Russian Troops Retreating to Luhansk as Ukrainian Army Continues to Push

The Ukrainian army has launched a counteroffensive in the Luhansk direction, which has come as a surprise for the Russian military command, which has not had time to recover from the loss of the Kharkiv Region in the last few days. Several villages were liberated in Luhansk Region, forcing the Russians to hastily retreat to Luhansk, the regional center.

A wave of panic has hit Russian invaders and collaborators in Luhansk Region. Many have already begun to leave the cities that Russian Federation captured back in 2014.

Serhiy Haidai, head of the Luhansk military administration, has reported that the hasty Russian evacuation began thanks to the active counteroffensive by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Russian military is moving deep into the region, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, or even further in Russia.

“Russians and collaborators are fleeing from Luhansk Region, going towards Russia. Packing suitcases, particularly Luhansk, Alchevsk, and other cities occupied back in 2014. The queues for exit are kilometer-long,” Haidai stated.

The Russian military, with their families, left Svatove in Luhansk Region, and only the soldiers of the so-called “police” from among the residents remain. The occupying authorities confirm the information about the movement of Russian servicemen and collaborators deep into the Luhansk Region. Moreover, some are transiting to the territory of Russia.

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The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has also reported on the liberation of the village of Svatove. As Haidai notes, evacuation is unorganized, and everyone is forced to get to a safe place on their own.

Indirectly, this information was confirmed by an earlier statement made by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation’s border department that more than 17,000 residents of territories held by the unrecognized Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic crossed the Russian-Ukrainian border on September 11, with  116,000 having entered Russia since the start of last week.