Category: War in Ukraine

Exclusive Look: Ukraine’s Special Forces Rehearse River Assaults Before Their Next Strike on Russia

The river remembers every battle. Now, Ukraine’s fighters from the 144th Special Operations Forces Center return to its waters—training to fight back the Russian invasion.

Apr 29, 2025 13:32

3 min read

Authors: Mykyta Shandyba
Photographer

Water is silent. Patient.

“We know its scent. We remember how it carried our boats toward the places still held by the enemy. We, the fighters of the 144th Special Operations Forces Center, are back on the water.”

Beside them—cadets, paratroopers, and marines training under instructors. At the heart of this process lies combat experience. This is more than training. This is a ritual. A preparation for the next fight.

Special Operations Forces combat boats advance toward the designated landing zone.

After completing the mission, the assault team boards the boats and withdraws from the perimeter.

While one boat loads infantry troops, another maintains a safe distance, awaiting its turn to approach.

Combat boats, armed to the teeth, surge ahead.

They roar around like the heartbeat before a leap.

Gunfire from the boats pierces the enemy’s line as assault groups prepare to land.

A smoke screen conceals assault teams from enemy view, providing cover and disorienting opposing forces.

Only precision. Only coordination. Only action.

The groups land. The beachhead falls. The shoreline is cleared. The push begins.

Speed and precision from every SOF team member are critical to the mission’s success and the group’s safety.

Brotherhood is the foundation of Special Operations Forces: trust and mutual support enhance coordination in the field.

At the evacuation point, a SOF crew member signals the team to board the boat.

Soldiers of the Special Operations Forces have returned from the Kherson front.

“We were there—where everything came down to seconds. To a commander’s call. To a mortar team’s aim. To a boat driver’s nerve under fire.”

Russia still occupies the left bank. Its troops shell Kherson city and the region daily, turning homes into ruins and civilians into drone targets.

“We remember crossing the Dnipro. The nights where every step could have been our last. The islands where the ground shook with battle.”

Before landing, SOF soldiers suppress enemy positions with all available weaponry to secure the unloading zone.

SOF paratrooper cadets disembark from a combat boat to launch an assault and secure the shoreline and nearby sector.

Back then, success hinged on one thing: coordination.

Boats. Artillery. Reconnaissance. Drones. Assault teams.

The SOF fighters were the glue holding the machine together.

“One wrong move—and everything would have collapsed. But we held. We fought. We learned. And now—we teach. This isn’t just training. This is preparation. For the next river. The next order: Go.”