Ukrainian soldiers push back Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group trying to cross border in Sumy Oblast

The soldiers were engaged in a firefight after they noticed the movement of an armed group of ten people on the outskirts of the town of Hlukhiv at 18:20 on Feb. 3. The battalion’s anti-sabotage reserves were called in.

Mortar launchers were brought in within minutes to saturate the area with fire. After suffering losses, the Russians changed their tactics and split into two groups.

One group evacuated the dead and wounded under the cover of Russian artillery, while the other attempted to bypass the stronghold. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian anti-sabotage reserve arrived at the battle site.

"The courageous battle lasted for an hour and a half. Thanks to the skillful actions of the defenders of the northern direction, the enemy was pushed far beyond the Ukrainian border," Nayev wrote.

Civilians living near the border with Russia in northern Ukraine should heed the advice of local authorities to evacuate amid daily enemy attacks, Nayev wrote on Facebook page on Jan. 17, adding that it was necessary to allow the Ukrainian military the ability to fully engage the invaders without endangering civilians.

Earlier, the State Border Guard Service reported that Russian diversion and reconnaissance groups had recently concentrated in trying to enter Sumy Oblast.

In December, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said that Russian troops had intensified their sabotage and reconnaissance operations in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.

In the span of two weeks, Russian reconnaissance groups, known as DRGs, made seven attempts to infiltrate Ukraine, Nayev, said on Telegram on Dec. 15.

A Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group shot and killed two civilians from the border village of Andriivka in Sumy Oblast on the morning of Jan. 27, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported. The Russians fired at a car with civilians traveling on the road between two villages of the Khotyn community, according to the prosecutor’s office. The 54-year-old man driving and his 68-year-old sister were killed.