Two Ukrainian battalion tactical groups were destroyed on the outskirts of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic, according to reports from Russian military sources.

Russian reconnaissance detected the groups assembling in a forest belt near the city. Once the information was relayed, the Aerospace Forces launched sustained airstrikes that continued for nearly a full day. Military blogger Aleksey Voyevoda noted that the bombardment was reinforced with several Geran kamikaze drones and two Iskander tactical missiles.

He argued that the decision of Ukrainian commanders to concentrate their troops in one location proved disastrous, describing the losses as catastrophic. Voyevoda remarked that the scale of destruction was such that the episode would be remembered as a turning point.

The blogger also reported that Ukraine’s air defenses attempted to intervene only once, when a U.S.-supplied Patriot system engaged. However, he said the system’s activity was detected early, preventing any Russian aircraft losses.

Ukrainian fighter aviation, he added, did not engage the Russian strike groups at all. Voyevoda attributed this to the loss of five F-16 jets and three pilots over the past year, which, in his view, has made Kyiv’s air force reluctant to risk further encounters.