Ukraine’s ‘chaotic’ withdrawal from Russia, in its soldiers’ words | Global News Avenue

Until a week ago, Artem Kariakin and his unit had been traveling regularly on the Ukrainian border, entering the Russian town of Sudzha.

As Ukrainian troops retreated from the Kursk region of Russia, he showed me a video taken with the phone they had last trip. It shows that they have walked through dozens of burnt military and civilian vehicles.

A soldier with a shotgun, their last line of defense, scans the horizon as a Russian drone. One person is everywhere, one person flies to the back of the truck. Sparks fly, but they keep moving forward.

Artem said they were lucky – the explosion fee wasn’t big enough to stop them.

Another truck nearby was unfortunate. It’s already in the flames.

Artem acknowledged that Ukraine’s retreat from Ukraine’s largest Ukrainian Sudzha held in Kursk, “is organized”.

“It’s messy,” he told me. “Many units are in chaos. I think the problem is that the order to exit comes too late.”

He said this did not help because the unit did not run properly for communication. The Starlink satellite system they usually rely on does not work inside Russia.

The 27-year-old soldier still believes the Kursk offensive is a widespread success. This forced Russia to transfer its troops from the East, Artem said. Most Ukrainian troops still manage to escape in time – even if many people walk.

But he believes the surprise invasion of Russian territory launched by Ukraine last August is too deep and too narrow – relying on just one major road for supply and reinforcements.

As Artem and his soldiers fled for their lives, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin talked over the phone about trying to end the war. Artem said he found it “ridiculous”.

“To me, these calls between Trump and Putin are really surreal,” he said. “Trump wants to end the war because he promises to do it – Putin wants to trick Trump into continuing his war. I can’t take their conversation seriously.”

Artem’s home is located in the Luhansk area, now Russian, and he told me he was disappointed with the United States and Trump. “How do I feel when they just want to abandon my home?”

Artem said he never believed Putin was willing to replace any part of Russia with Ukrainian occupied territory. But he still believes that Kursk’s offense is important to protect his boundaries. Ukrainian troops may be forced to retreat, but they still occupy high ground on the border with Sumy.

Ukraine is continuing its cross-border raids – not only Kursk, but also Bergorod.

Serhiy’s assault battalion helped plan these attacks – finding a way through Russian minefields and anti-tank obstacles known as “Dragon Teeth”.

We joined his night mission to locate and restore armored vehicles that need repair. Now is the safest time to get close to the Russian border.

Serhiy himself is no stranger to Russia: he was born there. He now has white citizenship, but he chose to fight for Ukraine. He proved that Ukraine invaded his former home. He said Russia has also been working to build a buffer zone within Ukrainian territory.

Serhiy traveled in a Ukrainian-made armored vehicle, still listing possible threats, and now we are less than 10 kilometers from the Russian border: sliding bombs, rockets and artillery, and drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras.

His own vehicle is equipped with electronic counter-attacks to block enemy drones, but it is not available even for drones operated through fiber-optic wires. These cannot be stopped, although on some routes, Ukraine has now set up a net to try to catch up with the drone before reaching its target.

When Serhiy received intelligence about Russian drones running nearby, our original search near the Russian border was abandoned with damaged American-made Bradley armored vehicles. Instead, he tried to find another broken Bradley, where the risk would be less.

He and his driver still have to overcome obstacles in the process. Trees and branches scattered along their way – remnants of the latest Russian air strike. We saw more explosions in the distance, briefly turning the night sky orange.

Serhiy eventually discovers his broken Bradley. It has been retrieved from the battlefield at the border and has been loaded onto a truck for repair.

Commander Bradley confirmed to me that they had been fighting in Russia. He described the situation at the border as “difficult, but we insisted.”

Bradley also reminded Ukraine of its reliance on US military support. Now, Trump’s focus on peace talks seems uncertain. Serhiy said he already knew that “there is a bargaining behind Ukraine.”

I asked Serhiy if he thought European countries could fill any gaps left by the United States. Is the European “willed alliance” enough to ensure Ukraine’s security?

“I think if the United States does not help Ukraine, then an imminent ceasefire will soon reach a consensus – but the conditions for Ukraine are extremely unfavorable.”

“Europe obviously can’t just resolve this conflict. They are not strong enough. They have been focusing on their own economy, not thinking about security.”

Serhiy said he hoped the war would end. Like many Ukrainians, he wanted to see peace – but there was no price.

Other reports by Volodymyr Lozkho and Anastasiia Levchenko