A RUSSIAN army officer admitted he has been forced to shoot at his troops to try and force them to fight, as morale among frontline troops appears to be on the brink of collapse.

The soldier also said fellow officers were is state of "panic" and just wanted the war "to end". Russian forces have been fighting for over two months in Ukraine, as Vladimir Putin's ill-judged military campaign drags on with no end in sight. Putin's army has encountered fierce resistance from their Ukrainian opponents, who have inflicted heavy losses on the invaders.

Recent estimates suggest the Russian army may have lost over 20,000 soldiers since hostilities began towards the end of February.

Exhausted soldiers are now being pressed into a new Kremlin offensive in Ukraine's eastern territories, as Putin eyes capturing the entire Donbas region.

However, troop morale appears to have hit rock bottom with soldiers increasingly refusing to fight.

A recently intercepted telephone conversation between a Russian officer and his wife revealed the desperation of Putin's frontline commanders as they try to motivate their soldiers.

The officer said: "My soldiers don’t want to fight. I even shoot them - but it's no use."

The commander reserved his sharpest criticism for the new recruits being sent by the Kremlin to the trenches.

Noting that around 60 had arrived, he continued: "F*g loads of them are cowards, alarmists. The problems are with them."

Putin and his generals have been desperately trying to bolster troop numbers to compensate for the number of dead and injured.

The Russian president signed a decree ordering 134,500 new conscripts into the army as part of Russia's annual spring draft in March.

Security analysts also suspect the Russian despot may use the forthcoming Victory Day celebrations on May 9 to issue a general mobilisation throughout the country.

The Russian soldier told his wife that disillusionment among the rank and file had spread to the officers as well.

He told her: "Officers are in panic, they want it all to end. It's been going on every day for one-and-a-half months.

"Everyone's just sick of it all. I want to go home, hug my wife and children."

Last week, US President Joe Biden urged Congress to pass a $33 billion bill of further military aid for Ukraine.

The funding request includes over $20 billion for weapons, ammunition and other military assistance, as well as $8.5 billion in direct economic assistance to the Ukrainian government and $3 billion in humanitarian aid.

It is intended to cover the war effort's needs through September, the end of the fiscal year.

The West's determination to ramp up its deliveries of weapons to Kyiv has enraged the Russian despot and his acolytes.

The Kremlin has repeatedly warned NATO member states to not cross its red lines in Ukraine, threatening swift and terrible consequences if it does.

However, Nancy Pelosi said the US would not be deterred by Putin's threats from its mission to help Ukraine defend its sovereignty.

The US politician told a press conference in Poland after visiting Kyiv: "Let me speak for myself, do not be bullied by bullies.

"If they are making threats, you cannot back down."