In his daily address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that Russian forces have already mentally lost the war.

The speech, posted on the president’s Telegram account on Friday afternoon, also addresses arms deliveries to Ukrainian forces.

– What is important to understand now is that in their minds the occupiers are already ready for defeat. They have already lost the war in their minds, says Zelenskyy and continues:

– We must put pressure on them on a daily basis so that their feeling of defeat is transformed into their setbacks, their mistakes and their losses.

The speech comes the same day the Kremlin acknowledged that its forces had withdrawn, north of the frontline town of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, following a Ukrainian counter-offensive. According to Russia, they did so in order to take “more advantageous defensive positions”.

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said just hours before the statement to the Russian Defense Ministry that Ukrainian forces had advanced two kilometers near Bakhmut this week, according to The Guardian.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin called the Russian withdrawal a “leak”, in a statement posted Friday on a Telegram account linked to the mercenary group.

– They should immediately stop lying. If you fled, you have to build new lines of defense, he said of the alleged withdrawal of Russian regular forces.

He also says that an occupation of Bakhmut will give no advantage to Russia, because the flanks will disappear.

– The front collapses, claims the boss of Wagner and continues:

– And the Defense Ministry’s attempts to issue statements to improve things are already leading and will lead to a complete tragedy for Russia.