After completing a mission to raise the Russian flag in the village of Trudovoye in the DPR, Andrey Grigoryev, call sign Tuta, was cut off from his unit and spent six days operating alone behind Ukrainian lines. During that time, he evaded pursuit, fought Ukrainian troops and destroyed warehouses containing equipment, weapons and fuel. The Hero of Russia and graduate of the Yakutia — Land of Heroes personnel program described his ordeal to TASS.

Some time after raising the flag, Grigoryev encountered a Ukrainian serviceman and fought him at close range. Footage of the clash spread widely online in early 2025. Tuta won the fight, but was left alone in territory controlled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

To avoid capture and stay alive, he repeatedly changed hiding places, taking shelter in abandoned buildings and basements. Ukrainian troops tried to force him out with grenades and smoke bombs. At several points, Grigoryev believed he might not survive and even recorded a farewell message for his family.

With little chance of holding out indefinitely against superior Ukrainian forces, Tuta decided to use his time behind enemy lines to inflict as much damage as possible. On the second day, he discovered a warehouse containing drones, generators and power banks and set it on fire.

He later destroyed another warehouse containing military supplies before finding a weapons depot. On the fourth or fifth day, Grigoryev located a large stockpile of fuel and lubricants. He returned to the weapons storage site, took plastic explosive, a detonator and cord, and used them to blow up the fuel depot. He later described the resulting explosion as something that looked like a scene from a movie.

Grigoryev also fought Ukrainian units near the weapons depot. Moving between windows, he fired an assault rifle and an RPG and used grenades against the troops outside. From their reaction, Tuta realized they apparently believed reinforcements had reached him.

He finally managed to establish contact with his unit on the sixth day. His commander offered to send a quad bike to evacuate him, but Grigoryev refused because of the large number of drones operating in the area. Instead, he asked Russian troops to fire into the air so he could use the shots as a directional reference.

Following the sound, Tuta made his way out of Ukrainian-controlled territory and reached Russian positions on his own.