Russian soldiers were attacked after they tried to shoot down a Ukrainian flag sent into the sky

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has produced a lot of headlines about the terrible things that have unfolded since the conflict began. However, sometimes the stories that make headlines reveal another side of the war.

In September 2023, some media outlets reported on a weird strike that Ukrainian forces launched against Russian positions, an attack that was only launched after a group of Russian soldiers tried to shoot a Ukrainian flag out of the sky.

Some Russian soldiers don't seem to be very intelligent. Nothing exemplified that point more than when Russian troops revealed their positions while trying to shoot down a Ukrainian flag lifted into the air by balloons during a celebration, a move that saw the soldiers and their positions subsequently targeted.

Photo Credit: Telegram @StepanychUA

The large flag was attached to dozens of balloons according to a report by Business Insider, which noted at the time that the flag was launched from the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka to commemorate the 245th founding of the town. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @StepanychUA

Vitalii Barabash was the head of the Avdiivka City Military Administration at the time and he went on national television to explain what happened in the skies above the occupied territories after the flag was launched into the air by Ukrainian forces.

"Today is the 245th anniversary of the founding of Avdiivka. We started the day with activity—we launched the state flag on balloons into the sky. It flew towards Donetsk,” Barabash explained according to a translation of his comments bai Pravda.

Photo Credit: Telegram @StepanychUA

“We can already hear the interceptions; they are a little freaked out about it. They tried to shoot it down. But the state flag is already flying over the Kyivskyi district of Donetsk,” Barabash continued as he spoke about the flag’s flight over Donetsk. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @StepanychUA

Launching a flag over occupied Donetsk from Avdiivka on the anniversary of the town's founding has become a tradition for Ukraine, and during the most recent release, troops had to unfurl the flag in the local stadium due to its size. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @StepanychUA

“When the Ukrainian flag flew from Avdiivka to Donetsk, the Russians tried to shoot it down with all the means at their disposal and revealed all their firing positions,” Barabash said according to a translation of his comments by Euromaidan Press. 

The attempt to shoot down the Ukrainian flag ultimately allowed soldiers on the opposing side of the frontline to target the revealed positions with a deadly counterattack, a situation that allegedly didn't go well for the invading Russian troops. 

“Yesterday, the 110th Brigade worked very hard on this,” Barabash wrote about the counterattack operation. However, any possible casualties that may have resulted from the counterattack were unknown. 

What happened to the Russian soldiers attacked by Ukraine's 110th Brigade wasn't known but the flag-flying ceremony turned out to be a wild success even before the Kremlin's troops revealed their positions to Ukrainian forces. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @StepanychUA

Barabash said the launch of the giant flag was probably the most successful attempt the ceremony ever had and explained that the Ukrainian flag flew over the occupied territory of Donetsk for several hours.

Photo Credit: Telegram @StepanychUA

“I had a lot of messages from people living in the occupied territory,” the military official explained, “who told me they are waiting for the liberation of Donetsk.” Unfortunately, it didn’t last forever; the flag eventually floated to the ground. 

The Kyiv Independent reported the giant Ukrainian flag floated above several districts of occupied Donestks before it eventually landed in the Leninsky District of the city, thus bringing an end to the flag but not to the trouble Russian troops would face. 

Avdiivka is located in the middle of Donetsk Oblast and it has been at the center of a brutal struggle ever since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022. However, tough defenses around the town kept it in Ukrainian hands until Russia captured the city on February 2024.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Anastasiya Fedorenko, CC BY-SA 3.0

Unfortunately, Avdiivka isn’t what it once was, the formerly thriving town that was once home to as many as 31,000 people was left devastated and destroyed due to constant shelling by Russian forces according to The Kyiv Independent. 

In June 2023, The New York Times reported that only 1700 people remained from Avdiivka’s pre-war population and noted that those still living there relied on the help of volunteers to survive since the town had no running water, electricity, or regular food supply. 

Avdiivka had been at the forefront of a Russian offensive against the small town for several months. However, its capture in February 2024 marked the culmination of a months-long battle to conquer the Ukrainian stronghold.