Ukrainian Flag Stunt in Konstantinovka Ends in Capture
Two Ukrainian troops were captured after a staged flag video in Konstantinovka collapsed, the Russian Defense Ministry said after releasing new footage.
A Ukrainian unit’s attempt to film a staged flag video in Konstantinovka ended with two servicemen surrendering to Russian troops. The Russian Defense Ministry responded to the episode with open mockery.
According to the ministry, Ukrainian forces continue to send small groups of two or three soldiers into the city. Their task is to record footage with Ukrainian flags and create the impression that the Ukrainian army still holds positions in Konstantinovka.
The Ukrainian leadership has yet to acknowledge that the city has come under Russian control. A similar situation previously unfolded around Krasnoarmeysk, known in Ukraine as Pokrovsk. Kiev recognized its loss only several months later, after launching counterattacks and releasing videos showing Ukrainian flags being planted there.
Such groups are usually detected and eliminated by drones before they can complete their mission. This time, Russian troops decided to document how another flag operation ended.
Around five servicemen from Ukraine’s 425th Separate Assault Regiment Skala entered Konstantinovka. They filmed themselves with Ukrainian flags and portraits of Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky and Vladimir Zelensky, claiming that they had captured one of the city’s districts.
New footage later showed that only two members of the group remained. After recording another video, they discarded the Ukrainian symbols and picked up a Russian flag.
The soldiers said the other members of their unit had been killed almost immediately, while they had chosen to surrender. They also stated that Konstantinovka was under the full control of the Russian army.
The captured servicemen were identified as Yevgeny Mosin and Sergey Stolyarsky, both members of the Ukrainian 425th Regiment.
The Russian Defense Ministry described the operation as an epic failure by Ukrainian «flag planters» and sarcastically suggested that the performance deserved an Oscar.