Those Russian Flag 'Victory' Photo Ops Continue To Be Brief - And Lethal

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but with drones overhead, it is increasingly worth a thousand deaths as Russian troops attempting photo ops to 'prove' they have captured something is frequently lethal. JL

Kateryna Zakharchenko reports in the Kyiv Post:

Ukrainian special forces destroyed a group of Russian soldiers who decided to pose with the Russian flag in the village of Zelenyi Hai in the Donetsk region, attempting to showcase an allegedly successful advance toward the Dnipropetrovsk region. This latest photo op attempt proved fatal for the Russian troops – they ended up in the area of responsibility of the “Timur Special Unit.” Their “media triumph” was short-lived: Ukrainian special forces swiftly eliminated the enemy.

Ukrainian special forces from the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) destroyed a group of Russian soldiers who decided to pose with the Russian flag in the village of Zelenyi Hai in the Donetsk region, attempting to showcase an allegedly successful advance toward the Dnipropetrovsk region.

“The occupying army continues its attempts to break through to the Dnipropetrovsk region and report another ‘victory,’” the HUR press service reported on Sunday, Aug. 3, publishing corresponding photos and videos.

One of the Russian army’s combat groups attempted to stage a photo op with the Russian flag in Zelenyi Hai to report a new “victory” and advance toward Dnipropetrovsk region.

However, this attempt proved fatal for the Russian troops – they ended up in the area of responsibility of the “Bratstvo” (Brotherhood) unit, part of the HUR’s “Timur Special Unit.” Their “media triumph” was short-lived: Ukrainian special forces swiftly eliminated the enemy.

 

The HUR press service added: “Appearing on our land with weapons and the Russian tricolor always ends the same way – with destruction.”

President Volodymyr Zelensky, during a meeting with journalists on July 24, stated that Russian forces are not giving up on attempts to break into the Dnipropetrovsk region, pursuing primarily media-driven goals – to showcase so-called “victories” for Russia’s domestic audience.

 

For them, a symbolic success is the Dnipropetrovsk region. Because they can turn that into a media win. The situation there is similar to Pokrovsk. They move in – it’s just an open field. Whether they’ve entered it or not, there’s nothing left standing on that field. No one is stationed there. Our troops are positioned at a distance and destroy everything they can,” Zelensky said, adding: “For now, they are still interested in Sumy, still interested in the Pokrovsk sector, and they are very eager to reach the Dnipropetrovsk region.”

 

On July 16, the analytical portal DeepState reported that Russian forces were “intensively advancing” near the administrative border between Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions, moving through settlements, villages, and any positions encountered along their route