Russian invaders suffering friendly fire incidents in Tavria operational zone - spox

Due to significant losses, the Russian invasion forces are struggling to keep up the morale of their soldiers which leads to the lack of cohesion resulting in deadly incidents involving friendly fire.

The spokesperson for the Tavria grouping of troops, Colonel Oleksandr Shtupun, reported this on the air of the national telethon, Ukrinform reports.

"In some Russian units, as a result of significant losses, the level of morale and psychological condition is very low. The invaders are scared so they shoot at everything that moves. There have been more friendly fire incidents lately, involving both infantry and drones," Shtupun said.

He noted more frequent cases where Russian soldiers snub commanders’ orders to go on assault and offensive missions.

"Russian armored vehicle crews are sabotaging participation in assaults in various ways. They know that the chance of survival is small, because tanks, IFVs, and APCs are the first to be hit in an attack," the spokesperson emphasized.

In addition, he informed that Russia’s death toll over the past day has amounted to 512. Also, Ukraine destroyed 40 units of enemy military equipment. Two Russian soldiers surrendered.

Shtupun also noted that the Russian forces have intensified their efforts in the Marinka direction where Ukraine repelled 15 attacks near Marinka, Pobieda, and Novomykhailivka of Donetsk region. The intensity of airstrikes remained the same.

In total, the enemy launched 15 airstrikes, a missile strike, and 778 artillery barrages, engaging in 37 combat clashes in the area.

According to Shtupun, the enemy does not stop trying to besiege Avdiivka, trying to advance despite suffering significant losses. At the tactical level, the enemy constantly changes the points of pressure. Over the past day, Ukrainian soldiers have repelled four enemy assaults in the areas of Novobakhmutivka amd Avdiivka, and another 17 attacks near Pervomaiske and Nevelske.

In the Zaporizhzhia direction, Ukrainian defenders repelled an enemy attack in the Robotyne area.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, some Russian units operating in the Tavria direction refuse to go on assault missions, with soldiers rebelling against their commanders and fleeing from trenches.