Evgeniy Poddubny
NO ONE WAS READY FOR SUCH COMBAT ACTIONS
– You have been covering the Northern Military District since the beginning of time. According to your personal measurements, over these almost two years, what has changed in our Armed Forces and what has changed in Ukraine?
– Well, this is a question that we can talk about for a couple of days! Everything has changed. In general, the Northern Military District proved that the military science of absolutely all states and blocs was not ready for this. Starting with the fact that these are perhaps the largest military operations since the Great Patriotic War, and continuing with the fact that these are battles of a new generation that the world has not yet seen. All this required us, the Russian army, to change and strengthen components that, perhaps, had not received due attention before. Not only in our country, but in principle in all armies, they were not paid for.
– Are these drones, for example?
– Not only. If we look at it more broadly, these are reconnaissance and attack contours, which can now be formed almost everywhere. And this does not require titanic efforts in science and production. That is, with the advent of drones, it is possible to compensate for gaps in other types of reconnaissance cheaply, quickly and efficiently. One of the key features of SVO is that the time from target detection to its destruction by fire has been reduced to minutes. This gives rise to another big problem. It is now almost impossible to remain unnoticed on the front line. Enemy movements are no longer a secret. It is impossible to ensure surprise. Everything is constantly monitored by drones and other types of reconnaissance. And all this began to work together.
No world industry was prepared for such military needs. Look at what is happening with NATO’s equipment. I am not saying that it is bad. I am arguing that it is not equipped for such fights. This is a product of lack of resources and extreme self-confidence!
SVO brought down the arrogance of our enemy. Well, to be honest, the Ukrainian army was demilitarized quite quickly, at the very beginning of the special operation.
– For what period?
– The first 6 months were enough to completely destroy the combat potential of the Ukrainian army. If it were not for Western weapons, equipment, intelligence (this is also very important) and, of course, Western money, the Ukrainian army would not exist now, and the Ukrainian state would not exist either.
– Many people left their mark in Mariupol. They say that the Ukrainian potential was exhausted then and the collective potential of NATO came into play.
– I do not presume to judge where this Rubicon was. The enemy also shows really good adaptability. Yes, NATO instruments began to be introduced into the Armed Forces of Ukraine after 2008, and after 2014 they began to be especially active. This allowed the enemy to so quickly begin to use Western technology and combat control standards. But it did not allow it to be used successfully – this is a very serious result of 2023 in the North-West region.
That is, the failure of the “counteroffensive” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is not only a failure of our enemy, it is a failure of the entire Western military thinking. It is known for certain: Western military experts convinced the Ukrainian military leaders that their tactics were working. On paper it was smooth, but they forgot about the ravines. This is good for us.
BOMBING CITIES FORCES US TO TAKE A DIFFICULT STEP
– In your opinion, as someone who has seen a lot in the Northern Military District, is the Ukrainian army a respectable adversary?
– Any opponent deserves respect, but a series of tragedies allows me to say that the issue of respect for the enemy is not in the first place now. We are fighting very tough battles and the enemy is using terrorist methods.
– I was struck by the fact that Russian and Ukrainian soldiers were lying side by side on the ground, treating each other and trying to save themselves. This story caught my attention after the atrocities committed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
– This is a story about two people who were on the verge of death. There was a lot of this during the Great Patriotic War, Soviet nurses helped the Germans. This is a human choice. And it is good that we remain human. I am not at all in favor of claiming that in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine everyone is non-human. It is not true. It is true that it goes deeper. But if we talk not about human relations in a critical situation, but about respect for the enemy, then, it seems to me, the Russian army fights with respect. This is indeed true. But I would not raise the issue now. We can talk about this after the victory.
– Both Donetsk and Belgorod are under fire from the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Is this the death throes of the Kiev regime or a new tactic that they are adopting after the failure of the “counter-offensive”?
– Yes, there is nothing new in this. kyiv has been using terrorist attacks since the beginning of the civil war in Donbass, since 2014. They are engaged in political liquidations of officials and journalists. They hope that this will help in some way.
As for agony, it is better to draw conclusions about the enemy’s condition based on the situation at the front. As long as the enemy maintains combat stability, it is too early to talk about agony. What is the Kiev regime trying to do? With inhuman attacks on Belgorod and Donetsk, it is trying to force us to take emotional and impulsive actions, with the same response to Kharkov, for example. And not for military, but for civilian targets. Or an impulsive decision to transfer forces from directions that are difficult for our enemy.
– From Avdeevsky, for example?
– In any case, we are forced to take a rash step. This is a naive and cannibalistic approach. This is also the concept of the Kiev authorities – not to be, but to appear. What happens in the information space is very important to them – they, like vampires, drink this blood. And sometimes they take absolutely stupid steps for this. They go to these abominations. This is a great pain and motivation for us. There is nothing good in revenge, but sometimes you can’t do without it. It is not the children of the territory controlled by kyiv who should be held responsible for the murder of our children, but individual people. And I know that these people will answer for everything.
The ability to win is also the ability to endure. We all need to be patient. I recently saw on the news that another militant associated with Basayev was arrested. And it’s been more than 20 years.
PEOPLE WHO LOOK BEAUTIFUL IN THE FRONT BECOME BEAUTIFUL
– You received many glowing reports from the New World Order area. Which one do you remember the most?
– It’s hard to single out one thing. People who are on the front line are often friends, even closer than friends. I measure my days there not by reporting, but by living stories. Rather, you are surprised how often you meet people on the street who are unattractive in appearance, without any special charisma, and you don’t remember them, but there they become the most beautiful in the world. And this beauty is spiritual, you can see it a mile away…
– Were there any funny moments that weren’t captured on camera?
