A TEEN sniper has become the youngest Russian soldier to be slaughtered on the battlefield against Ukraine.
Putin sent Maksim Suvorov, just 18 years and one month old, off to fight after minimal basic training.
East2WestMaksim Suvorov became the youngest known Russian soldier to die on the battlefield[/caption]
East2WestThe lad was just 18 years and one month old when he was slaughtered[/caption]
APMaksim was sent straight to the frontline, with minimal training[/caption]
He was killed after less than two weeks on the frontline.
Maksim, born in 2007, joined an estimated 300,000 other Russians who have been killed or seriously wounded on the battlefield this year alone.
The lad was conscripted soon after his 18th birthday and – suspiciously – just two days later signed as a contract soldier, which meant he could be hustled to the frontline immediately.
Had he not signed up, as a conscript he would have avoided gambling his life on the frontline with virtually no experience.
There have been many reports of recruits being pressured to sign as contract soldiers despite almost no training.
Maksim, from Siberian region Buryatia, had a few days of training in occupied Crimea as a sniper before being sent to the frontline in Donetsk.
In his two weeks at the war, the teenager carried three wounded comrades to safety, and was nominated for a medal “saving the dying”.
But he was killed near the village of Novy Komar, Donetsk region, at the age of 18 years and one month – just 29 days after signing his contract.
When Putin started the three-and-a-half year war, Maksim was only 14.
His death on July 24 – only now coming to light – emphasises Putin’s indiscriminate cannon-fodder approach to warfare.
Putin’s rule was all the 18-year-old ever knew, having died and been born under his tyranny.
General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s armed forces commander, said: “Since the beginning of 2025, 297 350 Russian occupiers have been eliminated and injured.”
Meanwhile, European leaders are rushing to Washington this week for crunch talks after Trump vowed to punish warmongering Vlad.
A brutal bombardment against Ukraine over the weekend amplified calls for the White House to tighten the screws on Moscow’s war machine.
Maksim died less than a month after signing his contract to be a soldierEast2West
Trump has indicated that he’s prepared to push ahead with fresh sanctions against Russia as the Kremlin’s relentless attacks continue unabated.
On Sunday, Putin unleashed savage bombardments against Ukraine that killed four people, including a two-month old baby.
The main government building in Kyiv was also damaged during the ferocious assault.
Trump has repeatedly pledged to bring the war to an end, but Russia‘s intensifying drone strikes have made the prospect of a ceasefire seem distant.
ReutersUkraine was bombarded by Russian strikes over the weekend[/caption]
Fresh rows of graves mark Russia’s losses in UkraineEast2West
Speaking on the White House lawn after this weekend’s attacks, Trump told reporters he’s “not happy with the whole situation”.
When asked if he was prepared to move to the “second phase” of punishment against Russia, he simply said “yes” – although it remains unclear what this would entail.
Trump previously pledged this summer to implement bruising sanctions against Moscow if a 50 day deadline for a peace agreement was not met – a time limit that was later cut to “10 to 12” days.
But this plan was shelved after a summit between Trump and Putin was arranged in Alaska, which ended with no further deal being struck.
A proposed trilateral summit with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky has not yet materialised amid Russia’s continued offensives in Ukraine.
European leaders are expected to head to Washington early this week to discuss plans to bring the war to an end.
Trump said: “Certain European leaders are coming over to our country on Monday or Tuesday individually.”
However, he did not specify who exactly would be coming for the crunch talks, and added that he also plans to speak to Putin soon.
What could the latest sanctions be?
TRUMP’S patience with Vladimir Putin seems to be wearing thin, bringing the prospect of sanctions back to the table.
The White House’s messaging suggests that, if such measures were implemented, they would aim their fire at Russia’s lucrative oil industry.
As a critical cornerstone of the Russian economy, sanctions on petroleum exports would likely be devastating for Moscow.
Crucially, Trump has often floated the prospect of “secondary” sanctions to punish Russia.
This would involve not just sanctioning Moscow, but also other countries that buy Russian oil.
India has already been hit with 50% tariffs because New Delhi continues to purchase oil from Moscow.
Similar sanctions are likely if Trump follows through on this threats.