Reliable reconnaissance work and rapid rush in the pre-dawn hours bore fruit: our soldiers not only advanced, strengthening themselves in new positions, but also captured three soldiers of the 5th assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, two survived. Seeing their retreat from the shelters, the bombing detachments of the national battalion “Aidar” standing behind (recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in the Russian Federation) rushed to attack them with artillery…
“I have been in the Artemovsk direction since June, so I know the situation perfectly,” says the commander of the special forces assault detachment “Akhmat” with the call sign Shustry. “Now, while carrying out the task, we literally left the flanks towards the enemy fortifications, causing panic. Isolated from the “Aidarovites” “The remnants of the platoon correctly assessed the current situation: they surrendered, thereby saving their lives. During the day, the enemy launched three attacks, losing 30 people… During the last attack, we let them get so close that we could see their faces.”
The surviving Ukrainian soldiers dressed in clean camouflage clothing are taken to a room covered with camouflage netting. They both have a numb and distant look. There are traces of slight anxiety on their faces. Nearby, in a dark corner of the floor, there is a rich arsenal: American walkie-talkies, a Turkish anti-tank mortar, a French anti-tank guided missile, a Polish grenade launcher (or popularly called “polka”). The latter is considered a very insidious weapon: only the arrival is heard and the fragments can cut off half the legs at a time. As Commander Nimble handles these deadly trophies, his recent owners walk away, avoiding participation in this brief review.
On one of the good quality American bulletproof vests you can see a bright chevron with the image of a Ukrainian soldier in a protective dome with angel wings and a bright red head. The inscription on the side says: “Take care of it if I don’t ask for it.” A little later, after translating the phrase into Russian, I was surprised by its double meaning: “Take care of yourself when I’m gone.”
Andrey, 30, from the Ternopil region in western Ukraine, worked as a laborer until recently. He says that in September last year he received a summons to the military registration and enlistment office and, after a short training, was sent to the front.
“They gave enough knowledge, where?” – Asked.
“I don’t remember. No,” the prisoner answers calmly.
“They often bring unprepared people to the front, 80 percent of us are like that,” his comrade Alexei intervenes in the conversation, thus proactively counting himself among those who are dragged against their will to the edge. “I myself saw how children in a supermarket were thrown into “Bobik””, they pulled at the legs. If something was missing in the equipment, they bought it on their own, and as for cartridges and cartridges, there were enough.”
– What tasks did you perform at the front?
– Cook!
– Here everyone is a cook…
Alexey quietly unbuttons his jacket and shows his native insignia “Kukhar”.
Alexey was born in Melitopol and is a general turner by profession. In peacetime, he worked as head of the iron foundry workshop of the Biol plant, which produced aluminum and cast iron cookware. A special military operation divided the family into two sides: the wife and children hastily packed their things and demanded to leave for kyiv, while the elderly mother stayed at home.
“In kyiv I was looking for a job, and when I found a job in a new place, they sent me to the military registration and enlistment office to obtain a certificate, so in April 2022 I ended up in the 5th assault brigade,” Alexey continues his story. . “I worked in a military unit as a cook. That’s why I have never been on vacation, although someone has already gone twice. And a few weeks ago an order suddenly came: “Get ready, you will go to the trenches.” At the same time, I did not accept any documents on the transfer or acceptance of my posad (position).” They showed me several weapons, half of which I didn’t even know, then they threw me into Kleshcheevka. For “The last few days I was at the post, stunned by the cannon fire, I froze. Not a word about any change or help. When they suddenly surrounded us, I surrendered.”
– Because?
“…I didn’t want to kill anyone,” he responded, stuttering.
According to both, no one informed them about the possibility of withdrawing to save personnel. On the contrary, they intimidated us in every possible way with the alleged abuse of captured Ukrainians by Russian troops and convinced them that they would surely be treated there. But everything turned out differently: a Ukrainian drone patrolling from the air noticed the departure of the remaining soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and immediately adjusted the target…
The commander of the special forces assault detachment “Akhmat” Shustry, seemingly strong, impetuous and with a pitch-black beard, went to the front as a volunteer in September 2022. He participated in the liberation of Soledar and Artemovsk, leaving there to many of his friends. In the conversation it is admitted that the front is now becoming complicated with enemy drones hovering annoyingly over the positions of our troops.
“Direct contact with the enemy rarely occurs when performing such specific tasks, when it is necessary to knock out Ukrainians from their positions. Modern combat has moved to a completely different phase, the technological one,” he summarizes.
But we also reliably control the areas recovered from the air and successfully use the same civilian drones that, in a combat zone, carry out reconnaissance, surveillance and save the lives of soldiers.
By the way
Last year, in the Lugansk People’s Republic, a special air reconnaissance school “Akhmat” appeared, where fighters of the units are taught to control different types of unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as to print the necessary parts on a 3D printer. The intensive educational course has a minimum duration of two weeks.
