Defense Forces Thwart Invaders’ Assault on Border Village of Sotnytskyi Kozachok, Kharkiv Region

Unmanned systems units of the State Border Guard Service and the 22nd Mechanized Brigade have fought off an assault by Russian forces that had concentrated a significant number of infantry in the border village of Sotnytskyi Kozachok in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. The section of the front line had previously been inactive.

The Strix unmanned systems unit of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine released footage showing the destruction of the assault group.
According to the unit, Russian forces attempted to resume assault operations in the northern Kharkiv region.

Border guards, together with the STAR unmanned systems battalion of the 22nd Mechanized Brigade, destroyed the attacking group.

“Thanks to the steel infantry that stands stronger than concrete. The work continues, and there will be more to come,” the border guards reported.

Based on the footage, Russian forces had concentrated a sizable infantry presence in the ruins of the border village, likely with the aim of advancing deeper into Ukrainian territory.

On December 19, the Kharkiv-based media outlet MediaPort, citing Viktor Kovalenko, head of the Zolochiv village military administration, reported that fighting had been ongoing in Sotnytskyi Kozachok, part of the Zolochiv community, for several consecutive days.

“We are conducting assault operations in Sotnytskyi Kozachok. Russian troops are trying to break through and seize frontline villages, but our forces are not letting them in and are holding the defense line. As a result, shelling has intensified: artillery and FPV drones are striking constantly. The situation remains consistently difficult. There are no civilians left in Sotnytskyi Kozachok,” Kovalenko reported.

Due to the deterioration of the security situation, shelling has intensified across the community, Kovalenko added. On the evening of December 18, the border village of Odnorobivka, neighboring Sotnytskyi Kozachok, was shelled with Grad multiple-launch rocket systems. Two two-storey apartment buildings, two single-storey apartment buildings, and power lines were damaged.

Until recently, this section of the front line had remained relatively quiet compared with the main directions of Russia’s offensive.

On December 20, Russian troops entered the border village of Hrabovske in the Krasnopil community of Ukraine’s Sumy region, another previously inactive sector of the front line. According to Ukrainian authorities, about 50 residents who had earlier refused to evacuate were taken into Russian territory. Available information indicates the civilians were transported to Russia for so-called filtration procedures.

The head of the communications department of Ukraine’s Joint Forces Group, Tregubov, confirmed that on the evening of December 20, Russian soldiers took 50 people from Hrabovske in the Sumy region. He said Russian forces appeared to be attempting to establish an infiltration zone of up to one kilometer around the village.

“This does not look like an attempt to create a local breakthrough. At this stage, it does not appear to be part of a larger operation. It looks like a local provocation in a direction that was not previously a priority,” Tregubov said in an interview with Suspilne.Studio.