Untold Story of Ukraine’s 61st Battalion in the Battle for Kupiansk

For two and a half years, the story remained untold. The positions no longer exist. Many of the soldiers who fought there are dead. Even the battalion itself has since been dissolved.

What remains are fragments of memory from the Kupiansk direction in 2023–2024 — a brutal chapter of the war in which fighters of the 61st Separate Rifle Battalion found themselves trapped “between” larger brigades, often fighting, bleeding, and dying without recognition.

“We used to joke bitterly,” recalls one officer from the battalion.“We were slaves to the 44th Brigade and prisoners of the 14th.”

Officially, the 61st Battalion was attached to the 44th Mechanized Brigade, operating near Borova. In practice, however, units were scattered across positions under the command of the 14th Mechanized Brigade near Synkivka. At the same time, soldiers from the 30th Mechanized Brigade were also deployed there after reportedly being “withdrawn for recovery” following devastating battles in Soledar.

The battalion was fragmented. Platoons and companies were distributed among different brigades and commands. “Our battalion was torn apart,” the officer says. “My own company was split in half — one platoon attached to the 30th Brigade, the others to the 14th.”

Boryspil: The Assault That No One Talks About

One of the most controversial episodes unfolded near a position nicknamed “Boryspil,” north of Synkivka. The 30th Brigade had withdrawn from the area, and a new assault operation was organized to retake the lost positions. Soldiers from the 61st Battalion were included in the attack force.

According to participants, the first assault attempt collapsed almost immediately. “The IFV broke down,” the officer recalls. “Then the tank hit a tree with its barrel and became disabled too. But despite that, the order to advance was not canceled.” The assault failed.

Two squad leaders suffered severe injuries that ended their military service. “One of them had to be carried out on foot with a splint,” the officer says. “Another walked out himself despite wounds to his arms and face.”

Meanwhile, surviving soldiers from the unit reportedly saved the life of a wounded fighter from the 30th Brigade by providing first aid and evacuating him. “Our men saved him,” the officer says. “But our own wounded were abandoned.”

What came next shocked many in the battalion even more. “Higher command was told our soldiers had deserted,” he says. “The blame for the failed assault was pushed onto them.” Recommendations for military decorations — including awards for saving lives — reportedly went nowhere. “Attached units are convenient,” the officer says bitterly. “If something goes wrong, you blame them.”

The Second Assault

The following day, a second attack was launched. According to the account, soldiers from the assault group were locked overnight in a cellar “so they wouldn’t run away” before being sent into battle at dawn. “They were frozen by morning,” the officer recalls. “Then they were loaded up and sent forward.”

Again, fighters from the 61st Battalion led the advance. “The others stayed behind,” he says. “They politely let the guests go first.”

This time, the assault succeeded. A small group from the battalion recaptured the position without losses and took nine Russian soldiers prisoner, including a sergeant with the callsign “Head.”

But while the prisoners were handed over to soldiers from the 30th Brigade, the assault force itself again had to extract on its own. Then came the publicity campaign.

According to the officer, the operation had been observed by Ukraine’s top military leadership, including General Oleksandr Syrskyi. “Suddenly, heroes appeared,” he says. “Television channels started reporting how the 30th Brigade stormed enemy positions.”

One commander received awards, rapid promotion, and eventually the title Hero of Ukraine. But the soldiers who actually carried out the assault remained largely unknown. “The positions had first been lost,” the officer says. “Then they were retaken by fighters from the 61st Battalion that nobody talks about.”

Some of those soldiers later received lower-level decorations after lengthy efforts from their commanders. Others never lived to see recognition.

The Reserve: Twenty In, Seven Out

The battalion’s second traumatic experience with the 30th Brigade centered on a position known as “The Reserve.”

The 61st Battalion proposed joint rotations — splitting manpower evenly between units. Instead, according to the account, commanders from the neighboring brigade insisted an entire platoon be deployed at once. “We trusted them,” the officer says. Once the platoon entered the position, communication reportedly collapsed.

“The commander stopped answering calls,” he says. “No one responded.” The platoon remained trapped there for 22 days. Leaving earlier would have been considered abandoning positions — a serious offense during wartime. Out of 20 soldiers who entered, only seven walked out under their own power.

Several were killed. Others suffered severe injuries, frostbite, or concussions. One senior sergeant emerged with ruptured eardrums and having lost nearly 18 pounds.

“Some of the men laid down their weapons afterward,” the officer recalls. “They cursed everyone — me, command, all of it — and simply left.”

Some never returned from hospitals or medical leave. The psychological damage proved irreversible. “That platoon used to be exemplary,” the officer says. “After that, it effectively ceased to exist as a combat unit.”

The Cost of Being Forgotten

Stories like these rarely appear in official reports or celebratory headlines. They survive instead in fragmented testimonies from soldiers who believe their comrades were sacrificed, overlooked, or erased by larger military narratives.

“This war has many unknown heroes,” the officer says. “Some died nameless. Some survived but were broken. And some stories only come out years later — after the battalions themselves are already gone.”

The testimony was shared on Facebook by former 61st Rifle Battalion serviceman Ismail Khalikov.