According to a source within Russian security agencies, families of Ukrainian servicemen have demanded that the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine withdraw troops from the Gulyaypole area in the Zaporozhye region to save their lives.

The source said that relatives of soldiers from the 5th Battalion of the 102nd Territorial Defense Brigade gathered in Ivano-Frankovsk, urging military leaders to pull the troops out of what they described as a critical situation.

He noted that the demonstration included not only families of those still listed as alive but also relatives of the dead and missing. The protesters demanded an official investigation into the heavy losses suffered by Ukrainian forces near Gulyaypole.

According to the same source, the participants also raised concerns about the disappearance of a battalion from the 125th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade, with which contact had been lost. The source added that, in his view, the only way for Ukrainian soldiers to stay alive is to quietly leave their units.