Russian troops fleeing after their lines were shattered left behind so much ammo and weaponry Ukraine struggled to handle it all

• Ukraine has pushed a massive counteroffensive in the country's northeast and southern regions.
• The advancement has forced Russian soldiers to flee their positions, some even in civilian clothes.
• Some Ukrainian troops say they've been overwhelmed by how much ammo and weaponry was left behind.

Ukrainian forces are staging a lightning-fast counteroffensive in the northeast near Kharkiv, and Russian troops are rapidly fleeing from their positions as the Ukrainian military liberates previously occupied territory. 

The speed of the offensive — which gained momentum last week and saw significant breakthroughs over the weekend — and how quickly Russian lines crumbled have surprised both sides in this bloody conflict. 

Russian troops who recently fled from the front lines left behind so much weaponry and ammunition that Ukraine has struggled to handle it all, an unidentified Ukrainian soldier from an intelligence unit told The Telegraph recently.

"They left a huge amount of vehicles and ammunition. We couldn't transfer or evacuate it all to our rear," a Ukrainian commander, whose call sign is Birdie, told the paper.  

Ukraine's defense ministry posted a tweet on Sunday with a video that purported to show a litany of abandoned Russian military vehicles. In the video, the caption read: "Everyone gets a tank. F..ck there is enough tanks for everyone. What a bonus."  

"Russia is trying to maintain its status as the largest supplier of military equipment for the Ukrainian army, and even to improve its status, knowing that lend-lease will soon come into effect. #UAarmy loves its trophy ammo," the tweet read. 

—Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) September 11, 2022

Over the last two weeks, Ukrainian forces have launched counteroffensives in the country's northeast and southern regions in an attempt to reclaim territory occupied by Russian forces for much of the war. 

British intelligence said on Monday that Ukrainian advances have forced Russia to withdraw troops from large chunks of the northeast Kharkiv region, where Ukraine's second-largest city is located, and Russian troops have been forced to take "emergency defensive actions."  

In fleeing their positions, Russian troops have reportedly put on civilian clothes to escape capture as they run from the front lines and even stolen bicycles and vehicles from locals so they can evade Ukrainian drones.  

Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces said in a Monday update that its troops continue to liberate settlements in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, forcing Russians to "quickly abandon their positions and flee." It added that "the occupiers have taken away property and vehicles looted from local residents." 

During a speech on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that since the start of September his military has liberated around 1,250 square miles of territory formerly occupied by Russian troops. 

"These days, the Russian army is showing its best — showing its back," he said. "And, in the end, it is a good choice for them to run away. There is and will be no place for the occupiers in Ukraine."

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