The Kremlin military leaders have ordered Russian troops to evacuate from the city of Kherson, the only regional capital Moscow’s forces were able to capture after they invaded Ukraine in February. Evidently, the decision to withdraw has left tensions on the ground running high, as two soldiers were filmed having a brutal scrap on a retreating military truck. The footage of the clash between Russian soldiers appears to verify reports that Vladimir Putin’s army has operated with extremely low levels of morale among troops, triggered by poor military leadership and a drastic lack of essential supplies.
In the video clip, two men, at least one of them in clear military uniform, can be seen fighting in the open bed of a moving truck.
The situation quickly escalated, as one man grabbed the other by the back of his neck and pushed him over the rear of the truck.
The man in military uniform was left with his head dangling just feet about the road as the truck continued to speed down the causeway.
The soldier was suddenly yanked back into the truck where the fight continued. The Russian serviceman received at least one clear hit to the face before both men appeared to fall to the floor of the truck in a fierce struggle.
The video was published by news organisation Visegrad 24, alongside reports that the footage had originated from Kherson.
The news comes after Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu formalised the order for Moscow’s troops to evacuate Kherson.
Russian forces will withdraw fully from the west bank of the Dnipro River, as Kremlin military leaders suggested they will be repositioned to establish new defence posts along the opposite bank.
General Sergei Surovikin, the commander of the Russian forces in Ukraine, reported the decision to flee Kherson was motivated by ongoing re-supply issues.
The loss of Kherson’s west bank will likely prevent Moscow’s forces from securing a strategic land bridge to Odessa, which had been a key element of the Kremlin’s plan to expand occupied territory in Ukraine.
Read more: Ukrainian MP ‘couldn’t believe her eyes’
As the situation in Ukraine has developed, Russian soldiers have become increasingly frustrated with the quality of military leadership, training and weapons supplied by the Kremlin’s army.
The UK Ministry of Defence has suggested morale has rapidly depleted among Putin’s troops and reports have emerged of Russian battalions defying the orders of their higher-ups.
In a cruel plot to counter low morale, the Kremlin has deployed “barrier troops” or “blocking units” to operate along the frontline.
This special line of soldiers moves at the back of an advancing battalion and is given strict orders to shoot any retreating soldiers in a bid to deter conscripts from fleeing.
A Ministry of Defence intelligence report read: “The tactic of shooting deserted likely attests to the low quality, low morale and indiscipline of Russian forces.”
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