On 10 November, a video began circulating on Russian pro-government cable channels showing Russians on motorcycles and light civilian equipment advancing under the cover of dense fog. It is now confirmed that this was the entrance to Pokrovsk on the E50 road leading from Donetsk. The video was also disseminated as credible by Ukrainian and pro-Ukrainian channels.

The Russian army already has its troops in most of Pokrovsk, so no one was surprised by the video showing Russian troops in the southeastern suburb. What was interesting, however, was that the dense fog allowed the Russians to move without fear of Ukrainian drones, a rare privilege on the current battlefield.

The video, however, has its own denouement and epilogue in the current fast-moving Russian-Ukrainian war, which many are watching - except for classified facts - essentially online.

Who laughs without a cause

The video scared many, while amusing others. On 11 November, former Azov commander, Lieutenant Colonel of the 3rd Army Corps Maxym Zhorin, commented on it. He chastised the Ukrainians who, in comments on social media, mocked the post-apocalyptic-looking technology and ragged Russians in the video.

"If someone thinks the video of the 'second army of the world' entering Pokrovsk is funny, there is nothing funny about it at all," wrote Zhorin, known for his realistic descriptions of the situation on the frontline.

What looks in the video like a scene from the Bosnian civil war decades ago is proving quite effective on the modern battlefield, according to Zorin.

"It may look ridiculous and pathetic, but it is very difficult to fight against such Russian practices. The tactic of chaotic attack brings the enemy good results and at the same time creates big problems for the Ukrainian army. Even if in the process the Russian Federation suffers heavy losses, as we know, they don't care," concludes Lt. Col.

Bear service

Shortly thereafter, on November 12, a report appeared on Alexander Arutyunov's pro-Kremlin Russian channel RAG&E - Razvedos Advanced Gear & Equipment that the release of a video showing Russian troops moving through fog on a particular stretch of road had led to significant losses.

"Because of the *** who filmed this and posted it on the internet, there are a lot of '200s' and burnt equipment in this place," Arutyunov quotes his contact in the Russian military as saying - as he explained in the comments below the post, these are the words of an acquaintance of Arutyunov's whose unit "suffered losses on this road."

Recall that the code "200" denotes dead soldiers, "300" in turn denotes wounded, and the code "500" is used to denote defectors. The channel administrator further criticizes that under the influence of popular bloggers and viral videos, many have forgotten about conventional ways of conducting combat, such as artillery.

Thus, although the Ukrainians could not use drones against the advancing column, they could have shelled that stretch of road with automatic rocket-propelled grenade launchers, mortars, multi-barrel rocket launchers or the aforementioned cannons. The frivolous release of the video thus proved fatal to many Russians.

The quoted z-blogger, like the pro-Kremlin channel Two Majors, for example, is among the credible ones - its information about the attack on Russian troops has been picked up by channels that do not support the Russian war effort in Ukraine. Arutyunov told the Standard that he would not reveal his source among Russian commanders.

Reporting on the situation near Pokrovsk on 12 November, the BBC portal quoted a drone pilot with the combat nickname Hus from the Dovbush Hornets unit, which is subordinate to the 68th Independent Mountain Brigade "Olex Dovbush." He confirmed that aerial reconnaissance, and therefore the attack, had been impossible in recent days due to dense fog. Let us recall that Pokrovsk is defended by Russians from the ranks of the Russian Volunteer Corps together with the Ukrainians.