He only introduces himself as Andrii. A member of a Ukrainian army reconnaissance unit who for security reasons chooses not to reveal his name or face during an interview with Radio France Internationale (RFI), where he offers a gritty depiction of what happens on the front lines of the Ukrainian war.
The conflict is entering its first year, now 11 months, with no sign of an end in sight.
Before the interview begins, he needs approval from the hierarchy and communicates with his superior. “Commander, what am I saying? That I’m in charge of a reconnaissance group? Excuse me, I ask why you never know what is secret and what is not”, he apologizes before starting to speak, revealing the sensitive nature of the information he is about to provide.
Andrii is currently fighting in Bakhmut, one of the Ukrainian cities, along with Soledar, in the Donbass region under intense Russian siege. Indeed, this Friday Moscow claimed the conquest of Soledar after a fierce battle, but Ukraine quickly denied it and assured it the “heavy fighting” continues to control this area in the east of the country.
Prior to his current posting at the epicenter of the fiercest fighting between Russia and Ukraine, Andrii was fighting on the southern front of the war in Kherson. Beyond the geographical change, the Ukrainian soldier points to a fundamental difference between the Russian troops he faced before and those he has to fight now.
“There we fought against the regular forces and the commanders tried to preserve their men. They didn’t throw them into the fire like logs. Here they led them to their deaths. The soldiers themselves know they are going to die. They just don’t know if it’s from a Ukrainian bullet or the Russians behind them, preventing them from returning“, Explain.
“They walk on the bodies of their comrades”
The task of Andreii and his men is to go to the front line, where the enemy is. On the front line you can see the hundreds of Russian soldiers launched by him Wagner Group, a paramilitary organization that supplies troops to the Russian military, many of them mostly recruited from prisons.
Although Wagner has no legal existence in Russia, as private military companies are banned, numerous human rights organizations have repeatedly targeted this group making its first appearance. together with Russian separatists from Ukraine in 2014, and that it has also intervened in Africa and in Syria.
zombie
The group would have two functions. On the one hand, “to provide the Kremlin with a possibility of denial when deploying fighters in war zones”, and, on the other hand, to serve as an “tool prepared to strengthen their influence with receptive states.
In Andrii’s account of his experiences on the front lines, the description of the men of the Wagner Group resonates like one of the postcards more cruel and inhumane from the war.
“It’s like that movie World War Z. zombies make war. It’s exactly the same. They walk over the corpses of their comrades. It’s really interesting. For me, they take drugs. It’s not alcohol, it’s different. Because they are not afraid. They don’t care if they get killed. They collapse only when they can’t walk ”, she specifies about the fighters of the paramilitary group.
the price of victory
Despite the size of the enemy and its resources, Andrii says there is no doubt that Ukraine will emerge victorious in the contest. But there is the uncertainty of when that triumph will come, and what will the cost be.
“We will win, that’s for sure. The question is: at what price?” says the young soldier and wonders at the same time. After months of fighting, he’s asked how he feels, though His face says it all.
“Tired. Tired. I mean, like everyone here. It’s hard enough. What to do? We are very motivated. We have to keep going. We will win, that’s for sure. The question is at what cost. How many people will have to die? But I have no doubt that we will win very soon. Maybe not this month, nor next, but soon,” she says.
The Ukrainians, aware that they cannot throw so many men to their deaths, ask for more equipment, armor, artillery. Andrii’s group, for its part, is calling for more reconnaissance drones.
The situation in Bajmut and Soledar
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky promised to deliver all military equipment needed to defend Bakhmut and Soledar so they can continue to resist the Russian military offensive.
The front “resists”, he assured.
Without presenting figures, Mikhailo Podoliak, adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, acknowledged in an interview with AFP that Ukraine has suffered “big losses” in this “bloody battle”, but that they were “huge” in the enemy campwhich the Russian Defense Ministry did not confirm.
Russia launched its offensive on this area of Donetsk after suffering various setbacks which led Russian President Vladimir Putin to mobilize hundreds of thousands of reservists and launch a bombing campaign against energy infrastructure as punishment.
The Ukrainian military said yes on Thursday attacks repelled in more than a dozen locations region of.
“Much work remains to be done,” said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitri Peskov.
Source: RFI and AFP
Source: Clarin
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.