Vladimir Putin’s forces ‘are refusing to fight’ and are surrendering, intelligence official claims

Russian soldiers are refusing to fight in Ukraine amid Moscow’s mounting losses, it was alleged last night.

A lightning-fast counter-offensive by Kiev last week has pushed Vladimir Putin’s invaders back to the border in parts of the country’s northeast, reclaiming vast swaths of territory lost in the early days of the war.

The blitz forced Russian troops to flee or to surrender en masse, with videos on social media purporting to show Moscow’s soldiers on the road ahead of Kiev’s troops as they “understand the hopelessness of their situation,” said Ukrainian military intelligence.

The embarrassing turnaround would also affect Putin at home.

‘Learning about the number of deaths’ [estimated to be up to 43,000]”Russian troops refuse to fight on Ukraine’s territory, payments to the wounded occupiers have been stopped,” Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai said.

“The military command of the Russian Federation has suspended the shipment of new units already formed to the territory of Ukraine,” he added.

His claims were supported by The Institute of War. The US think tank said Kiev’s gains in the northeastern region of Kharkiv “may affect the will or ability of the Russian military command to deploy newly formed volunteer units in Ukraine in a timely manner.”

US intelligence agencies told the Washington Post they expect Moscow’s armed forces to see even more humiliating withdrawals.

“The Russians are in trouble,” a source said. “Their weaknesses have been exposed and they have no large reserves of manpower or equipment.” Another senior Western official said it is “too early to say” whether Ukraine’s gains were “a turning point” in the six-month war.

“But it’s a moment that has power, both in the field of surgery and in the field of psychology,” the official said. “It’s exactly what the Ukrainians need right now. They need that success, and they need that winning story. I would describe it as scoring a goal before halftime.’

Last night, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is in full control of more than 1,500 square miles of recaptured territory and that it is stabilizing another area of ​​the same size. On Monday, he had said Ukraine had recaptured more than 2,000 square miles in its recent counteroffensive.

However, Ukrainian officials said it was important to distinguish between capturing territory and making sure it was completely safe.

Kiev said yesterday the army took control of Vovchansk, a town just two miles from the border that had been occupied since February.

All over Kharkiv, Ukrainian soldiers marked their victories by burning Russian flags. They inspected the remains of abandoned and charred enemy tanks as brothers in arms helped the wounded celebrate.

In London, the Defense Ministry said in its daily briefing that the defeat of the Ukrainian armed forces had “seriously affected” one of Russia’s most prestigious tank units. It could take years to rebuild the First Guards Tank Army, officials said. The unit “was one of the most prestigious Russian armies, destined for the defense of Moscow, and intended to lead counter-attacks in the event of a war with NATO,” the defense ministry added.

Now the disagreement is growing in Moscow. One of Putin’s own MPs Mikhail Sheremet added his voice to criticism from military experts who called on the Kremlin strongman to deploy troops for the war. “Without full mobilization, the transition to a military base, including the economy, we will not achieve the right results,” he said.

And nearly 50 regional politicians have signed a petition calling on their leader to resign over his failed campaign in Ukraine.

Ukraine yesterday criticized Berlin for failing to deliver Leopard tanks and Marder combat vehicles despite repeated pleas from Kiev. It alleged that Chancellor Olaf Scholz had repeatedly broken promises on weapons.

“No rational argument as to why these weapons cannot be delivered, just abstract fears and excuses,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.