Crouching in a small forest, the leader of a Ukrainian commando unit briefs his troops on their mission to counter the Russian offensive against the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
Ukrainian special forces are defending the nearby village of Grygorivka in the Donetsk region, about 10 kilometers northwest of Bakhmut, which is under heavy Russian bombardment.
If Moscow troops and the Russian mercenary group Wagner take the village, it would help them strengthen the siege around Bakhmut, the center of the longest and bloodiest battle since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago.
“We are defending positions on the hills near the village. Our mission is to stop the enemy attack and provide artillery support to our infantry,” the chief of the command, who declined to be named, told AFP.
The elite troops wear cagoules (hooded anoraks) and helmets and carry small camouflage backpacks and are armed with TAR-21 assault weapons – an Israeli weapon manufactured under license in Ukraine.
There is almost no silence that lasts more than 10 seconds around Bakhmut. Ukrainian artillery and powerful Russian shelling reverberate constantly.
Just a few kilometers west of Grygorivka, close to the front line, Ukrainian troops have “repulsed numerous enemy attacks” on the villages of Orikhovo-Vasylivka and Bogdanivka, Ukraine’s general staff said Thursday morning.
“Difficult situation”
“The situation is difficult, but we are in control,” said the 45-year-old chief of the command during a pause between projectiles exploding a few hundred meters away. “We can certainly fight, but the enemy always has an artillery advantage. We suffer losses because of that. That’s why we have to retreat, but sometimes we also advance,” says the officer.
“They are trying to capture Bogdanivka and then Chasiv Yar to close the circle around Bakhmut,” he added.
Chasiv Yar, a small town immediately west of Bakhmut, is also now under threat from Russian forces.
White phosphorus ammunition was fired at Chasiv Yar from Russian positions this week, setting vegetation in an uninhabited area on fire.
In early January, Russian troops cut the road between Bakhmut and Sloviansk – an important regional center near the city of Kramatorsk – and the front has since stabilized.
In the small town of Pryvillya, about two kilometers from the front, a soldier who identifies himself as “Romeo” and commands a Ukrainian post assures: “We hold this position”. The Russians “have been pressing for about a week now. They are advancing towards Bakhmut. That is their priority,” he told AFP.
attacking drones
Here the artillery is quieter and the main activity is drones. Max, 40, a drone operator nicknamed “Aerobomber”, sits alone in his truck by the side of the road, remote control in hand, eyes fixed on a screen.
He just launched a small drone loaded with a hand grenade. The drone flies towards a forest about six kilometers from the Russian positions.
On the screen, the landscape below is clearly visible. The drone arrives in the forest and hovers about 20 meters above the ground. But close to the target, Max loses control. The drone drops the grenade and misses.
The Russians “target the drone, to cut off the signal between the drone and the remote,” he says.
“If the drone loses control, it goes down and they fire at it,” explains the operator, after he managed to repair his drone with bullet scratches.
Max says he lost three drones the day before, bringing his total to 62 since the invasion began. “Russia has been preparing for this war for quite some time and has developed its electronic warfare forces,” said “Zyma”, head of a unit of drone operators in southern Ukraine. “The Russians use different techniques to drown out the drone’s signal or create a false signal that redirects it,” he says.
“Each of us does what he can, where he can. Each one tries to be as effective as possible. This technology allows us to set goals: (kill) 10 Orcs (Russians) per day,” says “Aerobomber”.
“I feel good because I see the results of my work. I manage to use my time and ammunition very efficiently. That makes me happy,” he adds.
Source: DN
