Russian soldiers die in photo-driven flag missions for command reports
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Russian commanders are sending soldiers on high-risk flag-planting missions to produce battlefield photo reports from areas not fully under Moscow’s control, according to Radio Svoboda.
The report described the practice as “flag planting,” in which small Russian assault groups infiltrate contested settlements, raise a Russian flag, and record footage for propaganda or command reporting. Radio Svoboda linked the tactic to Moscow’s recent claims about Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region, where fighting continues despite Russian declarations of control.
The Institute for the Study of War reported on July 5 that Russian forces have infiltrated significant parts of Kostyantynivka but have not secured control or established lasting positions across much of the city.
ISW assessed that Russia is conducting a targeted information campaign around the claimed seizure, while Ukrainian officials rejected Moscow’s claims.
A relative of Russian serviceman Yevgeny Kiselev told Radio Svoboda that his group was sent into Petrovka to wave a flag and record proof for commanders.
“But in fact, it was not under our control then. My brother was attacked by drones immediately. Most of the group was destroyed,” he stated. Military expert David Sharp told Radio Svoboda that such missions often serve command reporting rather than military necessity.
He described the practice as “window dressing for superiors and propaganda,” adding that false reports move upward through the chain of command and can trigger further losses.
Recall, in November 2024, Russian command announced the capture of the village of Petrovka, south of Pokrovsk in the Donbas. Before the war, Petrovka had a population of fewer than 400 people. A report on the propaganda channel NTV claimed that the village consisted of only two streets, but "the enemy clung to it with all its scarce artillery." The assault troops who captured Petrovka were later presented with awards.
In April 2025, the Russians continued their offensive toward Pokrovsk, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces periodically counterattacked south of the city. On April 18, a group of soldiers was sent to Petrovka to unfurl the Russian flag in the center of the village. Among the group was serviceman Yevgeny Kiselev from the Irkutsk region, his relative, Irina , told Sibir.Realii
Radio Svoboda reported similar cases in Krynky, Poltavka, Kupiansk, and near the Dnipropetrovsk regional border, where Russian soldiers were reportedly killed during photo-driven missions.
ISW has assessed that Russian forces will likely continue making tactical gains in Kostyantynivka, but at high cost and without a rapid operational breakthrough against Ukraine’s wider defensive belt.
The staged imagery has increased online, where fabricated battlefield claims no longer require soldiers to advance.
In June 2026, footage purporting to show troops raising Russian flags on the western outskirts of Kostiantynivka and in the nearby village of Dovha Balka was released the same day, and both were claimed to have been captured.
The footage was assessed as likely to have been generated with artificial intelligence, consistent with earlier Russian information operations built around claims of territorial advance.
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