Occupiers carrying Russian flags were captured by fighters from the Kotsyubailo Regiment
On the border between Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, Ukrainian troops captured a group of Russian occupiers under unusual circumstances. The operation was carried out by soldiers of the 1st Separate Assault Regiment named after Dmytro Kotsyubailo. According to the military, the invaders were carrying Russian flags, but instead of carrying out a propaganda “stunt,” they ended up in captivity. The circumstances of the incident are currently being clarified.
The incident occurred while Ukrainian UAV operators were searching for their drone, which had made an emergency landing in the village.
Upon entering one of the half-ruined houses to wait out an enemy raid, the Ukrainian soldiers encountered occupiers wearing camouflage uniforms. Due to the absence of red tape and the use of the Russian language by both sides, the invaders initially mistook the Ukrainian commandos for "their own." However, after verification and a demand to remove their camouflage, the enemy was disarmed and surrendered.
As it turned out later, the prisoners were part of a group of 24 people tasked with secretly advancing deep into Ukrainian positions. Their main goal was to display Russian flags in the settlement on camera for a Russian drone, creating the illusion of control over the territory for propaganda purposes. The occupiers said they had walked 19 kilometers over four days, hiding in basements, but instead of getting the “footage” for TV, they fell into the hands of soldiers from the Kotsyubailo Regiment.
One occupier pretended to surrender and attempted to blow up Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers.
Total combat losses of Russian troops since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as of April 24, 2026, amount to approximately 1,323,460 personnel. Over the past 24 hours alone, another 910 soldiers were lost.
Ukrainian drones destroyed three Russian anti-aircraft missile systems in a single night in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. The "Tor-M2" and "Osa" systems were hit and were unable to effectively repel the attack. The operation demonstrated that Russian air defense systems do not always manage to respond even at the moment their own missiles are launched.
