Failed Mechanized Attack by Ukraine Near Pokrovsk Sparks Online Outrage Over Assault Regiment Tactics

The mechanized attack carried out by the 425th Assault Regiment of Ukraine, commonly referred to as Skelia, near Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, has sparked considerable outrage among the Ukrainian public. Criticism from prominent figures in the country focuses on the unnecessary loss of personnel during reckless attacks. This situation has become a topic of discussion on social media, where activists and military experts express their concerns regarding the tactics employed in this instance.

On April 1, Serhiy Sternenko, one of Ukraine's most well-known volunteers providing support to the military and recently appointed advisor to the new Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov, spoke out about the failed attack that occurred on the night of March 31. He shared video footage from Russian drones showing destroyed equipment, which was published on Telegram. The original video, released by Russia's elite drone unit Rubicon, demonstrates how their drones destroyed a Ukrainian M1 Abrams tank, a BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle, and an M1117 armored mobile vehicle, as well as several hits on individual soldiers on the battlefield.

Later that same day, more footage of the destroyed vehicles emerged, which was quickly geolocated to confirm that the attack took place on the E-50 highway, located west of Pokrovsk, near the village of Hryshyne, which is currently contested. The map shows the location where Ukrainian armored vehicles were destroyed during the mechanized assault attempt on March 31, 2025, amid ongoing fighting around Pokrovsk.

Sternenko pointed out that the tactics employed by Skelia during this attack are yet another example of a systematically wasteful approach to offensive operations within the unit, as well as in other assault regiments, leading to excessive losses of Ukrainian personnel, often without any tangible benefits. 'To treat our people in this way is a crime, and those responsible must be held accountable,' wrote the volunteer and advisor. 'What they are doing to people in certain formations is no better than Russian practices. This must end.'

In the evening, Skelia responded to Sternenko on social media, acknowledging the loss of equipment and two soldiers who died in combat nearby. 'To accomplish the mission and preserve the lives of the fighters, favorable weather conditions were utilized, personnel moved in armored vehicles with additional protection, reliable communications were established, and aerial reconnaissance and fire support from drones, artillery, and tanks were provided,' the statement explained regarding the use of armored vehicles.

According to Skelia, the attack was nonetheless successful, as the infantry was able to disembark from the vehicles and continue the mission, while the fifth armored vehicle in the column remained undamaged, successfully evacuating the crews from the destroyed vehicles. On the same day, Ukrainian war veteran and journalist Yuliya Kyriienko, who works for the state television channel 'United News,' visited Skelia, where she recorded radio exchanges allegedly with one of the infantrymen who had been disembarked during the attack, stating that everything was quiet and proceeding according to plan.

The Kyiv Independent was unable to independently verify the fate of the Skelia soldiers who participated in the attack. Skelia's response concluded with a personal challenge to Sternenko himself. 'If Mr. Sternenko knows how to organize assault actions against enemy fortifications in Pokrovsk,' the statement read, 'we are ready to give him, as well as all Ukrainian men and women who have not yet been mobilized, the opportunity to apply their experience in practice as part of our unit and directly participate in the defense of the homeland.'

This post was reshared by the official account of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, hinting at tensions between military command and the new leadership of the Ministry of Defense, which announced an audit of combat losses on March 2. Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion, Sternenko has become one of Ukraine's leading military volunteers, focusing on the creation and supply of hundreds of thousands of drones to Ukrainian units on the front lines to help repel Russian attacks.

Thus, through his social media channels, the long-time nationalist activist has become one of the most trusted opinion leaders within Ukrainian society on issues concerning the war, often unrestrained in his criticism of systemic problems within the country's military leadership. In January 2026, Sternenko was officially included in the fold when he was appointed as an advisor to Fedorov, who brought a new focus on drones and technology in his new role as Minister of Defense.

Skelia is one of the largest, if not the largest, among a group of specialized assault regiments that have been assembled and expanded by Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. Over the past year of Russia's full-scale war, the unit has received a disproportionately large share of mobilized military personnel, utilizing them in 'fire operations' to counterattack advancing Russian forces on the front. Balancing the distribution of new recruits among units has been a task on the presidential office's radar since last year, as announced in December by presidential advisor Pavlo Palisa, but so far there is no evidence of progress.

Since last summer, Skelia has been particularly active in the Pokrovsk area, successfully clearing the city after a massive Russian invasion in July and conducting numerous raids in its northern districts before Russia established full control over Pokrovsk in the winter.