Today, there is interesting news from the Zaporizhzhia direction. Here, a Ukrainian clearing operation almost turned into a disaster when Russian paratroopers committed yet another war crime. What followed was a dramatic and daring rescue mission that showcased the coordination and resilience of Ukraine’s special forces.
The Ukrainian operation began as a standard preventive and sabotage raid aimed at preempting Russian attempts to establish forward positions and conduct close-range reconnaissance on Ukrainian defenses. Such missions, often spearheaded by elite units like Artan from the Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence, involve precise collaboration between drone operators and ground teams, and typically aim not only to eliminate threats but also to capture Russian soldiers for intelligence gathering.
This mission focused on a suspected Russian observation point near the village of Stepove, where Ukrainian drone surveillance had detected enemy movement. Drone operators identified three Russian paratroopers from the 247th Air Assault Regiment taking cover in the ruins of an old structure. Initial drone strikes forced the Russian troops to relocate, creating confusion and inflicting damage.
As the enemy regrouped, three Artan special purpose unit operatives—with call signs Ketsa, Anubis, and Klyuchyk—moved in to finish the job and secure prisoners. However, the situation took an unexpected turn. During close combat, the Russian paratroopers deployed an unknown chemical agent, incapacitating all three Ukrainian soldiers and taking them as prisoners of war. The use of such a substance is a clear violation of international conventions and turned the mission into crisis mode.
With the Ukrainians struggling due to the poisonous attack, the Russians began retreating across open terrain, hauling them toward a settlement under Russian control. Fortunately, the Ukrainian drone operators were still observing. The open terrain gave them a clear line of sight, and the withdrawal path became a kill zone.
As the Russian group reached their first point of cover, Ukrainian FPV drones struck with precision. One Russian paratrooper was neutralized instantly. Amid the chaos, Ukrainian soldier Ketsa managed to break free and crawl to a nearby destroyed building, hiding while still suffering from chemical burns.
Later, he recalled that he waited for the right moment before slipping away to find safety. He also shared that his chest was burning from the Russian gas, but he felt incredibly relieved when the Ukrainian FPV drones arrived, signaling that they had not been left behind.
Drone operators continued their assault, and a second Russian was eliminated shortly afterward. The third attempted to take cover under an abandoned truck but was hunted down and killed by a final, precise FPV drone strike.
With the area momentarily secured, a Ukrainian reconnaissance drone approached the two remaining Ukrainians—call signs Anubis and Klyuchyk—delivering instructions from their unit commander. Under guidance from the drone team, the two soldiers navigated back through hostile territory, evading detection.
Ketsa, who had gone into hiding alone, waited until after nightfall to make his way back, finally reaching Ukrainian lines hours later.
The returning fighters didn’t come back empty-handed. Along with enemy weapons taken as trophies, they brought back critical intelligence collected during the mission. All three are now undergoing treatment for chemical burns but are in stable condition.
The unit commander underlined the importance of this event for his unit’s fighting spirit and praised the work of his soldiers. Overall, this event is a vivid example of how dynamic frontline operations can rapidly shift. Even a well-planned raid can turn dangerous, especially when the enemy uses banned methods like chemical weapons.
Yet, Ukraine’s ability to rapidly adapt, coordinate across units, and act decisively prevented a potential disaster. What could have become a tragic loss instead turned into a remarkable success: a battlefield rescue executed in real time, under fire, with precision and grit.
In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.
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