The retreat of Russia’s forces from the Kharkiv district marks the most significant defeat for Russia since the start of war in Ukraine. The conflict however, is far from over argues Tchantouridze, Putin will now seek to decimate Ukraine’s economic and military infrastructure in a war of attrition, knowing that if Russia incur and further losses in the Black Sea and Kherson, they could lose more than just the war. 

In early September 2022, the Russian military forces suffered the most significant defeat since Moscow unleashed the war in Ukraine. The Russian troops retreated from the Kharkiv district in the Northeast of Ukraine and its surrounding areas ahead of the advancing Ukrainian forces. The Russian withdrawal was neither planned nor orderly, as evidenced by the large number of heavy equipment pieces left behind.