"All retreating troops will be destroyed": Russia creates 'blocking squads' to prevent Russian soldiers from fleeing battlefield

This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Ministry on Facebook.

"In order to stop the mass escape from the battlefield, the Kremlin command is intensifying the use of 'proven' Soviet methods of 'persuasion'. From the intercepted conversations of the Russian occupiers, it became known about the establishment of so-called 'blocking squads' in the rear. In particular, the commanders with the 4th Detached Motorized Rifle Brigades of the 2nd Army Corps received a message: "There is a blockade squad in the rear lane. All retreating troops will be destroyed. Commander's order number 222. Deliver to all posts," the message reads.

It is noted that Russia's military leadership decided to use such methods after the Ukrainian military's successful counteroffensive. 

"As a result of the actions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, among the personnel of the occupying Russian forces, there is an incitement of panic and unwillingness to participate in the war. The situation is aggravated by untimely and incomplete payments of the promised monetary maintenance. Many soldiers, whose only motivation was material support, are looking for opportunities or to return to the territory of the Russian Federation, or surrender," the intelligence agency wrote. 

It is also reported that the Russian occupiers are abandoning equipment and weapons and trying to escape, as there is no promised help.

"The occupiers who withdrew from the Izyum direction to the Donetsk region are waiting for the delivery of ammunition and fuel. During the retreat, the units spent or were forced to abandon almost all their weapons and equipment... Units of the 20th Guards Combined Arms Army of the Russian Federation (military unit 12721) during the retreat suffered heavy losses from Izyum and Balaklia...Those who survived intended to move towards the Russian border to return home. Many occupiers concentrated near the Russian border in the Belgorod region. They have no contact with the command, and there is no supply of food and ammunition," the message reads.