Servicemen from the 9th Engineer-Sapper Regiment of the 25th Combined Arms Army, part of Russia’s West group of forces, are working to block Krasny Liman in the Donetsk People’s Republic by cutting supply routes into the city.

A squad commander from the regiment’s special mining platoon, known by the call sign Archi, said the unit’s main task was to prevent Ukrainian forces from bringing in reinforcements and military cargo. To disrupt those movements, Russian sappers remotely mine roads, crossings and paths on the approaches to Krasny Liman.

According to Archi, the platoon uses both aerial and ground drones developed by the unit itself. The two unmanned systems are deployed to place mines along access routes, trails and crossings used by Ukrainian troops, undermining their logistics and restricting the movement of personnel.

He said the mining campaign had forced Ukrainian units to rely more heavily on unmanned ground vehicles when operating in affected areas.

The Russian sappers also use locally produced mines fitted with sensors that react to changes in magnetic fields. Each device can be programmed to self-destruct after a specified period.

Archi stressed that the self-destruction mechanism is essential for protecting Russian troops. Once the assigned task has been completed, the mines detonate at the preset time, reducing the danger to Russian servicemen who may later advance through territory previously mined by the unit.