Russian troops fleeing Ukraine's counteroffensive — some in 'apparent panic' — abandoned 'high-value' weaponry, British intelligence says
Russian troops fleeing Ukraine's counteroffensive abandoned "high-value" weaponry, the UK said.
Britain's defense ministry said Russian troops left behind equipment with "essential" capabilities.
It shared in an intelligence update that some Russians fled Ukraine's advances "in apparent panic."
Russian troops who fled Ukraine's lightning counteroffensive left behind "high-value" weaponry and equipment, the UK said on Thursday.
Britain's defense ministry said in a new intelligence update that Ukrainian forces have continued to "consolidate" control over territory in the country's northeastern Kharkiv region. There, the ongoing fast-paced offensive has sent Russian troops scrambling from their positions, where they have left behind a mountain of ammunition and weaponry, including their rifles.
"High-value equipment abandoned by retreating Russian forces included capabilities essential to enable Russia's artillery-centric style of warfare," Britain's defense ministry shared, adding that at least one "ZOOPARK counter-battery radar" and an "IV14 artillery command and control vehicle" were left behind.
Ukraine's military said last week that it captured a Zoopark-1М radar system designed to detect enemy artillery activity for target acquisition "as a trophy." But Russia left behind far more than just these systems.
"They left a huge amount of vehicles and ammunition," a Ukrainian commander told The Telegraph this week. "We couldn't transfer or evacuate it all to our rear."
Britain's defense ministry also said in its update that the way that Russian forces have fled from their positions has varied. Some soldiers reportedly put on civilian clothes to escape in disguise while others stole vehicles and bicycles from locals, Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces said earlier this week.
"Some units retreated in relatively good order and under control, while others fled in apparent panic," Britain's defense ministry said on Thursday.
Since the start of September, Ukraine's counteroffensive has seen the eastern European country reclaim thousands of square miles of territory previously occupied by Russia. On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the newly liberated city of Izium — in the Kharkiv region — for a flag-raising ceremony.
"Our blue-yellow flag is already flying in the de-occupied Izium. And it will be so in every Ukrainian city and village. We are moving in only one direction — forward and towards victory," he said later on Telegram.
Russian state media has framed the retreat of President Vladimir Putin's troops as a "regrouping" of forces, even as local officials and propagandists start to raise eyebrows and criticize the war machine. And yet, the Russian leader still believes he was right to invade Ukraine, Germany's chancellor said this week.
Meanwhile, Pentagon Spokesperson Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters on Tuesday that Ukraine's success so far — and the speed at which it is advancing — should only come as a surprise to Putin and his forces.
"Certainly, since the beginning of Russia's invasion into Ukraine, we've seen the Ukrainians demonstrate a remarkable adaptability in their ability to use their warfighting capabilities to great effect, so it's not surprising to us that they have pushed as quickly as they have," he said.
Ukraine has "shown a remarkable ability to take advantages of opportunities that present themselves on the battlefield, and the current counteroffensive in Kharkiv is no exception to that," Ryder said.
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