A Russian convict soldier told his wife he was used as 'bait' to find Ukrainian artillery. He's dead now.

• A now-dead Russian convict soldier told his wife he was "just a bait" for Ukrainian artillery.
• The soldier's message was shared by his wife with The New York Times.
• Russia has been struggling to locate and destroy Ukrainian artillery while also losing its own.

A Russian convict soldier named Dmitri once told his wife he was "just a bait" used to locate Ukrainian artillery units. He's dead now.

Dmitri was part of a Russian Army unit made up almost entirely of former prison inmates, The New York Times reported.