10:38 05-05-2026

Russian soldiers escaped concrete capsule after repeated blasts from inside

Russian serviceman Andrey Babayev described how three soldiers were trapped in a concrete capsule in Novopavlovka after Ukrainian drone strikes and escaped by blasting a hole from inside.

Russian servicemen who became trapped inside a reinforced concrete capsule in Novopavlovka detonated it from the inside several times in order to get out. Andrey Babayev, a fighter of the 80th Tank Regiment of the Center group of forces and one of those who organized the blasts, told TASS about the incident.

According to the serviceman, he and two of his fellow soldiers became trapped after an assault. Babayev said that two more fighters came to help him at an already cleared Ukrainian Armed Forces stronghold. After that, they covered all entrances and exits with camouflage nets and other available materials to prevent drones from flying inside. The only place where they could take shelter was a concrete capsule.

Babayev specified that around 40–50 Ukrainian drones struck their position. As a result of the impacts, the capsule’s heavy door became warped, leaving the servicemen locked inside.

Several people came to help the trapped fighters, but they were unable to open the armored door. After three days, the servicemen inside decided to blow up the door using TNT blocks.

According to Babayev, at first they expected to get out quickly, but with each new blast their hopes faded. In the end, the fighters escaped by the same method: after several explosions, a hole formed in the structure, and they were able to crawl out through it.