Russia uses its troops as bait to detect Ukrainian firing positions — Kharkiv troop grouping

This was stated by Vitaliy Sarantsev, a spokesman for the Kharkiv troop grouping, during the United News telethon.

Commenting on Russia’s losses in the Kharkiv region, which include over 16,000 soldiers, he said: "This is a significant number for the enemy. It’s essentially the population of a small district center. The enemy doesn’t care about its losses. They prioritize preserving equipment and weapons over their personnel. That's why they frequently send troops on incomprehensible assaults. Soldiers are used as bait to provoke the Ukrainian Defense Forces into revealing their fire systems. In doing so, the enemy hopes to assess and disrupt our defenses, but those troops are ultimately decimated by our fire."

According to Sarantsev, Vovchansk and the surrounding settlements remain the hottest spot in the sector. In Vovchansk, Russian troops are trying to expand their control zone using all available forces and means, in particular, shelling the town with MLRS or heavy flamethrower systems.

“Sometimes the enemy ends up hitting their own units. This 'friendly fire' shows that the enemy is either in a state of desperation or extreme frustration, with orders to advance toward their units, which are still blocked at the aggregate plant. Naturally, the enemy does not succeed, as we take into account all their available means and capabilities. We are fully aware of the forces they are deploying to reorganize assault groups and reinforce the stormtroopers heading into battle,” said the spokesman.

He added that Russian forces have reduced their activity in the Hlyboke-Lyptsi area. However, according to him, Russian troops continue to shell Ukrainian positions, build up assault groups, reorganize them, trying to recruit new personnel, and increase the number of communication and control systems.

“When the enemy determines favorable conditions for itself, it will try to attack our units. And we must also be prepared for this,” Sarantsev said.

• On Monday, September 23, the Russian army struck at the critical infrastructure of Zaporizhzhia, Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk region, and the suburbs of Kharkiv.