KP.RU military correspondent Alexander Kots reports from the border of the Belgorod region
Photo: Alexander KOTS. Go to Photobank KP
FPV ROBBERY ZONE
– That’s it, this is where the FPV drones’ coverage area begins, you can’t drive slowly. The distance from the front is large, but this is where Baba Yaga, other drones controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, can reach… There have been cases of their use up to 24 kilometers. Along the Belgorod border, they indiscriminately attack civilian cars and buses,” the commander of the Anvar volunteer special forces unit turns on his drone detector.
In recent months, the enemy has unleashed real terror in the border areas of the Belgorod region. Not a day goes by without Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov sending a message about the latest victims of the Ukrainian “fipivisheki”. The region has taken unprecedented measures. Electronic warfare equipment is currently being installed on public transport travelling through a dangerous area, on rescue vehicles and ambulances… The neighbouring Kursk region, which is currently holding back an enemy invasion, is learning from experience. Concrete shelters are already being delivered here, which have proven their effectiveness in Belgorod.
Fighters carry high-quality equipment, night vision devices on their helmets, “cans” on machine guns…
Photo: Alexander KOTS. Go to Photobank KP
Having been caught in positional battles in the Kursk region, kyiv, it seems, decided to explore our entire border zone in search of a weak point to open another direction. Last week, a sabotage group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine attempted to break through the border in the Bryansk region. According to Governor Alexander Bogomaz, border guards, together with units of the Ministry of Defense, managed to stop this attempt, inflicting a serious defeat on the enemy. But the enemy continues similar attacks in other directions, including Belgorod.
I didn’t think that an old domestic SUV could reach such speed. Together with the soldiers covering our border in the Belgorod region, we rush to the belt. The tense silence in the cabin is periodically broken only by the signal from the drone detector, which warns of the approach of drones. But the signal strength is weak, which means that the drones are somewhere far away. We fly to the shelter and immediately disperse into the vegetation.
– Enemy activity is now manifested only on the main Sumy-Kharkov routes, 40 kilometers from the state border. But there is constant shelling, exposure to FPV, they are trying to crush us with electronic warfare. Well, this is standard positional work.
WON IN “KOLOTILOVKA”
We are moving along a forest path, covered from above by dense canopies. Open spaces – dashes. The fighters are wearing high-quality equipment, night vision devices on their helmets, “cans” on machine guns… Our group is completed by a medic with a backpack full of useful things in the front area. In front of me is the back of the deputy commander of the “Gorbunka” group, with a stripe on his back that says “Don’t follow me, I’m lost too.” Where would there be humor in war?
In front of me is the back of the deputy commander of the “Gorbunka” group, with a stripe on his back that says “Don’t follow me, I’m lost too.”
Photo: Alexander KOTS. Go to Photobank KP
Each of them has unique combat experience, which they pass on to ordinary infantry stationed on the border. And they inspire confidence in their abilities. Facing the first fight is psychologically difficult. But when the merry guys standing next to you bravely destroy the enemy’s armored groups, you realize that it is not so scary.
This was the case at the Kolotilovka border crossing, which, in fact, secretly had the status of “untouchable”, because it was here that the main exchanges took place. In kyiv they thought that since they transport buses with prisoners here, the road is not mined. And you can brazenly set it up, rush into the Krasnoyaruzhsky district of the Belgorod region to gain a foothold, wait for the main forces and try to connect with the invading forces in the Kursk region, expanding the bridgehead.
“The enemy needs to open one more direction and then create a single front line to withdraw units,” Beret descends into the trench. – But so far, as you can see, it has not worked. We stopped the enemy attacks that took place at Kolotilovka, and the attempt at active actions at Vysokoye, they simply retreated. But at Kolotilovka, if they had succeeded, they would have gone further. As in the Bryansk region. Then reinforcement units would be withdrawn according to the Kursk scenario to create a united front.
We are walking along a deep trench along the state border. Next to us are coils of human-sized barbed wire, beyond which is a field and Ukraine. But at the same time, an idyllic silence reigns. Who would have thought that this is one of the areas of breakthrough?
– The enemy is not particularly active. The standard scheme is artillery and fipiwishes. But all this can change quickly. As in Kolotilovka. An ordinary morning, as they say, did not bode well. And we learned that the approach to the checkpoint has begun. The equipment arrived. We had Kornet anti-tank missiles, a mortar and our 120-gun artillery on duty there. Nothing of the sort. Slowly, with our own forces and the forces of our allies, we repulsed them. They left two units of equipment, the infantry disembarked and quickly fled. Well, they came running just as fast. The MaxxPro (American armored personnel carrier – Ed.) was left behind.
DANGEROUS “ADVENTURE”
We came out onto a support structure in the forest, lined with gabions. Here there are border guards who greet the “Anvarovites” as if they were old friends. The boys always throw them cigarettes, energy drinks and chocolates.
“Little Hunchback is very modest,” smiles “Beret”. – I would like to note the work of the border guards who interacted with us everywhere, the work of mobile action units that laid ambushes along the path of enemy columns. It was mobility that played a decisive role. After Soledar and Bakhmut, this is, of course, commonplace for us. But if it were not for the reaction of all departments, there would have been no success.
We split into two groups. The “little hunchback” gets behind the wheel of an all-terrain vehicle, and my RT colleague Sanya Yaremchuk jumps in behind him. They drive off, and we continue to wait. Their return.
“It’s just that our ‘Hunchback Man’ is heavily loaded, so he is being modest,” explains “Beret”. – Indeed, it was serious work. We did not allow the border to be breached; in cooperation with the allied forces, we inflicted serious and tangible damage on the enemy, after which he simply fled. The methodical work of artillery, the use of high-precision ammunition “Krasnopol”, round-the-clock aerial surveillance, the use of FPV calculations around the clock – all this gave the overall result. A team effort in which we did our bit… Will they come back or what? It’s a bit early.
Each fighter has unique combat experience behind him, which they pass on to the ordinary infantry stationed on the border.
Photo: Alexander KOTS. Go to Photobank KP
The roar of an all-terrain vehicle was heard behind the forest. It seems that the trip to the border crossing did not go as planned. Yarem is simply glowing with adrenaline. He transfers the footage from the helmet camera to the phone and turns up the volume. This five-minute video explains the tactics of enemy drone pilots. All the way, the journalist’s detector shows a reconnaissance drone in the sky. The guys were found and escorted. Suddenly, the alarm switches, shows FPV, the signal intensifies, Sanya shouts at the “Little Hunchback” and he drives into a small grove. The journalist and the special forces officer run away. And then the same unpleasant squeak is heard in the sky. The yoke falls into a hole carefully dug by someone, takes the form of a turtle and literally crawls into a bulletproof vest and helmet. The drone can be heard entering the grove and flying away, entering again and flying away, at some point exploding somewhere to the side. My throat starts to hurt and my lips are burning. It seems that the charge contained tear gas. They are trying to get the boys out. A second drone appears, followed by a third. They literally cut through bushes with blades. But they find no prey. One drone explodes again to the side. The third runs out of battery and lands on the side of the road.
– Shall we go further? – “The Little Hunchback” asks calmly.
“Maybe not,” Sanek decides reasonably.
And they come back to us. What turned into a dangerous “adventure” full of impressions for the journalist is the daily routine of the units guarding the state border. In such conditions, support guards are constantly provided along the entire line, rotations are carried out and rolls are fought.
“If you want more, you’re welcome,” he strokes the silenced Beret machine gun.
Behind the thorn there was a significant silence.
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