30 Captured Russians and the Ritual of Chasing Vipers: Ukrainian Special Operations Forces Report the Liberation of a Village in Donetsk Oblast

Ukrainian troops met this challenge with an integrated combat strategy, pairing the ground assault of SOF operators with psychological warfare operations.

The video released by the SOF illustrates the ground phase of the operation: dynamic tactical maneuvers, precise clearing of the terrain, and the methodical elimination of enemy strongpoints. As a result, 30 Russian soldiers chose to lay down their weapons and surrender.

“Those who continued to resist were wiped out. Andriivka-Klevtsove is once again under Ukrainian control,” the SOF press service reported on Facebook.

The exact timeframe of the special operation was not disclosed, but One of the fragments of the video with the Russian prisoner of war recorded the date and time of the operation - June 29, 2026, 07:07.

Chasing the Vipers

Following the conclusion of combat operations, the soldiers engaged in a symbolic gesture deeply rooted in the local culture of Andriivka-Klevtsove and Donetsk Oblast: a traditional folk ritual known as "Chasing the Vipers." Inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukraine, this ritual traditionally symbolizes purifying the home and driving away evil spirits, misfortune, and adversity, colloquially referred to as "snakes."

This ancient, exclusively male tradition involves men and young boys going from house to house in groups, striking corners, thresholds, and outbuildings with wooden sticks to banish winter stagnation and malice.

The "Chasing Vipers" ritual remains a living tradition in Andriivka-Klevtsove. Even between 2022 and 2024, amid full-scale war, groups of local boys continued the practice. It was only in 2025, when intensified Russian shelling forced the evacuation of residents, that the ritual was temporarily disrupted—until Ukrainian forces cleared the settlement of actual hostile presence.

Battles in Donetsk Oblast and the Pokrovsk Direction

Donetsk Oblast remains one of the most intense and grueling sectors of the front. The Russian command continues to concentrate massive manpower and material resources in the Pokrovsk, Toretsk, and Chasiv Yar directions, striving to breach Ukrainian defensive lines and reach the administrative borders of the region—in essence, working toward the complete occupation of Donetsk Oblast.

Along the Pokrovsk axis, engagement is relentless. According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 33 attacks on Ukrainian positions were recorded in a single 24-hour period. Russian forces rely heavily on mass infantry assaults supported by heavy artillery barrages, tactical aviation deploying guided glide bombs, and extensive swarms of FPV drones. Despite heavy casualties, Russian forces continuously feed reserves into the fight in an attempt to sever Ukrainian supply routes and capture key high ground and transit hubs. Ukrainian defensive brigades are executing a stubborn maneuvering defense, inflicting severe losses and limiting enemy progress to minimal territorial gains achieved at immense cost.

In the areas surrounding Chasiv Yar and Toretsk, fighting has devolved into fierce urban and suburban combat. Russian forces aim for the total destruction of urban infrastructure to strip Ukrainian defenders of viable defensive positions. Ukrainian units continue to repel dozens of assaults daily, deploying unmanned aerial systems to detect and destroy enemy concentrations on the approaches to the line of contact. Successful local counterattacks, such as the operation executed by the SOF, demonstrate that Ukrainian defense in the Donbas is far from passive, relying instead on constantly probing and exploiting weaknesses in enemy formations.

Combat Dynamics in the Kharkiv Direction and Border Zone

The northern sector of Kharkiv Oblast and the northeastern border regions remain another major center of high-intensity conflict. Since Russia’s attempt to open a new front north of Kharkiv, the battle line in the vicinity of Vovchansk and Lyptsi has largely stabilized, though combat remains intense.

In Vovchansk proper, fighting persists block by block and across industrial complexes. Russian forces continue trying to hold bridgeheads and expand their zone of control, but Ukrainian units actively block these efforts through sustained reconnaissance-strike operations. Long-range artillery and precision drone strikes play a pivotal role in this sector, preventing the enemy from safely massing troops for large-scale pushes.

Furthermore, the entire border strip across Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv oblasts remains under continuous artillery and mortar fire, as well as harassment from drone swarms and sabotage-reconnaissance groups. By maintaining this pressure, Russian command seeks to pin down Ukrainian reserves and prevent their redeployment to critical sectors in the east. The Ukrainian side continues to respond by fortifying defensive infrastructure, expanding minefields, and conducting active electronic warfare operations.

Zaporizhzhia and the Southern Front

Along the southern front line, covering Zaporizhzhia Oblast and the lower reaches of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast, operations are characterized by intense artillery duels and unmanned warfare. In the Zaporizhzhia direction—specifically near Robotyne, Pryyutne, and Vremivka—Russian troops regularly launch localized attacks to regain lost ground and straighten their front lines.

In the Huliaipole direction, 19 combat engagements were recorded over a 24-hour period.

Engagements across the South carry the hallmarks of high-tech positional warfare. Both sides utilize drones for constant aerial reconnaissance and direct strikes on troop concentrations and armored vehicles. Ukrainian defense in this sector hinges on fortified strongpoints and precision strikes against the enemy's rear logistics, including ammunition depots, communication hubs, and air defense systems.

In Kherson Oblast, the primary arena of confrontation remains the Dnipro River delta and its riverine islands. Both forces contest control of these areas using light motorboats, small infantry detachments, and reconnaissance drones. Ukrainian forces maintain steady pressure on the left (eastern) bank of the river, forcing enemy command to commit substantial assets to the area and restricting their operational flexibility.

Meanwhile in Crimea

Ukrainian defense forces struck a storage, preparation, and launch site for attack UAVs, as well as several control systems used for Russian drones in occupied Crimea and Kherson Oblast, on the night of August 16–17.

“A storage, preparation, and launch site for attack UAVs near Hvardiiske in temporarily occupied Ukrainian Crimea was struck. A fire was recorded at the facility,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported.

Ukrainian forces also targeted an Orion UAV ground control station in Novofedorivka. Additionally, a ground-based relay station used to control Geran and Herbera attack drones was struck in Olenivka, in occupied Crimea.

Ukrainian forces further struck a communications and power supply point for a UAV relay station on the Tendra Spit in Kherson Oblast. Earlier, the Ukrainian General Staff confirmed the destruction of two production workshops and damage to four others manufacturing explosives and gunpowder at the Kamensky Plant in Russia's Rostov Oblast.

Operational Outlook

The situation along the Ukrainian-Russian front remains tense and dynamic. Material fatigue and personnel attrition on both sides, combined with the continuous requirement for replenishment, give the ongoing combat an exhausting character. Nevertheless, successful localized operations—such as the liberation of Andriivka-Klevtsove and the capture of a significant enemy contingent—underscore the capacity of Ukrainian defense forces to seize the tactical initiative in key sectors.