Kanal13

Ukrainian troops evacuated 21 soldiers from encirclement and captured several occupiers

Duration: 3:31 490 transcript words EN summary

Video summary

Ukrainian forces from the 425th Separate Assault Regiment Skala successfully executed a daring combat operation to evacuate twenty-one soldiers from the 159th Separate Mechanized Brigade who were trapped in an encirclement. The 159th Brigade had been stationed on the front lines for over ten months without any rotation, leaving them surrounded and unable to break out on their own due to enemy infiltration from multiple sides of their position. To rescue their comrades, the Skala regiment fighters engaged in intense fighting to clear a path through the hostile zone, ultimately managing to extract the stranded servicemen while simultaneously destroying Russian positions and capturing several occupiers during the assault. The dire conditions faced by the encircled troops were exacerbated by a lack of food supplies, forcing soldiers to dig for provisions buried under debris from shelling, as well as a complete absence of scheduled rotations which severely impacted their morale and operational capacity. This rescue mission highlights the critical importance of unit mobility and support within the Ukrainian defense structure, especially when static positions become untenable. The successful extraction not only saved lives but also demonstrated the regiment's ability to adapt quickly to changing battlefield dynamics and execute complex maneuvers under heavy pressure to restore a broken defensive line. In parallel developments, the 425th Skala Regiment reported clearing the city of Kostyantynivka in Donetsk Oblast from Russian invaders, directly countering earlier claims by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov that the city had been fully captured without proof. The unit provided footage of strikes on Russian concentration points and displayed Ukrainian soldiers with national flags to confirm their control over the area, addressing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with a statement that the task was completed. This victory is strategically significant as Kostyantynivka sits at the southern end of Ukraine's fortress belt in Donetsk, serving as a key defensive backbone alongside cities like Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk further north. These military achievements are unfolding amidst broader changes in Ukraine's command structure under new commander-in-chief Mykhailo Drapatyi, who has implemented shifts such as reassigning the 425th Regiment to the First Azov Corps based on territorial defense principles. The regiment's leadership noted that these adjustments have helped minimize losses and improve operational discipline, contributing to their success in both rescuing encircled units and reclaiming strategic urban areas. As Ukraine continues to fortify its defensive lines in the Donbas region, securing cities like Kostyantynivka remains central to preventing Moscow from claiming a breakthrough that could open the southern gate to remaining Ukrainian-held territories.

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Soldiers from the 425th Separate Assault Regiment, Skala, evacuated 21 soldiers from the 159th Separate Mechanized Brigade from encirclement. According to the YouTube channel Skily, the 159th Separate Mechanized Brigade soldiers had been stationed on the front lines for over 10 months without rotation. As a result, they found themselves surrounded, and it was practically impossible for them to leave the area on their own, Skala noted. Thus, the regiment command planned and carried out a combat operation to evacuate the servicemen of the 159th Brigade. To save their comrades, the Skala fighters had to fight and clear a path for the 159th Brigade's units to escape [music] the encirclement. As a result, 21 soldiers were evacuated from the combat zone, >> [music] >> the statement reads. In addition, during the assault operations, Russian positions were destroyed and several occupiers were taken prisoner. The video also notes, among other things, that the situation worsened due to the encirclement as the enemy began to infiltrate from both sides of the village where the fighters were located. Rotations also did not occur. The soldiers also had problems with food. They had to dig for food buried by shelling. Earlier, on August 13th, it became known that another assault regiment, the 425th Separate Assault Regiment Skala, had been reassigned to the First Azov Corps of the National Guard. At the time, a Liga source in the National Guard explained that this happened strictly according to the territorial principle. Whichever unit holds a given section of the defense line is subordinated there. On September 2nd, Azov reported that the regiment [music] had, among other things, minimized its level of losses and improved its operational discipline. Both reassignments are taking place amid changes in the military being implemented by Ukraine's new commander-in-chief, Mykhailo Drapatyi. Earlier, Ukrainian assault regiment says it has cleared Kostyantynivka from Russian invaders. Soldiers of the 425th Skala Separate Assault Regiment reported that they conducted a clearing operation in a city in Donetsk Oblast and that the city is under the control of the Ukrainian army. The claim is a Ukrainian counter to a Russian one. On July 3rd, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov asserted that the city had been fully taken, providing no proof. The unit posted footage of strikes on Russian concentration points and of Ukrainian soldiers with a Ukrainian flag and addressed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with a statement that the task was accomplished and the city [music] is again under the blue and yellow flag. The city matters because of where [music] it sits. Kostyantynivka lies at the southern end of the chain of cities forming Ukraine's fortress belt, its main defensive backbone in Donetsk Oblast with Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk standing farther north. Capturing that urban belt is central to Putin's goal of occupying all of the Donbas. A Russian victory at Kostyantynivka would let Moscow claim it had forced open the southern gate to the remaining Ukrainian-held cities.