A Russian soldier recruited as a double agent by Ukraine has described burning his own army’s trenches.

In a rare interview with one of the Russians now working with the Ukrainian resistance, the conscript soldier told The Telegraph that he set fire to his unit’s trench on the left bank of the Dnipro river in July.

The blaze spread to the neighbouring unit’s dugout and the conscript watched as his fellow soldiers burned themselves in futile attempts to retrieve ammunition and weapons.

“There was panic, thick smoke from the fire, and shelling from the Ukrainian side,” the conscript, who The Telegraph is not naming, said.

“While they were trying to extinguish the fire and save the supplies of food and weapons, the fire spread to a larger area. Many soldiers suffered burns.”