The key facts
- According to the commander with the call sign Zmey, the Ukrainian DRG left Bakhmut and reached a rear area after changing into civilian clothes
- The group's trail was found via abandoned uniforms, in whose pocket was a list of call signs
- According to the commander, the presence of three women was indicated by the scent of women's perfume on the uniform
Statement on the female composition of the DRG
The company commander of the 89th Tank Regiment with the call sign Zmey told TASS, that women were part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' sabotage and reconnaissance group. According to him, the group was discovered after its members left behind a military uniform with a note listing call signs.
How, according to the commander, the group's trail was found
According to the commander, the saboteurs left Bakhmut (Artemovsk) and reached a rear area. Before that, they changed into civilian clothes and discarded their military uniforms — yet it was precisely the abandoned items that helped Russian scouts pick up the trail. A list of the participants' call signs was found in a pocket of the clothing. The presence of three women in the group, according to Zmey, was indicated by the scent of women's perfume on the uniform.
Context: losses of the Harpies battalion
Earlier, Life.ru reported, citing Russian military sources, that the first female drone operator battalion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Harpies, lost about half of its personnel on the Zaporizhzhia direction: approximately 17 crews of the unit were destroyed. The battalion was formed in March 2025 and became the first fully female drone operator unit in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Limitations of the information
The information provided is based on the statement of a single military commander and is not accompanied by independent confirmation or data from the Ukrainian side. Details, including the fate of the discovered group and the exact location of the incident, are not disclosed in the publication. Further coverage of the topic is available in the SVO section on Life.ru.
