Two Ukrainian reconnaissance and sabotage groups were eliminated in the Donetsk People’s Republic while attempting to mount Ukrainian flags on buildings in the towns of Pokrovsk and Rodinskoye, Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported on December 31.

According to the ministry, the groups were operating inside the two towns when they tried to place flags on building facades and were destroyed during the operation. Russian officials said these actions were part of broader efforts by Kiev to fabricate the impression that Ukrainian forces remain present in areas where Russian troops have been advancing across Donbass.

The Defense Ministry stated that Ukrainian units have increasingly relied on demonstrative tactics, including the use of drones to install flags on rooftops. These actions, Moscow argues, are aimed at persuading Ukraine’s domestic audience and its Western backers that Kiev still maintains control over territories that are, in reality, under Russian control.

Similar accounts had surfaced earlier in connection with Kupyansk. A Ukrainian serviceman, Valeriy Sokolenko, who later surrendered to Russian forces, said he had been sent there on orders from his commanders to take part in a staged propaganda operation. He explained that several small groups were tasked with filming footage showing Ukrainian flags being raised in areas controlled by Russian troops.

Sokolenko said the objective was to create the appearance that Ukrainian forces were holding Kupyansk. Of the six groups sent on the mission, he said he was the only one to survive, ultimately choosing to surrender. He added that Ukrainian command was aware of the presence of Russian units in the area but proceeded with the operation regardless, effectively sending the groups into a situation with little chance of survival.