Crouching in a small forest, the commander of Ukrainian commandos instructs his soldiers before their mission to oppose the Russian offensive to capture the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, reports AFP.
The special forces aim to protect the nearby village of Grigorovka in Donetsk Oblast, about 10 km northwest of Bakhmut, which came under heavy Russian fire.
If the soldiers of Moscow and the Russian mercenary group “Wagner” take over the village, it will help them close the clamps around Bakhmut – the center of the longest and bloodiest battle during the invasion.
“We are defending positions on the heights near the village. Our task is to stop the enemy attack and provide artillery support for our infantry,” the commando commander, who declined to give his name, told AFP.
Dressed in hoods and helmets and carrying small camouflage backpacks, the elite soldiers are armed with TAR-21 assault rifles, an Israeli-designed weapon manufactured under license in Ukraine.
There is hardly any silence near Bakhmut lasts more than 10 seconds. Continuously heard Ukrainian artillery and powerful heavy hits from nearby Russian shelling.
Just a few kilometers west of Grigorivka, near the front line, Ukrainian forces “repelled numerous enemy attacks” on the villages of Orihovo-Vasilovka and Bogdanovka, Ukraine’s General Staff said Thursday morning.
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“The situation is difficult, but we have it under control,” the 45-year-old commando commander says during a pause between shells exploding several hundred meters away.
“Capable we are to fight that’s for sure, but the enemy always has the advantage in terms of artillery. We are suffering losses due to the sheer amount of their artillery. That’s why we have to withdraw, but sometimes we make progress” says the officer.
“They are trying to capture Bogdanovka, then Chasiv Yar, to close the pocket around Bakhmut,” he added.
Chasiv Yar, a small town located immediately west of Bakhmut, is also under threat from Russian forces, that tighten their pincers.
White phosphorus munitions were fired from Russian positions along Chasiv Yar this week, setting vegetation in the uninhabited zone on fire.
In early January, Russian forces cut off the highway that connects Bakhmut to Slavyansk, a large regional center near the city of Kramatorsk, and since then the front stabilizes.
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In the small town of Privilya, about two kilometers from the front, a soldier nicknamed “Romeo” who commands a Ukrainian post says: “We hold this position.”
The Russians “have been advancing for about a week now. They are pressing towards Bakhmut. This is their priority“, he told AFP.
Here, the artillery is quieter, and the main activity is related to drones.
Max, 40, a drone operator nicknamed “Aerobamber,” sits alone in his truck by the side of the road, holding a remote control, his eyes glued to the screen.
He has just launched a small drone loaded with a hand grenade. The drone flew towards a forest about six kilometers from the Russian positions.
The landscape below is clearly visible on the screen. The drone reaches the forest and hovers about 20 meters above the ground.
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But near the finish line, Max loses control. The drone drops the grenade and misses.
The Russians are “jamming the drone, cutting off the signal between the drone and the remote control,” he says.
“When the drone loses control, he descends and they shoot at himoh,” the operator explains after managing to recover his bullet-scarred drone.
He says he lost three drones the previous day, bringing the total to 62 since the invasion began.
“Russia has been preparing for this war for a long time and developed its electronic warfare troops” says a man nicknamed “Zima”, head of a unit of drone operators in southern Ukraine.
The Russians use various techniques to jam the signal to the drone or create a false alarmto steer him wrong, he says.
“Each of us is doing what we can and where we can. Everyone is trying to be as efficient as possible. This technology allows us to target (kill) 10 Orks (Russians) a day,” says the “Aerial Bomber”.
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“I feel good because I can see the results of my work. I can use my time and ammunition very efficiently. That makes me happy,” he adds.
