According to a Facebook post by the Ukrainian brigade’s press service on July 16, the Russian division once fought in Chechnya, Georgia, and Syria, but how has its makeup changed drastically. The unit now includes poorly trained troops with criminal records who are released from prison and sent into combat as expendable human resources.
The captured soldiers admitted they were exhausted, demoralized, and confused about their mission.
“Money, amnesty, other promises—none if it matters after experiencing the first artillery barrage,” the message said.
The 24th Brigade has held the line in Chasiv Yar for months, despite Russia’s relentless attempts to seize the town and all of Donetsk Oblast. The unit credits its drone operators for doing the heavy lifting in stalling the enemy offensive in the area.