“Capturing settlements on credit”: Russia’s “victories” cost 100+ soldiers in one village in Kharkiv Oblast (VIDEO)

Hide in buildings, get found by drones, die. Ukraine's 16th Army Corps has reported it has eliminated small Russian assault groups that managed to infiltrate the village of Vilcha in the Vovchansk community of Kharkiv Oblast.

Despite constant pressure on the Vovchansk direction, Russian troops have achieved no real tactical success, with all reported “victories” existing solely in the media space, Ukrainian forces note.

Russian commanders need "successes"

According to Ukrainian soldiers, Russian commanders report taking settlements in advance, without actually controlling the territory.

“Having no real successes, the command reports the capture of the next settlement ‘on credit’,” the Ukrainian statement reads.

The need to show continuous “successes” forces Russian commanders to throw new units into meat-grinder attacks, resulting in catastrophic losses.

"The main thing is to report, and then somehow it will work out,” Ukrainian troops explained the Russian assault scheme.

Ukraine eliminated over 100 Russian soldiers who attempted to capture Kharkiv Oblast's village already "reported taken," said Ukrainian troops

Russian soldiers were taken out on the outskirts of Vilcha near Vovchansk
🎥Ukraine's 16th Army Corps pic.twitter.com/K0pgU7TTY9

— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) December 24, 2025

Russia claimed Vilcha was captured. Reality: Over 100 soldiers dead

A striking example of this tactic occurred in Vilcha, where over 100 Russian soldiers were killed on the outskirts of the village.

This does not include sanitary losses, which military estimates suggest could be multiplied by a factor of three.

Small groups infiltrate, Ukrainian drones eliminate

Russia uses small assault groups to:

• infiltrate settlements,
• hide in civilian or abandoned buildings,
• attempt to hold positions without technical support.

However, such groups are quickly detected and eliminated by Ukrainian UAV operators, limiting their advances to local and short-lived episodes.

Situation under Ukrainian control

The 16th Army Corps press service emphasizes that Ukraine maintains control of the situation on the Vovchansk direction and continues to fulfill its tasks of repelling and deterring Russian armed aggression.