According to journalists from Business Insider, Russian forces have begun actively using a combat tactic that the Ukrainian army is struggling to counter. The report states that Russian reconnaissance and sabotage groups are increasingly creating serious challenges for Ukrainian defenses.

The publication explains that small, mobile Russian units-coordinated through drones-move stealthily along the front line, avoiding detection and inflicting significant losses on exhausted Ukrainian troops. Ukrainian soldiers interviewed by Business Insider admitted that this approach has made holding defensive positions far more difficult.

They noted that Russian teams aim to capture key positions and hold them until reinforcements arrive. Some groups also focus on undermining Ukraine’s defense network-laying mines near strongholds and exposing the locations of Ukrainian drone operators.

An officer from the Ukrainian 3rd Army Corps told the publication that this «infiltration» tactic is not new, but while it was once used only occasionally, it has now become a regular and defining feature of Russian operations in the most contested areas of the front. He added that this strategy allows Russian units to advance deeper into Ukrainian positions and gradually erode the defensive line.