Nå slippes katta ut av sekken i Russland;
Influential military bloggers in Russia have been even more blunt. Zakhar Prilepin, whose Telegram channel has more than 250,000 subscribers, reposted a commentary that described events in Kharkiv as a "catastrophe" and a wholesale failure of intelligence.
"Now we can observe the result of the criminal irresponsibility of those who were responsible for this direction," the post reads, before concluding: "The special military operation is long over. There is a war going on."
Another pro-Putin blogger who goes by the name Kholmogorov reposted an equally scathing account by the Partizan Telegram channel from the front lines, which that essentially accused the Russian authorities of abandoning the troops.
"The soldiers were on foot with one machine gun and a sack. Abandoned by the command, not knowing the way, they walked at random," the post said.
The poster, who describes himself as a Russian Orthodox nationalist, says that while hatred of the enemy grows, "hatred of the government and command is growing even more."
Adding his own thoughts, Kholmogorov said: "Lord, save the Russian soldiers from blows from the front and even more from blows in the back."
A similar analysis came from the Telegram channel of Pyotr Lundstrem.
"There are NO thermal imagers, NO bulletproof vests, NO reconnaissance equipment, NO secure communications, NOT enough copters, NO first aid kits in the army."
Referring to commemorations in Russia this weekend for the Day of Moscow, the city's birthday, he added: "You are celebrating a billionth holiday. What's wrong with you?"
The collapse of Russian defenses in Ukraine's Kharkiv region has redrawn the battlefield, and ignited recriminations among influential Russian commentators and allies of Vladimir Putin.
edition.cnn.com