Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the northeastern part of the country seemed to catch Russia by surprise in the nearly 7-month-old war. The rapid and reportedly chaotic troop withdrawal in the Kharkiv region, in which some weapons and ammunition were left behind, was a huge blow to Russian prestige. It was its largest military defeat in Ukraine since Moscow pulled back its forces from areas near Kyiv after a botched attempt to capture the capital early in the invasion. The Ukrainian blitz appears to have left the Kremlin and President Vladimir Putin struggling for a response. That has angered Russian military bloggers and nationalists, and even exposed some internal political rifts.
Putin’s Russia struggles for response to Ukrainian blitz
