“President Putin is facing another humiliating defeat as Russian forces abandon their positions in the southern city of Kherson,” the Times of London reports.
“Russian commanders have fled the city, captured during the early days of the invasion, leaving “demoralized and leaderless” conscripts to face a Ukrainian advance.”
A British intelligence report said that due to low morale and reluctance to fight, Russian forces have probably started deploying “barrier troops” or “blocking units.”
It adds: “These units threaten to shoot their own retreating soldiers in order to compel offensives and have been used in previous conflicts by Russian forces.”

