Aug 15, 2026
A 16-man Russian assault group spent three days traveling nearly 28 kilometers through an underground pipe toward Ukrainian positions, but only four survived the mission and were later captured by Ukrainian paratroopers.
Ukraine’s 71st Separate Airmobile Brigade said on August 15 that the Russian troops used an underground utility line to approach Ukrainian positions. According to testimony from one of the captured soldiers released by the brigade, some members of Russian assault units are recruited from prisons, signing military contracts to avoid lengthy sentences.
The group traveled approximately 27–28 kilometers inside a reinforced-concrete pipe around 1.5 meters in diameter. The soldiers spent three days underground and slept inside the pipe during the journey.
One of the prisoners said Russian commanders had told the troops they were being sent to reinforce a battalion and assured them that Ukrainian forces were not present in the forest near their destination.
After emerging from the pipe, the 16-man group came under Ukrainian fire. According to the 71st Brigade, only around eight soldiers managed to reach the forest. Four ultimately survived.
The surviving Russian troops were also left with limited food supplies and had to search for food themselves. According to the prisoner, Russian commanders did not immediately evacuate wounded soldiers and instead continued ordering the assault troops forward despite Ukrainian drone strikes.
The remaining soldiers eventually encountered troops from Ukraine’s 71st Separate Airmobile Brigade and surrendered.
Following his capture, one of the Russian soldiers received medical assistance and urged other Russians not to sign military contracts to fight against Ukraine.
“I would not advise anyone to go to war. No amount of money is worth it, nor are any of the benefits they promise us… To die and go to someone else’s land—for what? For whom? Let them put me in prison. If they hadn’t let me come here, I would never come here again,” the prisoner said in footage released by the brigade.
The 71st Brigade said the footage was recorded with the prisoner’s consent and that its treatment and communication with prisoners of war were conducted in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.
In a separate operation reported on August 15, Ukrainian Special Operations Forces captured three Russian soldiers and killed another during a raid on Russian positions. Operators from the 6th Separate Special Operations Regiment also evacuated a fawn discovered in the combat zone, prompting the unit to dub the mission “Operation Bambi.”
I wonder what kind of drugs they were given to withstand this odyssey. I’m glad most didn’t survive. They are just sewer rats anyway.
Do you think there’s a word equivalent to “moron” in Russian that should be tattooed on their forehead?
lol, take your pick…
придурок (pridurok) in Moskovia or the usual идиот (idiot) in Ukraine 😉
More creatively in Ukraine, dura (dead tree branch) or steel (table) are huge insults too.
I like all the choices
Isn’t Durak an idiot in Ukrainian. Kinda heard that my whole life 😀
🤣👍
lol, you’re not an idiot here. A rat, maybe, but not an idiot 😉
It could be a quiet k sound but I’ve always heard doo-rah in west Ukraine. I’m sure they’d understand both ways.
I’m not sure about your comment. I’ve been called many things but never called a “rat.” Do you know something I don’t?
I know you Lefties need a sense of humor. I also said…maybe…and added a wink. I guess when you’re filled with hate there is no room for humor? You need to visit your old homeland, maybe they will rub off on you and you can get some good ol’ Hutsul humor.
OMG. If you’re wrong about anything you’re absolutely wrong about me. I am a die hard Reagan Republican and been so for probably over 50 years or I should say my whole life. I began as a libertarian and began to respect and love Reagan’s approach to governing.
Regardless what you may feel, Trump is the complete antithesis of Reagan. Trump is a boorish child with a significant disability of having a narcissistic disorder and being an ego maniac. I wouldn’t have that shithead clean my toilets let alone be a president. Yes, there are certain things that I believe the country needs that he has done, but frankly the cost isn’t worth the benefit.
I may finish by saying I voted for that idiot twice and now more than ever regret it. For the first time in my life I will be choosing moderate Democrats over MAGA idiots, who don’t see the damage this freak is causing. Finally I don’t hold any ill will towards Americans who voted for him. Their priority is not Ukraine, which is my priority completely and in all honesty I don’t give a shit about anything else. Trump is an enemy of my country and that’s all I care about.
Did someone eliminate my response to your last comment which is is completely wrong
If so I demand it be posted
Red has serious issues with morality and has a lack of respect for certain contributors. Anything that does not conform to his twisted, sick maga microcosm is leftist.
Seriously surprised
Also, Pridurak is formally, moron so maybe that’s what you’ve heard without the “Pri-” Splitting hairs between moron and idiot lol
Just being a ruskie makes you automatically a moron.