Video Shows Russians 'Chased' Out of Kherson By Artillery Fire: Ukraine

Ukrainian officials have shared a new video of Russian soldiers purportedly fleeing attack as Ukraine continues to liberate Kherson.

Last Wednesday, Russia officially confirmed that its troops would be retreating from the strategically vital southern Ukraine city of Kherson, the latest and arguably most significant blow to Russia's war effort yet. Russian troops had occupied the city since March, only weeks into the initial invasion. The Kremlin in September declared the annexation of the Kherson region, where the city is located, alongside three other key regions.

The victory over Russia in Kherson has led to a widespread celebration from Ukrainians of all stripes, with numerous videos and images making the rounds online showing jubilant residents and fleeing Russians. One of the latest examples of the latter was shared on Tuesday by the official Facebook page of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

According to the post, the video purportedly shows a Russian military vehicle, specifically a GAZ-66 truck, fleeing along a rural road in Kherson. As far as Newsweek was able to glean from the video, the truck stops along a treeline and is then targeted by a number of artillery strikes. Eventually, the vehicle appears to move deeper into a wooded area as the strikes continue. At various points in the video, close-up shots appear to show Russian soldiers leaving the truck. By the end of the clip, the truck has caught fire, having presumably been hit by one of the artillery strikes.

"Kherson direction. Soldiers of the 45th separate artillery brigade still 'chased away' GAZ-66 Russian occupants," the post read after being run through online translation software. "Have faith in the warriors!"

Newsweek reached out to the Russian defense ministry for comment.

Ukraine announced on Saturday that, in the 24 hours prior, Russian forces lost 810 troops as Kherson was liberated, bringing the invasion's death toll to more than 80,000 since February. It also said that Russia had lost 24 tanks and 34 armored personnel vehicles, and the Ukrainian air force had carried out strikes against 16 targets.

Russia's continued troubles in Ukraine have prompted a wave of uncharacteristic pessimism and criticism from hosts and analysts in the country's state-run media. Igor Shatrov, head of the Expert Council of Russia's Strategic Development Fund, said during a recent appearance on the program Meeting Point that the country had not been prepared for war and that President Vladimir Putin's hesitance to call it a war has hindered the country's ability to make progress.

"We weren't ready for the war that we started," Shatrov said. "We keep calling it a 'special military operation'—we're too shy to call it a war, which is a huge problem. Because with war, other laws are in play."