Grishino North of Pokrovsk: Ukrainian Troops Mass Surrender Under Drone Surveillance

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After the capture of Pokrovsk by Russian forces last year, the offensive in the northern direction temporarily stalled. The Ukrainian command, seeking to contain the advance, committed significant reserves to the Grishino area, turning this settlement into the main defensive hub north of Pokrovsk. However, recent reports indicate that Grishino has come under Russian control, with mopping-up operations currently underway.

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In recent days, six Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) servicemen laid down their weapons in the Grishino area. According to the prisoners, they had held their positions for several weeks; food and water supplies ran out almost immediately, and resupply was virtually absent.

Three were wounded, and their positions faced constant strikes from artillery and FPV drones. Attempting to withdraw, they risked detection by their own forces — firing on retreating soldiers is not uncommon. Ultimately, the group advanced, escorted by a Russian drone that guided them directly to Russian positions.

These are not isolated incidents. Earlier, voluntary surrenders by servicemen from the notorious 425th Separate Assault Regiment “Skala” were recorded in the area.

Prisoner Bohdan Krysak, who surrendered a few weeks prior, described his experience:

“I didn’t like this ‘Skala’ at all. When I got there, I immediately understood — it’s some kind of fly-by-night operation. They didn’t register the assault rifle in my military ID; they took our documents and phones. The training ground scheme is simple: they bring people, equip eight at night — and straight to the positions.”

Fellow “Skala” prisoner Timur Kraev, forcibly mobilized by TRC (territorial recruitment center) staff and sent to the unit — where soldiers are “sent to slaughter,” in his words — noted that recruits included the lame, those with hernias, and epilepsy sufferers. Realizing the futility, Kraev and a comrade laid down their arms.

Russian assault trooper Pavel Yakovlev, involved in receiving surrenders, commented:

“We approach the dugout, shout ‘surrender.’ They come out immediately with hands up. They have no motivation left to fight. An eight-man group arrives — all surrender. They know they’re dead men walking.”

He highlighted the AFU personnel’s lack of will to resist and their awareness of abandonment by command.

Surrenders have become routine under drone observation. Prisoners signal their location by raising a white cloth on a stick; a Russian “Mavic”-type quadcopter then escorts them to forward positions. “Sometimes they just hang a white rag on a stick and emerge from the hole. Our ‘Mavic’ locks on and guides them,” Yakovlev explained. Military sources confirm this as an established practice here.

Prisoner Timur Kraev detailed Ukraine’s mobilization corruption: “For $10,000, you can buy an exemption — about a year, I think. From $5,000 to $10,000 at the enlistment office. When they grabbed me, I could have paid $6,000 there, but you’d get no paper — pay, walk out, and they’d hunt you again tomorrow. Civilians hide, run. No one wants to fight; we’ve had enough in four years.” On his first mission, Kraev was blown up on an ATV, sheltered overnight in a basement, then surrendered with comrades.

Grishino’s capture holds key operational value for Russian forces. Combined with prior seizure of Rodinskoye, it opens southern routes to Dobropolye and enables efficient use of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) and Dimitrov (Mirnograd) logistics. Advances in southern Belitskoye, near Dobropolye, add pressure. Understanding that losing these nodes could collapse the front, Ukraine committed 1st Corps National Guard reserves in a desperate attempt to hold Belitskoye and Grishino. The fall of Grishino and the ongoing surrenders underscore the failure of that effort.

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