Ukrainian troops outnumber Russian invaders eight to one as they push Moscow’s fleeing troops back into the Donbass, but Putin’s army is “torturing and murdering civilians” as they retreat
- Russian troops were expelled from more than 20 settlements within 24 hours
- Lightning strike has thrown Moscow’s army into turmoil as soldiers flee to the Donbass
- Ukraine’s regional prosecutor says Russian troops killed villagers in Zaliznychne
- Police officers discovered four bodies amid ‘signs of torture’
Ukraine regained more territory from invading forces yesterday after horrifying reports of Russian soldiers torturing and killing civilians as they fled.
Vladimir Putin’s troops were ousted from more than 20 settlements in 24 hours in a lightning push in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
It threw the Moscow army into disarray as Russian soldiers – outnumbered eight to one – fled to the Donbass, Ukraine’s occupied eastern industrial heartland.
The Regional Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine said that after the village of Zaliznychne was retaken, residents reported that Russian troops had killed villagers.
“On September 11, police officers discovered four bodies. All show signs of torture,” prosecutors said on social media.
Ukrainian soldiers pose next to Russian military equipment left in the Kharkiv region by retreating Putin’s retreating troops
A soldier from the UA Army’s Artillery Division collects abandoned Russian anti-tank rocket launchers
Ukrainian soldiers pose for a photo next to a Russian tank left behind by retreating Russian forces
Ukraine’s military intelligence service said yesterday that Putin (pictured) dismissed Lieutenant General Roman Berdnikov after 16 days in office
Early in the invasion, Russian troops killed hundreds in towns and villages they had occupied in their failed advance on Kyiv.
Unusually, the magnitude of Moscow’s recent humiliation has been recognized by those who supported its invasion.
Vitaly Ganchev, a Kremlin-assigned official in the Kharkiv region, told Russian state television: “The situation is getting more difficult by the hour.”
He added: “If we talk about the forces that were transferred to the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian army, they outnumbered our troops at least eight to one.
“In order to spare our staff, it was decided to withdraw and regroup.”
On state-backed Gazprom-owned NTV, a three-person panel at a prime-time debate also confirmed the defeat.
“It is impossible to defeat Ukraine,” said ex-MP Boris Nadezhdin.
“A strong army opposes the Russian army, which is fully supported by the most powerful countries.”
A residential building damaged by a military strike in the village of Udy, recently liberated by Ukrainian forces
A police engineer carries a cartridge of POM-3 anti-personnel mines after returning from the village of Udy
Ukraine’s military intelligence service said yesterday that Putin had sacked Lieutenant General Roman Berdnikov after 16 days in office for failing to hold large parts of Ukraine’s territory over the past week.
It comes as Ukrainian troops have shared videos on social media showing abandoned Russian tanks, artillery and other military equipment.
For the first time in six months, Ukrainian flags flew over liberated cities.
Russia hit back yesterday with sustained attacks on civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city.
Electricity and water supplies were cut off and at least one person died, local officials said.