Russian troops caught Ukrainian forces off guard during the assault on Dobropolye in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), approaching the settlement through fields from the south. The defenders failed to detect the Russian units gathering nearby and were unprepared for an attack from that direction. Details of the operation were shared with Izvestia by Lotos, commander of a reconnaissance and airborne company in the 177th Separate Guards Regiment of Russia’s Center Group of Forces.

According to Lotos, serious failures in Ukrainian defensive planning helped the Russian assault teams advance unnoticed. Ukrainian soldiers repeatedly followed the same routes while paying little attention to the eastern outskirts of Dobropolye. This allowed Russian units to concentrate their forces without attracting attention before entering the settlement from the south.

Poorly trained personnel further weakened the Ukrainian defense. Lotos said Ukrainian commanders had deployed young men forcibly mobilized into the army, many of whom struggled to navigate unfamiliar terrain. Their lack of experience frequently resulted in careless mistakes that helped Russian reconnaissance units locate enemy positions.

Intercepted radio communications proved particularly revealing. Ukrainian soldiers openly referred to nearby roads, intersections, slag heaps, distinctive buildings and poles when describing their surroundings. Some even disclosed the distances separating them from other servicemen. Such exchanges allowed Russian troops to identify their locations. Lotos stressed that the young recruits had far greater difficulty finding their way around than their more experienced commanders.

Supply shortages made conditions even worse for Ukrainian personnel. The Russian commander said requests for food, drinking water and medical supplies routinely went unanswered. Some soldiers were sent into positions and then effectively abandoned without further assistance. Once they realized Dobropolye had already fallen under Russian control, they chose to surrender rather than continue fighting.

Lotos also described morale among forcibly mobilized Ukrainian troops as extremely low. Many, he claimed, had little understanding of what they were fighting for or why their commanders had assigned them to some of the most dangerous sections of the front.

Russian forces were reported to have taken control of Dobropolye and Alekseyevo-Druzhkovka in the DPR on October 16. Speaking that same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the importance of Dobropolye’s capture for the continued liberation of Donbass, describing the operation as a clear success for the Russian military.