Russia Turns to 1-3-Man Infiltration Groups as Offensive Stalls Across Multiple Fronts
Russian forces continued offensive operations across several sectors on Aug. 15-16 but made no confirmed advances, ISW says. Moscow’s troops increasingly relied on small infiltration groups, glide-bomb strikes and claims of territorial gains that Ukrainian and Russian sources disputed.
Russian forces maintained their offensive operations across multiple sectors of the front on August 15 and 16, but were unable to achieve any confirmed advances. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian troops engaged in combat in the northern Sumy region, northern Kharkiv region, as well as in the Kupyansk, Borova, Slovyansk, Dobropillya, Pokrovsk, Novopavlivka, Hulyaipole and western Zaporizhzhia sectors.
No ground activity was reported in the Kherson sector on August 16 from either Russian or Ukrainian sources.
Despite broad pressure being applied, ISW did not confirm a breakthrough by Russian forces on any of these fronts. A significant development was the continued use of small Russian infiltration groups, with the deputy commander of a Ukrainian battalion in the Sumy sector noting that these forces employ teams of one to three soldiers to navigate between Ukrainian positions.
These troops exploit tall grass, exceeding 2 meters (6.6 feet) in height, to avoid detection while Russian forces maintain aerial reconnaissance, counterbattery fire, remote mining, and drone strikes.
Russian forces showed no signs of weapons shortages and continued using drone attacks and remote mining to impede Ukrainian logistics. Similar infiltration tactics were observed further south, with Ukrainian forces recently clearing Russian infiltrators from western Kostyantynivka. Despite these efforts, Russian troops persist in claiming battlefield gains that have not been independently verified.
The Russian Defense Ministry asserted that Russian forces had captured Kudiivka north of Kharkiv, presenting it as a potential "gateway" to Kharkiv city. However, a source familiar with the situation in the Russian Northern Grouping of Forces reported that Russian troops were engaged within the settlement but had not established a stronghold there.
A comparable inconsistency arose around Vilcha, northeast of Kharkiv, where Russian authorities claimed to have captured the settlement in December 2025, but a Russian source described it as a "gray zone" open to Russian infiltration on August 16.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
