(New York Post) A lightning counter-offensive by Ukraine has retaken more than 700 square miles in the past few days, leaving Russian soldiers literally running for their lives — and Vladimir Putin bizarrely attended the opening of a new Ferris wheel during the height of his troops’ retreat.
Ukrainian Army Chief General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said Sunday that his troops had taken back 1,158 square miles of territory since the start of the month — with two-thirds of the whopping gains occurring since Thursday.
“In the Kharkiv direction, we began to advance not only to the south and east, but also to the north,” the general wrote on social media. “There are 50 km to go to the [Russian] border.”
Ukraine regained additional territory in the region Sunday, the New York Times reported — the day after Russia’s stunning reported retreat from the city of Izium, an important logistics hub. Russia’s alleged loss of Izium is considered its worst defeat since being fended off from Kyiv in March.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhnyi attends a meeting with US officials in April.EPA
A Ukrainian soldier takes a selfie as an artillery system fires in the front line in Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine.Kostiantyn Liberov/AP
Ukrainian servicemen ride atop of an armored vehicle.Leo Correa/AP
On Saturday, the same day Russia reportedly retreated from Izium, Russian President Putin attended the grand-opening of Europe’s largest Ferris wheel in Moscow, leaving him mocked online.
“His soldiers are dying on the battlefield and he’s opening a ferris wheel….total insanity, the guy is 3 sheets to the wind!” a supporter of Ukraine tweeted.
Meanwhile, Russian soldiers were abandoning their tanks, weapons and even clothes in the face of the Ukrainian onslaught, Ukraine’s soldiers claimed to the Telegraph.
Caught off-guard by swift Ukrainian advancement, the Russians “literally run from their positions,” the Ukrainian recruits said.
“They left a huge amount of vehicles and ammunition. We couldn’t transfer or evacuate it all to our rear,” a soldier said. “There were a lot of uniforms lying around. We caught some of these guys trying to escape in civilian clothes, they were telling some incredible bulls–t trying to save themselves.”
