The special forces eliminating Putin’s troops before they know what’s happened

A Ukrainian Special Operations Forces team defeated a Russian platoon in one of many daring missions carried out on enemy ground in Kursk.  

The commandos encountered a larger formation of Vladimir Putin’s troops while on a routine operation to clear an area of hostile forces. 

As the enemy was distracted by a drone, the elite soldiers moved in on the ground and captured 12 Russian soldiers and eliminated 17, according to a Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SOF) detachment commander.  

The close-quarters raid is one of many high risk missions undertaken by the secretive formations since they became the first Ukrainian troops over the border when the surprise incursion began on August 6 last year. 

The operators have also encountered North Korean soldiers, who are thought to have taken huge casualties after Kim Jong Un’s men were drafted in to support the Russian army. 

Speaking as Ukrainian forces made advances in the oblast, the representative told Metro that the enemy platoon ‘didn’t even realise what was happening until it was over.’  

‘This mission is one of many our operators have conducted in this direction,’ he said. ‘We were tasked with a routine mission — clearing a specific area of enemy forces.  

‘However, the challenge lay in the enemy’s superior numbers.

‘They had an entire platoon, while our team was significantly smaller —though, for operational security, I can’t disclose our exact numbers.

‘We established surveillance on the enemy and their positions, engaging them with drones and mortars.

‘The group later advanced, guided by a drone.’ 

A video of the raid shows the Ukrainian operators using small arms and grenades as they make their way through a thinly wooded area.  

The bodies of Russian soldiers are shown lying on the ground before the commandoes pause and shout ‘stay!’ and then warn: ‘Come out or I will throw a grenade over there!’ 

The threat is not carried out as the enemy troops, thought to be Marines, emerge from a bunker at gunpoint and are lined up at the side of the road to become prisoners of war.  

The commander, who did not give a name, said: ‘As we approached within roughly 100 meters of enemy positions, the enemy was focused solely on hiding from our Mavic drone.  

‘The enemy troops were looking up at the sky rather than defending their sectors. We seized this opportunity and engaged them.

‘Our team, known for accurate shooting and quick reactions, swiftly located and eliminated enemy troops.

‘The mission was executed very quickly.

‘The Russian soldiers we captured didn’t even realize what was happening until it was over.’ 

Now in its sixth month, the Kursk incursion is the first time foreign troops have captured ground within Russia’s legal borders since World War Two.  

Another parallel with the earlier conflict can be drawn between the small group tactics used by Ukraine’s elite forces, including the 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations, which is similar to the British Royal Marines or US Navy Seals, and the havoc wreaked by the SAS behind German lines. 

Aided by the SOF advance party, Kyiv’s main battlegroup was able to make a rapid advance across the border from the Sumy region. 

Initially, around 1,400 square kilometres was seized, which has since been reduced to 800 square kilometres, according to a Ukrainian army source who spoke to the AFP news agency.

Moscow has sent in reinforcements of North Korean troops who have reportedly participated in ‘meat assaults’ leaving them exposed to Ukrainian fire. Kyiv’s forces launched counter-offensives of their own in at least three areas of the salient earlier this week, according to the respected US Institute for the Study of War.  

‘When operating in the Kursk direction, nothing was new to us,’ the commander said. ‘It was the usual work: planning, interacting with friendly forces, supporting and coordinating the group using UAVs and providing fire support.  

‘There were also missions behind enemy lines: sabotage, ambushes, rescuing friendly forces that were encircled, assault operations to reclaim lost positions, destroying enemy forces with drone strikes, mortar fire and MK-19 grenade launchers, clearing settlements and mining tank-accessible areas. Fighting in this direction is not easy, but SOF fighters, including those from the 73rd Center, complete their missions and eliminate large numbers of enemy forces’ 

The 73rd, which is unique within Ukraine’s military for fighting on land, water and in river terrain, joined the Kursk campaign at a later phase. 

A video shared by the formation shows North Korean troops attempting to advance on a Ukrainian position in snow-covered ground being mown down by commandos using an MK-19 grenade launcher and drones.  

The operators are also shown providing first aid to a wounded colleague and successfully evacuating him from the battlefield — part of an ethos of ‘winning by being better’ as described by a Ukrainian combat rescuer who has trained the unit.  

‘From day one, SOF units have been operating in the Kursk region and they were the first to enter enemy territory even before the full deployment of Ukraine’s Security and Defense Forces to the area,’ the commander said.

‘It was SOF units that escorted friendly Ukrainian units into the Kursk region. Later, the 73rd Center was involved in this campaign, carrying out critical missions. In Kursk, the 73rd Center performs specialized tasks familiar to us but in our natural element — water.

‘We cross rivers, navigate them by boat, and carry out assignments given by our command. Our operators are versatile and perform tasks not only on water but also on land.’ 

The commander had a message for the UK when asked by Metro about the motivation to continue taking the fight to an enemy which is determined to pour men and materiel into the battlefield while displaying little or no regard for its own troops’ lives.  

‘Our main motivation is to liberate Ukraine from the enemies who brought war to our land, destroyed our cities and villages, killed and tortured civilians and abducted our children,’ he said.  

‘However, motivation is multilayered.

‘I am driven by my team — guys with whom I’m ready to take on any mission, no matter how difficult.

‘I’m also motivated by my family, who can stay relatively safe because I and hundreds of thousands of other service members defend Ukraine from enemy forces.

‘There is also anger toward Russia’s dictator Putin and his people, who his regime has turned into slaves.

‘We must defeat them to avoid becoming their slaves.

‘For this, we need more help from our Western partners, particularly the United Kingdom, which, from the start of the full-scale invasion, set the trend for providing Ukraine with heavy weaponry at key moments.’ 

Military support for Ukraine will be one of the key themes of Donald Trump’s incoming US presidency, while the training and high-tech kit supplied by the UK and European nations continues to be critical for those operating in the shadows.  

‘Today, I hope that in addition to assistance with heavy weapons and ammunition, partners will continue training our troops who have just joined the Ukrainian army, ensuring high-quality military training,’ the commander said. ‘As for specific assistance for the 73rd Center — our units need technological equipment to destroy the enemy better.  

‘This includes communications systems, night vision devices, drones and robotic systems.’ 

The ISW said yesterday that Ukrainian forces had advanced in Kursk and were reported to have struck a command post of the Russian 810th Naval Infantry Brigade near the village of Belaya in the oblast. 

Russian forces sustained 429,660 casualties killed or wounded in 2024, an increase on the figure of 242,940 for the previous year, according to Ukraine’s General Staff.  

In a rare admission of casualties, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last month that 43,000 Ukrainian troops have died since the all-out attack began almost three years ago.  

Another 370,000 personnel have been injured, although this includes soldiers hurt more than once as well as minor injuries, the Ukrainian president stated. 

In an intelligence update on X, the UK Ministry of Defence said: ‘The average daily Russian casualties reached a new monthly war high during December 2024.

‘The average daily loss rate was 1,570, the fifth straight month that Russian Forces have sustained new war high average daily losses.’

The post continued: ‘Russia will highly likely continue to experience high casualty rates over January 2025 with continued dismounted infantry attacks on multiple axes.’

Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact [email protected]

MORE: How Ukraine’s special forces took Putin’s war machine by surprise in ambush

MORE: ‘Poseidon was on our side’: Inside Ukraine’s special forces mission to liberate Snake Island

MORE: ‘I’m a special forces medic — this is how troops fighting Putin stay alive’