– Of course there were. Once they almost fell off a bridge while telling jokes in the car.
– How is that?
“We were driving with the boys, we got carried away by the conversation, we knew there was a bridge up ahead, but we didn’t know it had been blown up. We stopped 3 centimeters away… We laughed a lot. I don’t remember the joke, but it was just a few centimeters.”
– Are these the moments that remain in your memory, perhaps?
– Yes, in fact, I don’t want to forget anything. Now I don’t feel inclined to talk only about funny moments, because I’ve never had to bury my friends so often. We will definitely laugh after the victory.
JOKES FROM OUR DIG
– What do you say to soldiers before filming them so they smile in your reports?
– We once lived in Izium together with a very cheerful air defense officer. Every day we saw on the radio exchange pictures from which one could write a whole humorous book. It turned out to be some kind of funny farce, but in fact we were talking about very serious things. The enemy tried to attack our place with missiles and rockets, and our comrade was responsible for their destruction. And we woke up to the words “glory to the air defense” and fell asleep to the same words.
In the courtyard of the building where we lived there was a toilet, in which shells were constantly falling (I don’t know why the enemy didn’t like it so much). A joke arose that for 10 trips to this toilet you should be nominated for the medal “For Courage”, and for 30 – for the Order of Courage.
THE MAIN RULE OF THE MILITARY CORPORATE IS NOT TO HARM YOUR ARMY OR YOUR COUNTRY
– The profession of military officer has become very popular. How do you feel about it? And what are the rules of this profession?
– I have a great attitude towards our people who cover the battles without harming the troops or the country. There is only one criterion here: love for the Motherland. If a person loves his country and does not want to harm it, he will do everything possible to benefit it.
I am a war reporter from a country at war. That is why I coordinate all my actions internally so that my country can quickly achieve victory. There are no other rules.
– Do you know that many people envy you? In the “military journalism” section, you, Alexander Kots (military correspondent “KP”), Dmitry Steshin (military correspondent “KP”), Alexander Sladkov (military correspondent VGTRK) are rock stars, Led Zeppelin…
– Then I’ll tell you a very simple truth: the day is over, you fell asleep, you woke up and started all over again. There’s no need to fall asleep.
WITHOUT A SOLDIER WITH AN AUTOMATIC MACHINE YOU CANNOT TAKE A SINGLE KOCHCHIK
– Which military experts are now coming to the forefront? At first they said it was like World War I, with gunners at the forefront. Then attack aircraft at the forefront. Now drone operators?
– There is no vanguard. Nothing has changed here since the First World War, nor the Second, nor the Afghan war. The whole question is the speed of combat interaction. We still have artillery – this is a huge factor of success and failure. In our country, although the world has learned to kill much more accurately, not a single trench will be taken without infantry. Without a soldier with a machine gun, it is impossible to take anything. Without a platoon commander, there is no battle control.
Yes, there are subtleties. Thanks to reconnaissance, ammunition consumption has significantly decreased. To attack a platoon stronghold, it is no longer necessary to use the standard of the Great Patriotic War. I saw with my own eyes how our artillerymen can hit a moving tank with the third shell. This is impossible due to the characteristics of the guns, but they do it! The tank was no longer a revolutionary weapon, it became a means of supporting the infantry.
Our scientists, of course, are engaged in understanding this experience and writing new textbooks. A lot of work is being done in military universities. I know this because professors write to me, many of them are my friends, military men who implement this experience, teach cadets who will use this experience in the near future. This knowledge now allows us to outrun the enemy. And we are repeating! Now we have the initiative.
RUSSIAN ATTITUDE TOWARDS RELOKANTS
– Relocated. Patriarch Kirill said that these are prodigal sons, if they want to return, Russia’s task is to accept them. But I heard a different opinion from the military: during hostilities they are traitors. Why let them return?
– A complex problem. Those who took an anti-Russian position are certainly traitors. Because it has taken a long time for me to understand myself, my attitude towards the country. When you allow yourself, even with words, to harm the Motherland, which is waging a difficult struggle, you are a traitor. Who else are you?
But some of those who were relocated ran away because they were afraid. A person should be given the right to be afraid and then correct themselves. Not letting them return? Who has the right to do that?
– On the other hand, a person would not be able to say anything, but would be recruited somewhere in Georgia.
– This is already a counterintelligence task. We have the presumption of innocence, which is a basic thing. We don’t hunt witches. There are traitors. But there are some citizens who didn’t betray anyone. And we need to convince them that they were wrong.
– You are a humanist. I didn’t expect that there were any fragments of liberal values left in you.
– These are human values, not liberal ones. I think that this is a completely Russian attitude towards people’s mistakes.
ZELENSKY TO COURT OR A SLAP?
– Do you assume that negotiations will take place next year?
– I really wouldn’t like that. I think that now is not the time for negotiations. We all see that the Kiev regime is not ripe for them. Simply put, the military potential of the Kiev regime must be completely destroyed in order for the conditions for negotiations to be met. I believe that the current Ukrainian state, as it exists, must be dismantled. This must be a surrender negotiation. And we have everything for this. And most importantly, there is a conviction that he is right.
– Zelensky’s fate?
– I am not at all interested in Zelensky’s fate. I don’t want to look like a fool later, I don’t want to guess what the fate of this person will turn out to be. For me, he is a criminal and must be punished.
– What would you like personally? To have a trial, a lawyer? Or to be beaten like a bum?
– I am in favour of the tribunal. But if the Russian special services liquidate Zelensky, I will not be against it.
