Russian troops are said to have been struck by complete panic on the battlefield in Ukraine.
According to several media outlets, the Russians have taken to their heels and abandoned their positions in the southern Kherson region of Ukraine.
Using the same rhetoric
Russia's state news agencies TASS and RIA Novosti published a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense on Monday.
In the statement, the department confirmed that there is an ongoing "redeployment" of Russian troops stationed on the eastern side of the Dnieper River.
"After making a new assessment of the situation, the military leadership of the Dnieper group has decided to redeploy its troops to more favorable positions," the statement read.
Throughout the war, a "redeployment" has in fact turned out to mean that the Russian army is fleeing the area.
The Russian Ministry of Defense used the same wording when the Russians conducted a panicked retreat from the regional capital of Kherson over a year ago.
Great confusion
During the day, the statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense disappeared from the websites of both TASS and RIA Novosti.
According to the independent Moscow Times, the message was only up for a few minutes.
"TASS claims it was a mispublication and that the statement is not truthful. RIA has not commented on the publication," the newspaper points out.
The Kremlin has declined to comment on the statement.
Trying to cross the river
According to the American think tank Institute for the Study of War, ISW, the Ukrainian army has intensified its attacks in the Kherson region in recent days.
There are reports, among other things, that the Ukrainian military is trying to cross the Dnieper with armored vehicles and heavy weapons.
"Russian units, which are positioned on the eastern side of the river, are currently forced to defend themselves against more intense attacks than usual," ISW reports.
Ukraine launched a major counteroffensive in June, but the frontline has barely moved. A breakthrough in the southern Kherson region would be the first significant success in a long time.
