Russian troops are being ordered to abandon towns as Ukraine fights back

"Unless every source is wrong, the initiative is now incredibly with the Ukrainian forces."

Russian troops have been ordered to abandon the ‘key town’ of Izyum, Evening Standard’s defence editor Robert Fox tells #TimesRadio
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[tages_matuna]

Nothing satisfies me more than seeing a bully being kicked in the teeth. Slava Ukraini, Heroyam Slava 🇺🇦

[Sam-pnkc]

as a foreigner I can't wait to return to my house in Kherson with my wife and daughter. We had to flee to Poland

[electronwave]

“It is not the size of the dog in the fight that counts, but the fight in the dog that wins.” --- Arthur G. Lewis
Slava Ukraine

[drlegendre]

Best not start counting our chickens quite yet.

But having said that, this is simply brilliant! Huge respect for the Ukrainian military and their allies throughout the region and throughout the world.

[PedroFerreira-zeyp]

Ruzzia is not retreating! They are bravely advancing towards Moscow while desperate Ukrainian troops try to reach them, but hopelessly can't!

[Roboticgladiator]

You don't abandon all your equipment and weaponry when regrouping unless you're in panic mode.

[ellee]

Well done Ukraine, your amazing, all I can say is I'm glad I'm on your side, love and support from here in Britain 🇺🇦

[hybridarmyoffreeworld]

Send Ukrainians everything they need to reclaim 2014 borders. Slava Ukraine ! with Love From Sweden

[marcm.]

There's a lot of I told you so going on in comments in other forums, and a lot of complete disbelief. It's simply doesn't matter either way, the reality is the whole campaign during the summer and now entering it to fall has been absolutely brilliant on the part of Ukraine. And the truth is it has been absolutely brilliant for much longer than that including before the war started. This is why Ukraine is still here and is now on the attack. The people involved in all of the planning for both fronts as well as the pre-war planning and the defense during the last six/seven months deserve to be promoted at least to grades above where they're at now. I don't care if some of this was because of Western militaries giving their know-how, the fact of the matter is that Ukraine and it's military as well as its government and of course the people, have managed this with incredible Spirit and have executed these plans in first class manner. Who would have known that in reality the second most powerful military in the old world is Ukraine. I am absolutely impressed with the people of Ukraine

[fimbles]

Send more weapons. This is only the begining. Ukraine must be turned in to a fortress to secure europe.

[drd]

Russian troops ordered to withdraw after they ran away.

[davidoliver]

SLAVA UKRAINI 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 huge respect 🙏 for Ukraine 🇺🇦

[marijanmadunic]

They were not "ordered to retreat", but FLED IN PANIC and fear because of a guilty conscience for the evil they had done.

[johnglass]

Hopefully this will develop into a "Special Surrender Operation" by the Russias!

[uribensh]

Glory to Ukraine and glory to Ukrainian soldiers!!

[ronagoodwell]

The suspense is killing me. Will the perfect storm of corruption, incompetence and low morale overwhelm the Russian army, resulting in a complete rout? War over before 6 more months? Vladimir Putin unaccounted for? Stay tuned.

[jamesewanchook]

Don't stop sending Ukrainians even more materiel they need to reclaim their borders. Slava Ukraine 🇺🇦🇨🇦!!

[mull]

Leaving quickly. That frightens me. I pray the troops are not being removed from harm's way.

[coolersmoke]

Apart from Izium Robert's talking about Vovchans'k, northeast of Kharkiv and far further north from the counter-offensive. It's a main border town/city south of Belgorod. Growing reports, geolocated videos and images show Russian flags torn down and replaced with Ukrainian flags. It appears Russian troops have simply abandoned equipment and left.
Quite likely, with a lack of orders, communication, cohesion and non-existent morale, a lot of them are simply heading home.
This is a catastrophic, tectonic military failure which takes weeks to fully comprehend, and any troops heading home will be telling their friends and family about the true nature of this horrific war.

[annjenkins]

If people are treated badly they will perform badly, Putin’s Army