- A public dispute erupted after Serhii Sternenko accused commanders of Ukraine’s 425th Skelia Regiment over a failed March 31 assault near Pokrovsk, while the unit denied the claims and said the operation was a successful counterattack.
- Russian sources said FPV drone operators repelled a Ukrainian armored push near Hryshyne, while the regiment reported four vehicles were hit but said only two soldiers were killed and the assault group remains engaged at the objective.
A public dispute broke out in Ukraine over a reported assault near Pokrovsk after volunteer, blogger, and Defense Ministry adviser Serhii Sternenko accused commanders of the 425th “Skelia” Assault Regiment of sending troops into an operation that left Ukrainian soldiers exposed to drone strikes and caused multiple casualties.
Sternenko said the assault involved armored vehicles moving in a column under conditions of heavy drone activity, arguing that such tactics had turned Ukrainian troops into easy targets. In a public statement, he compared the reported tactics to Russian assault methods that Ukraine has frequently criticized, particularly the use of columns in areas dominated by strike drones.
“We often laugh at the enemy when it sends its troops in columns into an assault. In conditions of total drone dominance, columns become easy targets, the enemy suffers heavy losses. And continues to do it again and again. But what should be done about Ukrainian commanders who do the same?” Sternenko wrote.
He also said he had reviewed footage recorded by Russian strike drones, which he claimed showed destroyed equipment from the 425th Regiment near Pokrovsk after the failed assault. Sternenko said he would not publish footage showing the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers.
“Footage with the bodies of our soldiers I will not publish. Unfortunately, there are many of them there,” he wrote.
Russian sources, meanwhile, claimed that on March 31, 2026, Ukrainian forces attempted a breakthrough near the settlement of Hryshyne under foggy conditions using up to four vehicles, including an M1A1 Abrams tank, an M1117 armored personnel carrier, and a BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle. According to those reports, FPV drone operators from the “Rubikon” unit, working together with forces from the “Center” grouping, stopped the attempt, destroying the vehicles and killing Ukrainian personnel.
The comments quickly drew a sharp response from the regiment, which rejected Sternenko’s conclusions and said his assessment relied on Russian propaganda material that had been deliberately edited.
According to the unit’s press service, the video and post used by Sternenko combined strike footage from different days and different sectors of the front and did not directly relate to the March 31 operation.
“Mr. Sternenko used in his assessment of the regiment’s actions a post and video from Russian sources, which deliberately edited strike data from different days in different sectors of the front and which do not directly relate to the operation of March 31. Based on Russian distorted data, Mr. Sternenko made conclusions that do not correspond to reality, but correspond to the goals of Russian propaganda,” the unit said.
The regiment acknowledged that armored vehicles had been used during the assault action the previous day, but insisted the operation was a successful counterattack rather than a failed assault.
Unit officials said favorable weather conditions were used to support the mission and reduce risks to personnel. They added that troops moved in armored vehicles fitted with additional protection and were supported by secure communications, aerial reconnaissance, drones, artillery, and a tank.
“To complete the task and preserve the lives of the fighters, favorable weather conditions were used, people moved in armored vehicles with additional protection, reliable communication, aerial reconnaissance, fire support by drones, artillery, and a tank were established,” the regiment said.
The unit also confirmed that four armored vehicles were struck by enemy drones near the objective. However, it said casualties were limited to two soldiers killed near the vehicles in drone strikes during the March 31 fighting.
According to the regiment, all vehicle crews were evacuated by a fifth armored vehicle in the column that returned intact.
“All the vehicle crews were evacuated on the fifth combat vehicle in the column, which returned intact. The assault group at the attack objective is conducting battle, remains in contact with command, and is receiving maximum fire support,” the regiment added.
The exchange highlights growing scrutiny inside Ukraine over assault tactics in areas saturated with reconnaissance and strike drones. Operations involving concentrated vehicle movement have become increasingly hazardous as both sides deploy persistent aerial surveillance and FPV strike systems capable of rapidly targeting armored formations.
The dispute also underlines the tension between public wartime commentary, battlefield reporting, and the use of enemy-source footage. While Sternenko framed the operation as evidence of unacceptable command decisions and called such treatment of troops a crime requiring accountability, the regiment said the public narrative had been shaped by manipulated Russian material.
The 425th Regiment invited Sternenko to visit its headquarters and review the circumstances of the battle firsthand. The incident is likely to continue drawing attention because it touches on one of the most pressing battlefield issues in the war: how to conduct offensive and counterassault operations under near-constant drone surveillance while limiting losses in men and equipment.