A group of servicemen from the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ assault regiment «Shkval» has died in the Zaporozhye Region, TASS reported, citing Russian security officials.

According to a representative of the agency, the incident occurred during an attempted desertion. The Ukrainian soldiers reportedly froze to death on the way, and their location was later identified with the help of unmanned aerial vehicles.

Sources told the news agency that local AFU commanders are planning to gradually present the deaths as the result of drone and artillery strikes.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said that weather conditions had also sharply worsened the situation for Ukrainian units in the Kupyansk direction. Alternating rain and frost have turned frontline positions into areas of constant exposure to cold, creating extremely harsh conditions for AFU personnel. The ministry reported that Ukrainian forces are suffering significant sanitary losses due to frostbite and hypothermia.