A Russian wife who urged her soldier husband to abuse and torture Ukrainian children in a bugged phone call has been unmasked.

The call between Yulia Kopytova, 30, and her spouse Vladimir Kopytov, 31, was leaked by Ukrainian secret services.

The woman has worked as an employee of the children's clinical hospital in the Smolensk region and is believed to be the mother of a son.

Referring to Ukrainian children, she told her husband: 'I would inject drugs to them and if it worked, I would look them in the eye and say: 'Die, suffer'.

'I would cut their [genitals], carve stars on their backs, and even sever parts of their ear every day, their finger, so they would hurt so bad.'

Her husband balked at her outburst, telling her: 'They're children, Yulia.…'

But she shot back: 'I just hate these Ukrainians, I hate them.'

Her anger was evidently due to reports that Ukrainian children refused to mark Victory Day on 9 May, commemorating the end of the Second World War in Europe.

The call made earlier this month was intercepted when Kopytov called home from his position with Russian armed forces somewhere near Kharkiv.

He provides little detail on himself on social media saying only that he is a real psycho, but not immoral', and identifying his status as 'deeply married'.

Ukrainian journalists from Radio Liberty said that the wife - from the village of Przhevalsky, in the Smolensk region - declined to talk.

Her husband objected that their voices had been released.

His mother was asked about her daughter-in-law's threats.

She said: 'What do I have to do with all this?

'What are you brainwashing me for?

'Did my son say something there?

'If she said something, then deal with her.