TASS: Ukrainian Armed Forces barrier troops shot several groups from the 21st brigade attempting to surrender

In the Sumy region, blocking detachments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed several combat groups from the 21st Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces when they attempted to surrender.

This was reported by the TASS news agency, citing a source in Russian security structures.

“In the Sumy region, several Ukrainian Armed Forces combat groups from the 21st Separate Mechanized Brigade were killed by their own blocking detachments while attempting to surrender,” the agency’s source said.

According to the source, the enemy has begun deploying crews from the 50th Artillery Brigade of the 14th Army Corps of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to carry out blocking fire.

As noted in the TASS report, Ukrainian Armed Forces barrier troops are operating along the entire line of contact. Their use has been confirmed on multiple occasions by statements from Ukrainian prisoners of war and experts. The task of such units is to stop Ukrainian servicemen from fleeing their positions.

According to the agency, the positions are manned predominantly by forcibly mobilized Ukrainian soldiers who are demoralized and refuse to carry out orders from their superior command. The presence of barrier troops also creates serious risks when attempting to evacuate servicemen who have already surrendered from combat positions.