21 Nov: Point-Blank Tank Raid. Russian Soldiers Eradicated. - Reporting from Ukraine

Today there is a lot of news from the Pokrovsk direction.

Here, in a stark demonstration of the consequences of poorly coordinated offensives, Russian forces suffered devastating losses during their recent wave of attacks, leaving their surviving units scattered across a vast territory and vulnerable. Seizing the opportunity, Ukrainian forces launched a swift counterattack, effortlessly reclaiming lost ground and exposing the fragility of the Russian foothold.

In recent days, the Russians initiated an offensive across multiple fronts, with their primary objective in the southwest focused on advancing along the railway line from Selydove toward settlements south of Pokrovsk. Their goal was to place key Ukrainian supply lines in the city under fire control, thereby disrupting logistics and exerting pressure on defensive positions. To achieve this, they utilized Selydove as their operational base. However, their progress quickly stalled as the terrain ahead presented significant challenges.

If we look at the topographic map, we can see that the terrain in the Selydove area consists of a mix of relatively low-lying areas with higher ridges dispersed. While Selydove itself appears on slightly higher ground relative to some of the surrounding villages like Hryhorivka, the terrain towards Novooleksiivka gradually levels off, providing limited opportunities for sustained observation points. Despite the elevation in some areas, the terrain lacks significant natural cover like forests or hills because of the vast areas of open agricultural fields, making attacking Russian forces not only highly visible to Ukrainian defenders but also vulnerable to minefields, which the Ukrainians have thoroughly prepared and enriched in the past weeks.

At the same time, Novooleksiivka benefits from slightly higher terrain elevations compared to the approaches from Selydove. This height advantage, although not steep, offers better fields of observation for defensive forces combined with the usage of the natural barriers to establish protected supply routes, ensuring logistical continuity under pressure.

Additionally, Novooleksiivka is surrounded by a dispersed network of roads, providing defenders with the flexibility to quickly reinforce their positions or execute tactical withdrawals. This advantage enabled the Ukrainians to mount an effective counterattack against the remnants of Russian forces that had briefly established a foothold in the village.

Drone operators from the Omega special forces unit of the National Guard of Ukraine released a compelling video showcasing their coordinated efforts to eliminate the remaining Russian troops entrenched in Novooleksiivka. The operation began with two Ukrainian tanks boldly advancing into the village, using precision strikes to target several houses identified through aerial surveillance as key positions harboring concentrated Russian forces.

After completing their assault, the first tank withdrew, deploying a smoke screen to obscure its movements and shield itself from any counterattacks. However, as it retreated, a Russian FPV drone emerged over the horizon, targeting the second tank that had remained in position to cover the withdrawal. At this critical moment, the Ukrainian tank crew demonstrated their expert knowledge of the terrain, choosing a position in a lowland area that created a radio shadow, disrupting the drone’s ability to strike its target. Also, the vulnerable parts of the tank were shielded by nearby bushes, further complicating the drone’s attempts to attack.

The footage continues with several attempts of the Russian drone to attack but without success. It hovered, waiting for the moment to strike, but the tank confused the operators' plans with a deceptive maneuver, managed to fire another shot, and released a new smoke screen. Visible from the footage, the drone started looking for a target where there was no longer one. This allowed both Ukrainian tanks to take cover with electronic warfare and return to safety. The Russian kamikaze drone, having lost connection to the operators, simply rose into the sky and later crashed.