The key facts
- Sever scouts took a group of Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers prisoner in Kharkiv region without a single shot
- The soldier with the call sign Zhenshen also spoke about covert observation of a group of 15 Ukrainian servicemen and an artillery strike on the identified position
- In his view, ground reconnaissance remains important even with the widespread use of drones
Captured without a shot
Russian scouts infiltrated a Ukrainian Armed Forces dugout at night in Kharkiv region and persuaded the Ukrainian servicemen inside to surrender without a single shot. This was told to RIA Novosti by a soldier of the 46th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion of the 11th Army Corps of the Sever (North) troop grouping, with the call sign Zhenshen (Ginseng). According to him, while at a combat position, the scouts heard movement in the undergrowth, spotted Ukrainian Armed Forces chevrons on the strangers' uniforms, and instead of opening fire decided to act covertly.
'Let's go say hello'
'We decided: let's go say hello. We came up, said hello, and as a result took them prisoner and brought them in. You don't always need to use weapons — everything can be resolved without them; the main thing is to give yourself time to think,' Life.ru quotes the scout as saying. Zhenshen emphasized that at the front line much depends on the ability to remain unnoticed and to correctly assess the situation.
Observation and artillery strike
The scout gave another example: together with a fellow soldier, he managed to take cover just seven meters away from a retreating group of 15 Ukrainian servicemen. The Russian fighters, according to him, did not reveal their presence, tracked the enemy's route, and located its temporary deployment point. The coordinates were passed to the artillery, after which the object was struck, and then the scouts took part in clearing the fortified area.
On the role of ground reconnaissance and context
Zhenshen noted that, despite the widespread use of drones, ground reconnaissance remains highly important: an experienced soldier can spot camouflaged ammunition depots and firing positions that are difficult to detect from the air. According to the publication, units of the Sever grouping continue carrying out missions in Kharkiv region, including as part of expanding the security belt along the Russian border. Life.ru also recalls its earlier report that in Kharkiv region two Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen surrendered, and cites data from the Russian Defense Ministry dated September 12: in one day on this direction, Ukrainian units lost up to 125 men. It is worth noting separately that the scout's account is the testimony of a single participant in the events, published by a Russian state news agency; the publication contains no independent confirmation of the episodes described.
