Is the Russian army on the verge of collapse in Ukraine? 

Written By

Olivier Guiberteau

The situation in Ukraine appears to be more confused than ever as Ukrainian fighters continue to push Russian soldiers back with new territory retaken every day.  

A few days ago Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that his forces had retaken a vast area measuring roughly 6,000 square km (2,400 square miles) this month alone. 

A counter-offensive which began at the start of September seems to have taken Russian forces by surprise with Ukrainian soldiers pushing through the front lines with relative ease.  

The attacks focused on the region of Kharkiv in the northeast of the country with the Ukrainian army now seeking to hammer home their advantage and take control of all the provinces in the area. 

There have been widespread reports of Russian soldiers fleeing the battlefield in disarray, often leaving military equipment, food and ammunition behind. 

Moscow has stated that this is part of a widespread regrouping but it seems clear to everybody that the Russian army has been taken completely by surprise and is now faltering. 

Ukrainian soldiers picking through abandoned Russian equipment are highlighting the apparent poor state of Russian supplies - "Their army is not big and powerful, it is a big fake” said one soldier.  

Russia has retaliated in recent days with missile attacks targetting a civilian water system and most recently a dam causing flooding in Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s home city Kryvyi Rih.

The conflict is far from over, but it’s clear that the Russian army is reeling as they are pushed back. The question is, how long can President Putin mask such failures from the Russian people?