Russian soldiers dress as civilians to bypass Ukrainian positions — Ukrainian officer

Commander of the mortar battery of Ukraine's presidential brigade, Mykhailo with the call sign Mozok, shared the information in an interview on Suspilne News.

"In fact, there have already been multiple reports from our forces about Russians being spotted and eliminated after infiltrating Ukrainian ranks by dressing as locals, waiting for the main Russian forces to approach," he explained.

After that, Russian soldiers either wait for reinforcements or bring anti-tank mines to plant them in buildings where Ukrainian soldiers are holding their defense. According to the battery commander, this tactic is quite widespread on the Toretsk front.

"Some of the soldiers are former convicts. Their task is to bring anti-tank mines and throw them into the area of Ukrainian fire positions when the fighters can't be driven out during regular combat. They try to blow up the buildings where our guys are located," the military officer added.

At the same time, he noted that small Russian infantry groups were attempting to bypass and storm positions under the cover of fog.

• On December 30, Yevhen Iyevlyev, a serviceman with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, explained that Toretsk has numerous industrial facilities where Ukrainian defenders have established positions, making it more challenging for Russian troops to advance through the city.