Ukrainian military official explains peculiarities of dealing with Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups on Northern front

A Russian soldier. Photo: Getty Images

Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups (SRGs) operating on the northern front consist of well-trained officer groups from the Russian secret services and the General Directorate of the Russian General Staff.

Source: Serhii Naiev, Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, during the national joint 24/7 newscast

Quote: “Each SRG consists of 10-12 individuals. All of these SRGs are part of the Russian secret services, as well as the Main Directorate of the Russian General Staff.

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It is essential to understand that these are officer groups [as opposed to rank-and-file troops]. They are well trained, and focused on operating only in the border area. This is a small area, a few kilometres wide, along the thousand-kilometre-long state border. And they will seek to commit terrorist acts against civilians or military personnel.”

Details: Naiev stressed that Ukraine’s northern national border is essentially the line of contact, after the previous defeat of Russian incursions into Ukrainian territory from the north.

Background: On 4 February, soldiers of the Territorial Defence Forces engaged in protecting Operational Zone Pivnich (North) thwarted an attempt by a Russian SRG to cross the state border of Ukraine on the Sumy front, killing some of the Russian invaders.

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