A Russia state-media host has called for the country's generals to be shot for allowing troops to retreat from large swathes of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his Saturday night address that Ukrainian forces have regained 1,250 square kilometers of territory in the country's Kharkiv region.
Russia's Ministry of Defense confirmed to the British Broadcasting Corporation that its forces were leaving some areas in the Kharkiv region.
The speed of the counteroffensive has seen Russian soldiers flee the region in a variety of ways. Russian forces took less territory in five months than the Ukrainians did in five days.
The Kremlin's military leaders were savaged by the state-media host.
Many bosses in uniform deserve to be dismissed in disgrace, and some of them should be shot, and I can even name a few names to decision makers, he wrote on his Telegram.
He supports Putin's attack on Ukraine. After Russia's invasion, he announced that he had been placed on a list of international sanctions.
State-media that have been optimistic about the war in Ukraine have expressed disappointment at Russia's struggles in the region.
The host of Match TV's political talk show said on Friday that "everyone who is a believer should pray for our guys." We should pray for our men who are there.
Yuri Podolyaka told Russia's "Time Will Tell" show that Russian troops had givenUkraine a lot of territory.
According to The Guardian, the Kremlin's official spokesman said on Monday that Russia's military operation will continue until the goals are achieved.