Ukrainian special forces on Tuesday claimed to have killed more than 330 Russian troops in a dawn raid behind enemy lines.
Kyiv’s defence intelligence (HUR) said a Russian advance in Sumy was “stopped cold” when troops from its elite Timur unit infiltrated enemy positions and eliminated scores of Vladimir Putin’s soldiers in close-quarter fighting and with co-ordinated drone and artillery strikes.
HUR did not specify the exact date or location of the battle, but Russia’s push into the region has stalled in recent weeks because of Ukraine’s strong resistance.
A video released by HUR showed Ukrainian fighters approaching the target in a low-flying helicopter before engaging the enemy in a wooded area with assault rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers.
Explosions and screams were heard as Ukrainian artillery pounded enemy positions, and dead bodies lay on the ground.
Outside the trees, Timur troops could be seen speeding in open-top trucks down unmetaled roads and hand-launching drones in fields.
Overwhelmed Russian soldiers were heard over intercepted radio transmissions refusing to attack Ukrainian positions, HUR wrote.
“[They were] justifying themselves with far-fetched reasons,” it added.
At least 334 Russian troops were killed and over 550 wounded, HUR said. It signed off the video with: “The armed struggle continues! Glory to Ukraine!”
HUR said the operation disrupted Russian supplies of food and ammunition.
The action was carried out by the forces of the Chymera, Yunger, Stugna, Siberian Battalion, Aratta, 1514, Paragon, Art Division, First Line, Raven Group, and 6th Special Operations Unit, which are part of the overall Timur Special Unit.
Russian forces entered the Sumy Oblast earlier this year after recapturing most of the neighbouring Kursk Oblast in Russia. They aimed to carve out a “buffer zone” along Ukraine’s northeastern border.
Ukraine claimed to have halted the Russian advance and even to have recaptured some villages.
Severnnyi, a Russian military blogger, wrote on Monday that Moscow’s forces had been surrounded in the Oleksiivka area of the region.
He said: “They have us trapped. Water on three sides, and Ukrainians on the fourth.”
The elite Timur unit is an umbrella command within HUR that coordinates a number of specialised forces.
The group takes its name from its leader, Lieutenant-Colonel Timur, who planted a Ukrainian flag in Crimea for the first time in 10 years in a special operation in August 2024.
In March 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that HUR operators from the Timur unit were actively fighting Russian-aligned forces in Sudan.
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