Putin Allies, Army Are Angry, Desperate As Ukraine Counteroffensive Takes Back Territory From Russia

As the counteroffensive put forward by Ukraine allowed them to successfully take over parts of the Kharkiv region that was previously occupied by Russia, allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin have taken to express vitriol at the gains of the Ukrainian army.

Ukraine’s successful retaking of vast swatches of the Kharkiv region has caused panic in the Russian army, with most of them forced to retreat inwards as they lose territory that they previously took six months ago at the beginning of the war. Some troops have also reportedly destroyed power stations and other infrastructures in the area as they left, according to the Associated Press.

The bombardment of the power stations caused mass blackouts in the area; yet despite this, Kharkiv Gov. Oleh Syniehubov announced that Ukrainian troops have retaken over 40 settlements in the region previously controlled by Russian troops.

“Russian terrorists remain terrorists and attack critical infrastructure. No military facilities, only the goal of leaving people without light and heat,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Twitter.

The sudden gains of Ukrainian troops in the area have caused many pro-Russian allies to angrily lash out due to the reported disarray that the Russian troops were reportedly in, including a poor defense in Russia’s front line of the region and inadequate equipment for fighting, CNN reported.

“Now we can observe the result of the criminal irresponsibility of those who were responsible for this direction,” pro-Putin blogger Zakhar Prilepin said. “The special military operation is long over. There is a war going on.”

“There are NO thermal imagers, NO bulletproof vests, NO reconnaissance equipment, NO secure communications, NOT enough copters, NO first aid kits in the army,” Russian analyst Pyotr Lundstrem said on his Telegram.

Even Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, appeared to double-down on the harsh rhetoric after Zelenskyy said that he would not negotiate with Russia until the war is over, Yahoo! News reported.

“A certain Zelenskyy said that he will not hold a dialogue with those who issue ultimatums,” he said. “This year's ultimatums are a mere warm-up before the demands [to be made] in the future. And he knows these: the total surrender of the Kyiv regime on Russia's terms.”