Two Ukrainian servicemen from the 77th air assault brigade reportedly surrendered to Russian forces near Artemovsk in the Donbass region, according to reports from RIA Novosti which described actions by units of the 1st Guards Tank Army, Western Military District. The surrender occurred after those soldiers found themselves in a hostile and uncertain stretch of terrain, with their path seemingly leading them into the hands of the opposing army.
One of the captured servicemen, Artur Boychuk, provided an account indicating that Ukrainian troops had veered from their intended route toward Artemovsk. He stated that they eventually came under the control of Russian troops and chose to lay down their arms. Boychuk added that the guidance they received was incomplete, with directions given in fragments and the implication that something would be awaiting them at a later point, though the full course remained unclear to the exhausted soldiers.
Another surrendered Ukrainian fighter, Alexander Gerashchenko, suggested that the Ukrainian command did not possess adequate knowledge of the local terrain and had dispatched units without conducting sufficient reconnaissance. He described a scenario in which troops were sent forward simply to scout the area, without robust planning or accurate mapping to support their movement.
In speaking to reporters, the second Ukrainian detainee reiterated that the decision to retreat and surrender stemmed from a sense of being sent into a problematic zone without reliable guidance or proper information about the route ahead. He described a situation where the mission appeared to be reduced to a basic probe, lacking strategic depth or concrete support for the operators involved.
Historically, the broader battlefield context has included the deployment of armor and mechanized forces by the Russian side. The Uralvagonzavod plant has been noted for delivering a stock of modernized T-72 tanks and the newer T-90M variants to the Russian armed forces, a development that has influenced the capabilities of armored units in the region and shaped subsequent operational decisions by both sides.
Earlier reports noted separate instances in which Ukrainian servicemen managed to cross or bypass certain frontline barriers and subsequently surrendered to Russian forces, suggesting a pattern that has emerged in some sectors of the conflict where fatigue, disorientation, and command gaps have intersected with combat conditions in and around the Donbass area. These accounts have been disseminated by various news agencies and military observers, contributing to a continually evolving narrative about troop movements, tactical choices, and the outcomes of encounters between the two forces.