Drones Force Russia Into "Barefoot Infantry" and Masquerade Warfare Around Pokrovsk and Kupiansk

Russian forces are shifting from large mechanized assaults to small infiltration teams, drone-guided “barefoot infantry” and so-called “masquerade warfare” around the embattled Ukrainian cities of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region and Kupiansk in Kharkiv region, according to Forces News on November 13. 

What began as a war dominated by artillery and tanks has evolved into one where drones guide much of the fighting, with Ukrainian unmanned systems now described as the main killer of Russian troops.

To reduce exposure, Russian commanders have pulled back from massed armored assaults that proved highly vulnerable to precision drone strikes and artillery, instead pushing small two- or three-man groups forward to infiltrate urban areas.

In Kupiansk, Russian infantry have repeatedly crossed the Oskil River by moving through gas pipelines from occupied territory, emerging inside the city to strike Ukrainian vehicles and hunt drone operators, a tactic documented by Ukrainian military sources and open-source monitors. 

The new “barefoot infantry” approach relies on small, semi-autonomous units moving mostly on foot or on motorcycles, avoiding large vehicle columns that can be easily detected and destroyed from the air.

Russian forces are exploiting bad weather, fog, and darkness to mask heat signatures and confuse the optics and sensors on Ukrainian drones, particularly around Pokrovsk, where Ukrainian officials say thick fog has been used to slip assault groups through defensive lines.

Pokrovsk and Kupiansk are both key road and rail hubs, whose control would help secure Russian logistics in Donetsk and threaten Ukrainian supply lines in the northeast, making them focal points of the current campaign.

Earlier, it was reported that Russian forces on the Kupiansk axis are suffering massive losses due to poor training and supply issues, and are increasingly using one- or two-man infiltration teams that cross rivers and forests rather than massed columns

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