His unit had been decimated, he said, with only 12 out of 100 soldiers still alive as they came under constant Ukrainian fire and drones in Vovchansk, a prime target of Russia's advances.
Russian troops seized about 99 sq miles of Ukrainian territory - some of its biggest gains in 18 months - raising serious questions about Kyiv's ability to defend itself.
But Ukraine has been largely able to stabilize the front, alleviating immediate fears in the west that Moscow might be able to encircle Kharkiv, Ukraine's second biggest city.
Putin has claimed that Russian losses were of course several times less than on the Ukrainian side and the Kremlin has also gone to great lengths to ensure that accounts such as Andreev's are kept from the public.
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