GoPro Footage Shows Intense Combat Between SSO Fighters and Russian Forces in Kharkiv Region

A GoPro video featuring the Special Operations Forces (SSO) Group Two unit in the Kharkiv region in a firefight with Russian forces near the village of Lyptsi has been circulating on social media.

Lyptsi, a small village located 10 km (6 miles) from the Russian border, has been under attack by Russian forces with aerial bombs and artillery shelling.

The video, the authenticity of which Kyiv Post could not independently verify, reportedly filmed in the spring of 2024, shows SSO fighters’ dynamic combat operations.

In a comment to Kyiv Post, a Ukrainian military officer praised the footage as a benchmark of Ukrainian infantry tactics in defending their positions and countering Russian advances.

“I believe these scenes will feature in documentaries about Ukraine’s defense of its sovereignty and in the latest warfare textbooks,” he said.

The footage highlights various weapon systems used by the SSO fighters, including Soviet-era AK74 rifles, Kalashnikov machine guns, and American M4 assault rifles. It also captures the use of the RPG-7 anti-tank grenade launcher and the 40mm Fort-600 grenade launcher.

“A standout feature of the video is the deployment of the 9K111 Fagot (bassoon) anti-tank missile system (PTRK),” the serviceman said.

According to him, operating this system requires exceptional skill, allowing operators to hit moving targets up to 5.5 km (3.4 miles) away in daylight and 3 km (1.9 miles) in darkness.

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The Ukrainian military regularly reports that Russian forces are resorting to ‘meat assaults,’ sending wounded or poorly trained fighters into battle as cannon fodder.

The video also demonstrates the teamwork and position changes of the SSO unit, aligning with established warfare tactics.

It provides a glimpse into well-equipped defensive positions and trenches, with fighters using ammunition boxes to construct their dugouts.

Back at the end of July, the Third Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) released GoPro footage, showing close combat between Ukrainian stormtroopers and Russian troops in the Kharkiv region.

The brigade fighters entered the dugouts where Russian soldiers were hiding at dawn. The Ukrainians engaged in close combat under fire from Russian thermobaric ammunition.

Ukrainian stormtroopers assisted their comrades and continued the sweep until the Russian fighters were eliminated or captured.