Ukraine's special forces intercept Russian troops in Donetsk region and seize valuable intelligence
Photo: A Ukrainian Special Operations Forces servicemember (sof.mil.gov.ua)
Ukrainian special forces carried out an operation in the Donetsk direction, killing three Russian soldiers and capturing another. Information about troop routes and commanders was found on the captured soldier, according to Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces.
A special operations group from the 3rd Special Operations Forces Regiment attacked a shelter used by Russian troops to rest and gather before advancing further.
During the operation, Ukrainian fighters seized an enemy radio. Using it, they learned that several more Russian groups were expected to travel along the same route.
The special forces remained in position and prepared an ambush. As a result, three Russian service members were killed, and another was captured.
What information was found on the captured soldier
The captured servicemember had a radio and a phone containing checkpoints and other routes used by Russian units moving through the area. He also provided commanders’ call signs and other information that could be useful to Ukrainian forces.
According to the Special Operations Forces, the prisoner also described practices within the Russian army. These included so-called “meat grinder” assaults, unequal treatment of ethnic minorities, orders prohibiting soldiers from helping the wounded, and the killing of servicemembers who refuse to follow orders.
Who Russia sends to the front lines
The commander of a group from the 3rd Special Operations Forces Regiment, who uses the call sign Viking, said Ukrainian troops frequently encounter members of Russia’s ethnic minorities in forward assault groups in this area.
“We mostly encounter Yakuts, Buryats, Tajiks, and Uzbeks here. They are sent forward as ‘cannon fodder,’ and then their other units, such as the 74th Brigade, move in and secure strategic positions,” he explained.
According to the commander, Ukrainian special forces have made these observations directly while carrying out missions behind enemy lines.
The Sword Group of the 3rd Special Operations Forces Regiment continues to carry out special missions in key areas of Ukraine’s defense operations.
On the night of October 11, Ukraine’s Armed Forces struck a Russian repair unit in Chystiakove, warehouses near Makiivka and Horodyshche, and Russian troop concentration areas in the Luhansk region.
A day earlier, Ukrainian forces struck Russian command posts in the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions, an electronic warfare station in Russia’s Bryansk region, and a training center in the Kherson region.
