russian soldiers who are understood to have taken their own lives in recent weeks.
This comes amid a grueling and bloody battle taking place in Bakhmut, which has lead to a significant death toll on both side.s
The US officials claim the slaughter from fighting in and around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut and the town of Soledar is behind a rise in what was already a heavy toll.
The number of Russian troops killed and wounded in Ukraine is approaching 200,000, according to US and other Western officials this week.