Kathrine Frich
Official statements have portrayed retreats as “regroupings” and setbacks as temporary.
The Kremlin has sought to project an image of control and steady progress in Ukraine, with Vladimir Putin repeatedly assured by his generals that Russian forces are holding ground and advancing methodically.
But as the war drags on, an increasing number of voices from Russia’s own front line are telling a very different story.
Raw accounts shared by soldiers and pro-war military bloggers are now exposing chaos, heavy losses and collapsing positions behind the scenes.
Retreat from positions
Russian troops have begun abandoning positions in Kupyansk, a key city in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, as Ukrainian forces press forward.
Moscow previously claimed the city had been taken in November, with Russia’s chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov telling President Vladimir Putin it had been “liberated”.
Kyiv rejected those claims, and Ukrainian units have since launched an operation to drive Russian forces out.
According to reports from the battlefield, Ukrainian troops have moved to encircle the city, cutting Russian units off from their main supply lines.
Soldier’s testimony
In a video posted on social media, a Russian soldier described scenes of chaos as his unit fled.
“We’re getting out of this place where we were dumped,” he said. “Deliberately, right in hell. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but we are leaving the position.”
He added:
“It’s a total mess. We were just being killed, thrown into a meat grinder. Our entire company that we arrived with, the one you saw is completely wiped out. There are very few wounded left – mostly everyone’s killed.”
Drones and bodies
The soldier said Ukrainian drone swarms and mortar fire were devastating Russian positions.
“It’s insane what the Ukrainians are doing. There’s a lot of drones there. Bodies are lying all over the place,” he said, describing commanders shouting at troops to advance through mined fields.
“The fields are all mined. Just imagine: everyone’s running, blowing up, screaming. The wounded are being finished off, the Ukrainians are firing mortars at us.”
Desperate situation
Russian military blogger Yury Podolyaka also acknowledged worsening conditions for Moscow’s forces.
“The situation for our units in the western part of Kupyansk continues to rapidly deteriorate,” he said.
He cited heavy losses, logistical problems and the retreat of Russian drone operators to the left bank of the Oskil river after losing parts of the city.
That shift, he warned, has increased flight distances for Russian drones while easing Ukrainian logistics, further tilting the battle in Kyiv’s favour.
Sources: social media footage, Russian military bloggers, Express.
