In a daring extraction operation, the 425th Separate Assault Regiment, known as “Skelya,” has successfully broken through Russian lines to rescue a group of Ukrainian soldiers from the 159th Separate Mechanized Brigade who had been trapped in an encirclement for months.
The soldiers of the 159th had been holding their positions under increasingly dire circumstances since February. In a video released by the “Skelya” regiment, survivors described a grueling ordeal, with some troops stationed at the front for as long as 11 months. The situation deteriorated sharply when Russian forces managed to infiltrate areas on both sides of the settlement where the Ukrainian unit was entrenched.
Facing critical shortages of food and water, the soldiers had reached a state of severe exhaustion and dehydration. With no other option to secure their survival, they reached out to the “Skelya” regiment for support.
“We turned to the ‘Skelya’ regiment for help to break out of the encirclement,” one soldier explained.
The command of the 425th Assault Regiment responded immediately to the distress call. Launching a precision assault, the unit pierced through the Russian defensive perimeter, entered the settlement, and cleared a safe corridor for the trapped servicemen to withdraw. The operation proved highly successful, with 21 Ukrainian soldiers safely evacuated. Furthermore, during the skirmish, the “Skelya” fighters captured nine Russian soldiers.
The mission expanded beyond the military personnel; the assault troops also discovered two civilians hiding in a cellar within the gray zone. They were rescued and subsequently transferred into the care of local volunteers.
“The guys came and said, ‘Gather your documents.’ They came, picked us up, and took us away from there,” one of the civilian evacuees recounted.
Following the extraction, the soldiers of the 159th Brigade confirmed that all 21 rescued service members were alive and in stable condition.
This rescue operation occurs against the backdrop of broader, intensifying combat in northern Donetsk Oblast. High-ranking military officials, including Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, commander of the Third Army Corps, have recently begun shedding light on “Operation Vivaldi,” an ongoing Ukrainian offensive that had been operating under a strict information blackout for several months.
The tactical success of the 425th Assault Regiment aligns with a series of recent strikes by Ukrainian forces against Russian assets, including the destruction of four aircraft at the “Rostov-Central” military airfield and successful targeting of Russian drone control centers, training grounds, and ammunition depots. These efforts underscore a period of heightened activity on the front lines as the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to exert pressure on enemy positions across the region.
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