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Russian Troops Blow Themselves Up on Own Mines in Dnipro Delta, Resistance Movement Say
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Russian forces are suffering losses in the Dnipro River delta after detonating mines they laid themselves, according to the resistance movement ATESH on February 4.
ATESH agents operating within Russia’s “Dnepr” troop grouping report that Russian units are chaotically and intensively using uncrewed “Sirius-82” boats in the Dnipro delta.
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The vessels are deployed for remote mining of river routes with moored mines and for attempted attacks on Ukrainian watercraft. In practice, however, Russian forces frequently enter areas they have already mined and end up triggering their own explosive barriers.
Since the beginning of 2026, ATESH says it has documented several incidents of self-inflicted explosions involving units engaged in river operations. According to the movement, remote mining is being carried out without proper coordination, up-to-date minefield maps, or systematic tracking of deployed explosives.
“The Dnipro River delta is gradually turning into a deadly trap for the occupiers, where the main threat comes not only from Ukraine’s Defense Forces, but also from their own incompetent command,” the movement said.
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The resistance movement adds that attempts to compensate for failures on the water through so-called technological solutions only further expose widespread mismanagement within Russian forces.
The incidents coincide with earlier reports that Russian forces have begun laying anchored river mines in the Dnipro using uncrewed surface vessels.
Video footage reviewed by the Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi shows an uncrewed boat deploying two moored river mines and releasing them remotely.
The footage, initially distributed by Russian propaganda channels, was used to identify the platform as the Sirius-82, a previously undocumented type of uncrewed surface craft. According to Militarnyi’s analysis, the vessel transports two river mines secured on its deck, which are dropped into the water after onboard locking mechanisms are disengaged.
Militarnyi notes that the Sirius-82 appears to be a compact, lightweight surface drone powered by battery packs. It is controlled via a joystick similar to those used for FPV drones, while video transmission relies on an analog communications system. No further technical details about the platform have been disclosed.
Earlier, it was reported that Russian military aircraft were releasing guided aerial bombs onto Russia’s own Belgorod region, with at least eight such munitions reported to have landed there in recent days.
Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, has published a newly intercepted phone call in which a resident of the border area describes fires breaking out at local infrastructure facilities and acknowledges that some of the strikes were carried out by Russian aircraft themselves.
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