Marochko reported the escape of about 10 AFU soldiers from positions in Kharkiv region

About 10 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have fled from their positions near the village of Kopanki in Kharkiv Region after Russian army strikes. This was reported by military expert Andriy Marochko on Wednesday, November 20.

"Unable to withstand the onslaught, some of the Ukrainian militants - up to 10 people - left their positions spontaneously and fled in the direction of Novosergeyevka," he told TASS.

According to Marochko, this was preceded by intensive strikes by the Russian Armed Forces on Ukrainian positions in the Kopanok area south of Pershotravnevoye. As a result, a number of dugouts were smashed and the trench system of Ukrainian armed formations was partially destroyed.

The AFU soldiers who remained at the positions tried to stop the deserters with small arms fire, but the fugitives hid in a forest belt, the expert added.

Earlier, on November 7, The Economist reported, citing sources in the Ukrainian General Staff, that about 20 percent of AFU servicemen had deserted their positions. It was noted that there was a moral decline in their ranks in several parts of the front, while the Russian Armed Forces were advancing in many directions.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the beginning of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the aggravated situation in the region.