One day, when I came face to face with Filin in a trench, I did not recognize him: looking inside, his face was white as chalk, from head to toe covered with dust, dirt, on the side of the camouflage that was pasted on his body there were blood stains. As it turned out later, he was returning from a combat mission – he was conducting reconnaissance in force near the village of Podstepnoye. With a group of fifteen people he attacked enemy positions in the “poker” area and prevented attempts by units of the Marine Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to break through the defenses west of the Cossack camps. The personal involvement of the commander, the route of advance he chose and the skillful organization of the battle did not allow this to be done. And when a company of the Sevastopol brigade from the battalion commander’s battalion with the call sign Critic rushed to the rescue, the enemy abandoned its plan and began to leave, abandoning the dead and wounded.
Despite the success, Filin, Captain Alexey Filippovich, thought a lot about that battle. How to minimize the risks for personnel? What needs additional work? How can we strengthen the defense of positions against enemy attacks? The same questions arose for him twenty years ago, when he, a graduate of the military department of Tomsk State University, took part in the second Chechen campaign. I asked myself the same thing when I went to defend the country as part of the volunteer detachment “Bars 12”, took part in the Lisichansk offensive operation as part of the 4th brigade of the LPR, in the battles near Soledar. Then he served as commander of artillery reconnaissance and deputy battalion commander. His territory protection group was one of the first to enter liberated Lisichansk…
“It is important in everything, in all matters of organizing defense, offense and response to incoming attacks, to predict in advance the possible development of events,” says Captain Filippovich. “And for this, it is necessary to know the situation and conduct constant reconnaissance. That is why, when one of the volunteers asks what we are missing, I answer: there are not enough reconnaissance and attack drones and mobile electronic warfare systems and electronic warfare are worn out and becoming obsolete, so it is necessary to be replenished and updated.”
According to the soldiers (among whom are volunteers from the “Bars 12” detachment, which entered into a contract with the Ministry of Defense under the influence of Alexei Viktorovich. – Author’s note), confidence in the unit’s capabilities is given by the fact that it constantly conducts aerial reconnaissance, with officers on duty in reserve vehicles with anti-drone capabilities. In the event of a clash with the enemy, the infantry will be covered in time by a mortar battery. There will be an opportunity to take an advantageous position and open fire with daggers. And if the situation worsens, the Owl itself will take part in the battle.
…When it became known that the company commander was wounded, the battalion commander personally moved into the position, retained control of the unit, and held the defense line.
In Captain Filippovich’s battalion, interaction was established not only between units, but also with neighbours to the left and right, with command using the firearms of a higher commander. Wired communication lines after interruptions and fires were restored as quickly as possible.
Ultimately, these measures make it possible to reduce the number of attacks using mortars, artillery and reconnaissance drones, which in turn makes it possible to carry out combat missions more efficiently.
The main task of the commander, according to Filin, is to achieve clear interaction of several combat groups over time. For example, before the armoured vehicles are put into operation, it is imperative to deploy an engineering reconnaissance group to check the road for mines. With a slight delay, an electronic warfare unit is activated, and at the same time, an air reconnaissance group, which monitors the situation in the air and on the ground using a “bird”. Under their cover, one armoured group advances to the line of opening fire, while one mortar team begins to work on the service target, and the other is ready to return fire at the enemy. When all these and other nuances are taken into account, when the orderlies and the team evacuation group are ready to act on the first order, then the success of the combat mission is maximum.
“Our battalion’s staff has been expanded. New positions are being created,” Alexey adds. “We have people of various professions, hunters and fishermen, those who worked in the forest or plowed with a tractor, gamers. Engineers and electricians are also needed.”
Please note that when you enter military service, you will be required to pay a large amount through the Ministry of Defence and regional authorities.
