The key facts

  • According to the commander with the call sign Kerra, Solntsepyok crews of the Sever group destroyed more than 15 positions and strongholds of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kharkiv region over a week
  • Strikes on firing positions and concentration areas are carried out daily
  • Earlier, the same area was the subject of reports that Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Krakov, call sign 'Leshy,' was killed in a drone strike

What was reported about the work of the flamethrower units

Crews of the TOS-1 Solntsepyok heavy flamethrower systems of the 6th Guards Combined Arms Army of the Sever (North) group of forces destroyed more than 15 positions and strongholds of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kharkiv region over the course of a week. This was told to RIA Novosti by a commander with the call sign Kerra; the report is cited by Gazeta.Ru. According to him, servicemen of the flamethrower units of the Sever group strike military, long-term firing positions and concentration areas of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on a daily basis, 'undermining the enemy's combat capability' in the region.

Details and context

The commander described the group's work as 'the systematic destruction of Ukrainian military positions' and said that attempts by Ukrainian forces to resist 'are not succeeding.' According to his description, thanks to reconnaissance and fire correction, Russian fighters hit the enemy 'within minutes' and leave the firing position before they are detected by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This information comes from the account of a single combat participant; the publication contains no independent confirmation.

Connection with earlier reports

Gazeta.Ru also recalls two earlier reports related to the same area: Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Krakov, call sign 'Leshy,' whom the outlet describes as one of the planners of Operation 'Vivaldi,' was killed in a drone strike in Kharkiv region, and earlier the outlet published a piece on how, in its account, the West used Operation 'Vivaldi' for its own interests. Thus, the new report on the work of the Solntsepyok systems adds to the series of publications about events in Kharkiv region, but on its own it rests on a single source — the commander's account to the news agency.