- Ukraine launched a counterattack on a majority of Russian-occupied territory in Kharkiv.
- A Russian state-media host called for generals to be executed for allowing the retreat to happen.
- Usually optimistic, Russian state media is struggling to respond to the counteroffensive.
A Russia state-media host has called for the country's generals to be "shot" for having allowed troops to retreat from huge swathes of Ukraine — part of a wider meltdown among President Vladimir Putin's cheerleaders.
Ukrainian forces have successfully regained around 1,250 (2,000 square kilometers) of territory in the country's Kharkiv region over the past few days, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his Saturday night address.
Russia's Ministry of Defense has confirmed that its forces were retreating from some areas in the Kharkiv region, the BBC reported.
The speed of the counteroffensive has seen Russian soldiers fleeing the region in any way they can, including disguising themselves as locals. Ukrainian forces have taken more territory in five days than Russia did in five months, according to New Statesman.
On Monday Russian state-media host Volodymyr Solovyov savaged the Kremlin's military leaders.
"I do not justify anyone, especially do not argue with the fact that many bosses in uniform (I can not call them commanders) 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 channel.
Solovyov is a television presenter, writer, and propagandist who has previously supported Putin's attack on Ukraine. Shortly after Russia's invasion was launched in February, Solovyov announced that he had been placed on a list of international sanctions.
Other state-media, who have until now been optimistic about the war in Ukraine, also expressed dismay at Russia's struggles in the Kharkiv region.
Anton Anisimov, the host of Russia's sports channel Match TV's political talk show, said on Friday that "everyone who is a believer should pray for our guys," a clip reviewed by Insider showed. "We should pray that our men who are there hold out."
The military blogger Yuri Podolyaka told Russia's "Time Will Tell" show that Russian troops had "given [Ukraine] quite significant territories."
The Kremlin's official spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on Monday that Russia's "military operation continues" and "it will continue until the goals that were originally set are achieved," according to The Guardian.