Ukrainian Special Forces liberate Andriivka-Klevtsove, 30 Russian troops surrender

According to the agency, Russian forces had long tried to capture the settlement in Donetsk Oblast in small groups, gradually infiltrating the area and establishing positions.

During a ground operation by Ukrainian special forces, 30 Russian service members were forced to surrender, while those who continued to resist were killed. Andriivka-Klevtsove is once again under Ukrainian control.

After liberating the settlement, special forces carried out the local “Driving Out the Snakes” ceremony, a traditional male ritual included in Ukraine’s National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The ritual is intended to cleanse a home of evil spirits, misfortune and adversity, collectively referred to in folk tradition as “snakes.” The Special Operations Forces said that this time, the area had been cleared of actual enemies.

On Aug. 12, the president’s Telegram channel published the results of an offensive operation by Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces in the Oleksandrivka sector. The operation was conducted in two phases from Jan. 29 through August, during which Ukrainian forces liberated 745 square kilometers of territory and 26 settlements.