Street fighting, propaganda, and 'flag runners': Frontline situations in Huliaipole
Illustrative photo: Heavy fighting continues for Huliaipole (Getty Images)
Huliaipole is currently facing one of the most difficult situations on the front line. Russian occupying forces are trying to enter the city, move in groups to establish positions, and push Ukraine’s Defense Forces out of the urban area. Russia is using infiltration tactics, small assault groups, and so-called “flag runners,” Southern Defense Forces spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn stated in a comment to RBC-Ukraine.
According to Voloshyn, 20–25 combat clashes are recorded inside the city every day. Russian “fixation groups” are infiltrating the eastern part of Huliaipole and, at times, manage to reach central areas. The main fighting is currently taking place in the city center and closer to the western and southern parts of Huliaipole.
“The enemy is actively using all types of weapons, including guided aerial bombs. We record 15–20 KAB strikes on Huliaipole every day,” the spokesperson said.
In addition to Huliaipole itself, Russian forces are attacking nearby settlements, including Zaliznychne. The enemy’s goal is to occupy the settlements of Dobropillia (Zaporizhzhia region), Pryluky, and Varvarivka, which are located along a key logistics route from the Pokrovsk direction in Dnipropetrovsk region toward Huliaipole.
“For our part, we are conducting search-and-strike operations both in Huliaipole and in nearby settlements to detect enemy assault groups trying to infiltrate the area,” Voloshyn said.
Russian disinformation and “flag runners”
Russian propaganda is also actively operating in this sector. On December 26, the occupiers publicly lied, claiming they had entered the settlement of Kosivtseve.
“This is absolute disinformation. The Russians are currently using infiltration tactics with small groups — we call them ‘flag runners.’ What does this mean? They try to penetrate deep into our rear, and for a time, they succeeded due to weather conditions such as fog and drizzle,” Voloshyn explained.
The task of a “flag runner” is simple: quietly slip through Ukrainian defenses into the rear, take a photo or video with a Russian rag to show they supposedly “entered” the area. After that, the “flag runner” usually dies. However, Russian propaganda inflates these photos or videos as alleged proof that the front line has already moved deep into Ukrainian defensive positions.
“This is primarily aimed at foreign OSINT analysts, to convince them that Ukraine’s situation is supposedly much worse than it actually is. In this way, Russia exaggerates its achievements to strengthen its position in negotiations. There are many such cases,” Voloshyn said.
In some cases, the locations where Russian soldiers managed to reach are 10–15 kilometers away from their actual positions, as in the case of Kosivtseve. These are not dozens of soldiers, but just a few individuals. After taking a photo on site, a “flag runner” typically survives only a few minutes. Some Russian soldiers surrender.
“Some of them are not even armed, and some wear civilian clothes over their uniforms. Russia is now widely spreading this tactic in southern directions, particularly in the Oleksandrivske and Huliaipole sectors,” Voloshyn concluded.
Situation around Huliaipole: what's known
According to analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian forces have identified the Huliaipole direction in the Zaporizhzhia region as a priority and have concentrated forces from at least three armies and one division there.
On December 25, it became known that the occupiers were trying to break through to the center of Huliaipole and were forming groups on the outskirts to hold positions. Fierce fighting for the city continues. Among other things, the occupiers spread a video claiming the capture of a command and observation post of the 1st Battalion of Ukraine’s 106th Territorial Defense Brigade. Voloshyn said an investigation would be conducted into the incident.
