Russian infantrymen are disguising themselves as civilians in the Kostiantynivka area
Russian troops in the Kostiantynivka sector are attempting to disguise themselves as civilians while moving in small tactical groups. At the same time, Ukrainian drone operators are detecting weapons that the occupiers are hiding under civilian clothing.
According to a military official, Russian forces continue to rely on infantry as their primary resource.
The occupiers are attempting to infiltrate Ukrainian positions and move in small tactical groups, taking advantage of weather conditions, among other things.
“The enemy is using its greatest resource—its people, that is, the infantry. They are trying to infiltrate our positions and are also attempting to move in small tactical groups by taking advantage of weather conditions,” the officer said.
In the Kostiantynivka sector, one of the main changes has been an increase in the intensity with which Russian forces are deploying drones.
“On our front—the Kostiantynivka sector—the only thing that’s changing is the increasing intensity of the use of drones such as the ‘Molniya’ and fiber-optic FPV drones,” said “Mamai.”
According to him, the Russians are using drones to strike Ukrainian logistics facilities and to lay mines along transportation routes.
In addition, the enemy is using UAVs to try to locate the positions of Ukrainian operators, after which it strikes them with guided aerial bombs.
“Mamai” noted that the Ukrainian military has not yet observed any foreign mercenaries among the Russian infantry in the Kostiantynivka sector.
At the same time, there are reports that the Russian command is redeploying personnel from rear positions to maintain the pace of attacks and infiltration attempts.
According to the military official, the quality of training among Russian infantrymen varies significantly. Moreover, a significant portion of the occupying forces consists of people approaching retirement age.
Their equipment is often limited to an assault rifle and a few magazines.
One tactic employed by the Russian military is wearing civilian clothing while on the move. In this way, the occupiers try not to attract attention and to blend in with the civilian population.
“For the most part, they try to move around without unnecessary items and use tactics such as changing into civilian clothing. They try to blend in with civilians in the city,” the reconnaissance officer noted.
At the same time, Ukrainian drone operators scan suspicious individuals from various angles from the air. This helps detect weapons hidden under civilian clothing.
“But still, our pilots try to observe them from different angles and are already detecting weapons under their clothes, and then they are neutralized,” the military officer emphasized.
An intelligence officer from the 5th Separate Detachment of the “Omega” Special Purpose Center of the National Guard of Ukraine, with the call sign “Mamai,” spoke about this on Army TV.
Ukrainian forces are carrying out counterattacks on several sections of the front simultaneously and are achieving isolated tactical successes in the Donbas. At the same time, Russian troops have failed to make any confirmed advances near Kupiansk, Lyman, and in a number of other directions.
Over the past 24 hours, 278 combat engagements were recorded along the front. Russian troops carried out the most assaults in the Pokrovsk direction—Ukrainian defenders repelled 43 enemy attacks.
As of September 16, 2026, the Ukrainian military had eliminated 1,530 Russian occupiers over the past 24 hours. The Russian Federation’s total military casualties rose by another 1,530 soldiers.
Since the beginning of the day on September 15, there have been 219 combat engagements on the front lines. Russian troops launched the most attacks in the Pokrovsk direction—there, Ukrainian forces repelled 38 assaults.
