EVERYONE, MORE NOW

ON THE COLLAPSE OF RUSSIAN

GROUND FORCES IN NORTHEASTERN

UKRAINE.

KEEPS BLISTERING

COUNTEROFFENSIVE PUSHES ON.

BUT THESE TROOPS, NOT FAR FROM

THE BORDER WITH RUSSIA.

WELL, THEY SEEM TO HAVE A

MESSAGE THERE.

FOR MOSCOW.

THE RUSSIAN RETREAT IS ONE OF

THE BIGGEST DEFEATS SINCE THE

WAR BEGAN IN FEBRUARY.

>> SO FAR THE TERRITORY HAS

BEEN RE-TAKEN FROM RUSSIAN

FORCES.

AMERICA'S MOST SENIOR DIPLOMAT

CALLS IT ENCOURAGING.

>> I THINK THAT IT WOULD BE

WRONG TO PREDICT EXACTLY WHERE

THIS WILL GO AND WHEN IT WILL

GET THERE, HOW WILL GET.

THERE BUT, CLEARLY, WE HAVE

SEEN SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS BY

THE UKRAINIANS.

>> EVEN TELL, NOW PRO RUSSIAN

SUPPORTERS ARE NOT

ACKNOWLEDGING UKRAINE STUNNING

GAMES ON THE BATTLEFIELD.

BUT FAR FROM ADMITTING THIS WAS

A FAILURE, SOMEONE PUTTING A

POSITIVE SPIN, SAYING THEY WERE

VASTLY OUTNUMBERS.

HERE IS CNN'S MATTHEW CHANCE.

>> WE HAVE WARNED PEOPLE WITH

RUSSIA WITH THE KREMLIN

PROPAGANDA POSTING.

NO ONE'S READING IT ANYMORE.

AS UKRAINIAN FORCES TEAR IT

DOWN, THE WORDS OF A CELEBRATED

UKRAINIAN POET, ARE REVEALED

THINLY PAPERED.

>> THE FIGHT, AND YOU WILL WHEN

HE WRITES.

IT'S ONE POIGNANT MOMENT IN A

UKRAINIAN GAINS.

IN VILLAGES ACROSS VASTE --

THIS WAR RAVAGED COUNTRIES

KHARKIV REGION, UKRAINIAN

TROOPS ARE BEING GREETED AS --

[SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH]

FOR MONTHS, THESE PEOPLE HAVE

LIVED UNDER RUSSIAN GUNS.

[SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH]

NOW IT'S UKRAINIAN GOWNS,

CELEBRATING THE RECAPTURE OF

STRATEGIC TANGS TOWNS LIKE

IZIUM, EASY TO, A CLEAN KEY

SUPPLY POINT FOR RUSSIAN

TROOPS.

, TROOPS WHO APPEARED TO HAVE

BEEN RIGHTED, WITH EQUIPMENT

DESTROYED OR JUST ABANDONED IN

THE FACE OF A LIGHTNING,

UKRAINIAN OFFENSIVE, HEAVY

ARMOR, AMMUNITION EVEN FOOD AND

CLOTHES LEFT BEHIND.

AS UKRAINIAN COMMANDERS SAY

THAT THEIR RUSSIAN ENEMY SIMPLY

TURNED AND RAN.

POWERFUL AMID --

FOR THE KREMLIN AND ITS

MILITARY RUSSIAN OFFICIALS ARE

PUTTING ON A VERY DIFFERENT

SPIN.

[SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH]

>> IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE

GOALS OF THE SPECIAL MILITARY

OPERATION AS THEY CALL, IT THE

DECISION WAS NAMED TO REGROUP

RUSSIAN TROOPS SAYS THIS

DEFENCE MINISTER SPOKESPERSON.

IT'S AN ORDERLY WITHDRAWAL OF

THE CHAOTIC RANKS ENSUES.

BUT EVEN ON PRO KREMLIN

TELEVISION THE WANTS TRIUMPHANT

MOOD, SEEMS TO SHIFT TOWARDS

REALITY, AND THE BLAME GAME IS

NOW IN FULL SWING THE PEOPLE

WHO CONVINCE PUTIN, A SPECIAL

OPERATION WOULD BE PASSED AND

EFFECTIVE, REALLY SET US UP,

COMPLAINS THIS PUNDIT.

SOMEONE MUST HAVE TOLD DON

UKRAINIANS WOULD SURRENDER HE

SAYS.

SIX MONTHS AGO, DID ANYONE

REALLY BELIEVE WE'D BE

SURRENDERING TOWNS, AND TRYING

TO REPEL A COUNTEROFFENSIVE IN

KHARKIV.

>> THIS IS A SERIOUS ARMY, THE

WEAPONS ARE SERIOUS TO AMID

HEATED EXCHANGES.

[SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH]

UKRAINE'S DRAMATIC ADVANCE

SEEMS TO HAVE GENUINELY SHOCKED

RUSSIA.

[NOISE] >> AND THAT MAKES ITS

LEADER, WHO OVERSAW MOSCOW

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS IN THE

WEEKEND EVEN MORE UNPREDICTABLE

AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS.

ALREADY, RUSSIAN HARD-LINERS

ARE CALLING FOR PRESIDENT PUTIN

TO ACT, MOBILIZED TROOPS, AND

DOUBLE DOWN ON UKRAINE.

CALLS HE MAY NO LONGER BE ABLE

TO RESIST.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN, LONDON.

CALLS HE MAY NO LONGER BE ABLE

TO RESIST.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN,