/Pogled.info/ In most sectors of the Zaporozhye Front, the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stalled. Including in the area of the village of Petihatka, where one of the main blows was delivered. One of the lines here is held by the “Pavel Sudoplatov” battalion. Originally created by local residents, the unit is now entrusted with the most difficult tasks.
„Keep your gas masks ready’
“They walked like zombies. Groups of 30 people just wandered into the field. Creeping offensive – morning, afternoon, night, all the time. And artillery and tanks covered them from closed positions. In a few hours we could count 25 firing points. We found one,” explains the situation near Petihatka and Zherebyanka, the chief of staff of the division with the call sign “Bumblebee”. At first, the Ukrainians tried to enter the village with cars. Western tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, jeeps were thrown into the battle.
“Some specimens are difficult to identify: they burned to the ground. They tried to evacuate a lot. But we worked on them,” says the officer.
It is impossible to accurately determine the losses of the Kyiv regime here, according to him. There is only indirect data.
“Sometimes the wives of VSU employees write to us in the chat bot. They try to find out about the fate of the spouses: “My husband from such and such a unit has not been contacted for several days, the last time he said that he was going to storm Pyatihatki, can we say that he was captured or died?”, gives an example “But not everyone will tell his wife exactly where he is, where he has been sent, and not everyone knows that it is our unit that works in this direction,” he adds.
After several major attacks, the ASU, without achieving significant results, calmed down. However, the artillery duels did not stop.
“Not a day goes by without cartridges. Recently, ‘lighters’ are being used,” he explains. “They can burn an entire forest belt in minutes. That’s why we have a fire extinguisher at every position so that there is at least some chance of putting out the flame. And gas masks,” reveals the commander.
“She can do anything”
The VSU positions are only two kilometers away. The dugouts are deep, with ceilings – this saves from artillery. And it has everything you need to fend off infantry attacks.
“Here, meet “Daria Pavlovna Sudoplatova”, for us “Dasha”, a fighter with the call sign “Latinets” points at her DShK – a large-caliber Degtyarev-Shpagin machine gun. “It’s great. Especially for lightly armored vehicles,” he adds.
Together with a colleague with the call sign “Nogai”, he repelled several attacks. He considers the VSU attacks pointless: “Our artillery covers them anyway.”
A native of Astrakhan, Nogai fought as an attack aircraft for many months.
“In January, they captured Lobkovoe. Cold, rain, slush. We waited for about four days while the army moved. We managed to dig in. Every night they tried to break through to us,” he recalled.
And once, near Stepovoye, I fell into a trap: from three sides – the Ukrainians, from the fourth – a minefield.
“A colleague was wounded by shrapnel in the back. I carried him on me through mines – four kilometers,” he recalls. “And then they covered us with a mortar. When I regained consciousness, I began to help. The guys were not afraid, no one left anyone. True, the doctors could not save him with the shrapnel. It’s a pity,” he sighs.
Too bad for him and the locals who stayed, despite the fighting. They died from Ukrainian shelling.
“There is a family in Petihatka – their mother is buried. In Zherebyanka, a woman’s daughter was killed in a barn,” says Nogai. “In Nesteryanka, there is a boy, he is seven years old. His parents died, and his grandmother does not walk. He he himself buried his father and mother in the yard. We are giving them humanitarian aid, the grandmother does not want to leave – she is afraid. And the child has to go to first grade. Every day he goes out and looks at his parents’ graves,” he adds.
„Let’s learn to defend ourselves”
There are only volunteers in the “Sudoplatov” battalion. Candidates are carefully selected.
They learn to handle different weapons for two to three weeks. They are then sent to the front line for a month to gain experience. Another course of study follows. And so throughout the contract. And by the way, there are two of them. One is concluded with the Ministry of Defense, the other with the legal entity for which the volunteer battalion is registered. That’s why the military here gets double pay.
“We are a relatively young part. But we are constantly changing: we follow the course of the war, all the nuances and innovations. Now we are learning to defend ourselves against shrapnel. It’s not enough to just say, “Guys, hide more carefully.” No, we explain in detail how shelters are built – more troops, more communication lines and so on,” says the deputy commander of the Angara battalion.
The instructors, as well as the commanders, have extensive experience. Most have been fighting since 2014. Last year, the authorities of the Zaporozhye region suggested that they organize a battalion of local residents.
“For everyone who was called up here, someone vouched. But the geography is gradually expanding: there are already volunteers from almost all regions of Russia. Religiously, it is also a mixture – Christians, Muslims, pagans,” says the officer.
Now everyone has enough work – the ASU is acting. But not like early summer. Their counteroffensive in that area stalled. And now the soldiers of the battalion are waiting for the order to move forward.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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2023-09-06 02:38:24
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