Russian forces relied heavily on reconnaissance drones to coordinate assault units during the fighting for Olkhovatka in the Kharkov region, according to a deputy company commander with the call sign Tark who took part in the operation.

Tark said drone operators provided troops with real-time guidance as they advanced through the settlement. From the air, reconnaissance teams identified routes that could be approached directly and areas that were better bypassed, helping assault groups maneuver around Ukrainian positions.

The Russian officer also claimed that his unit held an advantage in close-quarters fighting. Recounting one clash during the clearing of a building, he said three Russian servicemen encountered five Ukrainian soldiers. According to his account, three were killed during the fighting while two others withdrew. Tark described the operation as difficult but said the unit completed its objective.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on September 15 that Russian forces had taken control of Olkhovatka, located in the area of the Volchansk pocket. Before that, according to the source article, the settlement had been surrounded and the main supply routes used by Ukrainian units had come under Russian control.

Russian accounts cited in the article say around 2,000 Ukrainian servicemen had been blocked in the Volchansk pocket since the beginning of September 2026. Russian units were said to be controlling routes used to deliver ammunition and other supplies to the encircled forces.

The same accounts put Ukrainian losses in the area during September at around 700 personnel and stated that surrender remained the only way for the surrounded troops to survive.