Russian battalion commanders was waving his hand and walking straight toward Ukrainian troops. Nobody told him they were 7 km inside his lines

Kyiv troops have eliminated two Russian battalion commanders during counteroffensive operations on the Zaporizhzhia Oblast front, according to Major General Oleh Apostol, Militarnyi reports. 

According to him, the Ukrainian Air Assault units advancing in the area managed to reach Russian rear defensive positions about 7–8 kilometers from the line of contact.

Russian commander didn't even realize who was in front of him

Apostol says one of the Russian battalion commanders effectively walked directly toward Ukrainian positions without realizing the situation.

At that moment, the officer was being observed by a reconnaissance drone crew, and his elimination was captured by the drone’s camera.

Targeting battalion-level commanders remains a key element of combat operations, as such strikes destabilize enemy units and disrupt their command structure.

Eliminating commanders disrupts enemy control

Similar operations are conducted regularly by Ukrainian forces.

In March 2025, reconnaissance troops from the 225th Separate Assault Regiment eliminated the deputy battalion commander of Russia’s 69th Guards Motor Rifle Division.

The officer killed was Major Yuriy Lomkin, deputy commander of the 83rd Motor Rifle Regiment of the division.

Southern front may grow in importance

According to military assessments, the southern front, particularly the Zaporizhzhia Oblast direction, may become increasingly significant in 2026. The Russian occupation army is attempting to capture footholds near Zaporizhzhia to conduct mass artillery shelling of the city. This would mean people have no time to hide, and the city has no subway to shelter all the civilians.

The last major obstacle on their path is the small village of Stepnohirsk, which the Ukrainian soldiers are defending as fiercely as they can. The life expectancy here of a mobilised Russian is about 12 minutes. The cost of his life, in terms of shells and FPVs spent to kill him, is about $5,000-$6,000.