Other Post Ukrainian War Stories

[berkut76]

An interview with Ukrainian Marines Corps Press Officer, Oleksandra Bezsmertna Not really Ukraine-specific, but more of a general issue of women in combat roles. In short, when it comes to Ukrainian armed forces (military in active combat) if the woman wants to serve in a combat role than something has to give and motherhood IS NOT compatible with any role in a combat unit.

Female Marine about service and honor

Do women work with you? How many are in military service?

In the unit where I work, there are about 300 women servicemen in various specialties. Of these, 20 are personnel officers, the rest are contract agents, including sailors, sergeants, and sergeants. Women began to realize themselves by increasing the list of positions in the Armed Forces.

What about women soldiers in the Marine Corps? Are there any prejudices or are they already remnants of the past?

We have a leadership manual for the Marine Corps called “Lead! Fight! It says that there are sincere brethren, devoted defenders and brave warriors. So, no gender warrior, no matter whether you are a woman or a man.

When I am asked, "Do you serve girls?" - By the way, and say "girls", I reply: "No, we do not have girls, we serve warriors.If you want to become one, then please. ”

One only has to understand what real service is. We work in the fields, on assignments, on international exercises. We are a big fighting family that is always there, but not at home.

How many women go to work?

People often say they want to serve in the Marine Corps, and I always ask what they want to get from the service.Everyone replies that we have good financial security. Yes, that's clear, and what's next? There are women, for example, who want a specific position but do not want to complete the job. Last year, they increased the list of positions that women can work in: tank commander, branch commander, sniper, grenade launcher. But if you want to become one of them, you have to understand - you have to devote yourself to it or at least have your first contract, three years. Do not begin your duties and go into a decree, as is often the case. Do not go to the tank commander when you have a small child. I'll explain when you're a tank commander, you have to go everywhere with your unit during combat missions. If a woman says she will not go because she has a baby at home, she will bring up the unit. That is why commanders often decide not to take women into military service. Motherhood is sacred, but a woman has to sacrifice something.

 

[berkut76]

The project "Mothers" dedicated to mothers who lost their sons in the ongoing Russian - Ukrainian war. The people behind this project hope that the photographs of the mothers who lost their children in defense of the motherland will be find prominent place in offices of high ranking government officials. Honestly, I'm highly skeptical that this is going to happen, but the photos themselves are very moving.

Mothers

 

[berkut76]

THE BATTLE OF ILOVAISK - Forensic Investigation

Completely in English, just click the link to play a video.

In late summer of 2014, the Ukrainian Armed Forces battled pro-Russian separatists for control of the town of Ilovaisk, in the border region of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine. By September, the separatists had won a resounding victory, routing the retreating Ukrainian army. Even as the battle was ongoing, however, allegations swirled that regular units of the Russian army had joined the battle on the side of the separatists, tipping the balance decisively in their favour.

Russian denied the charges. But, in what became a watershed moment for open source investigation, communities of researchers, reporters, and citizen journalists gathered substantial and compelling open source evidence for the presence of the Russian military in the region.

The open source evidence we gathered together is presented within an interactive cartographic platform. The platform allows users to move forward and backward throughout the period of the battle, exploring over 150 incidents, supported by thousands of sources. This platform is an instance of timemap, an open source codebase we developed to facilitate the creation of interactive cartographic platforms, which we have used across multiple projects to reveal connections in time and space between incidents and events.

The Ilovaisk platform also contains our own verification, geolocation, and short video investigations.

 

[berkut76]

Recollection of a female combat medic about Battle of Ilovaisk

I saw a vehicle in flames and guys burning inside like dolls

Elena Kosheleva call sign "Cat"


Just a horror movie.”

- Here I see the flaming skeleton of a car. In it already motionless bodies - burn like dolls. Burning dolls in a burning car. I think: Lord, if it weren’t ours! I look up - a man is hanging on wires.

I well remember how the guys from Veseushniki dismounted and fired from their knees. I still thought: if only they survived, if only they managed to dodge.

I remember how a man crawled very similar to our Portos (Andrey Shcherbina). He did not have a piece of cheek, his legs were burning, he was all burning. He asked for help, but we could not stop the car, because then we would have died ourselves and would have saved no one else.

Do you know what thought was in your head? It will end now, it’s not real - like studying, it’s not for us, it’s not our cars. I refused to understand that this hell was happening to me and to those I know. To distract, I turned my attention to friends who were sitting next to me, and began to think what to do.

“I prefer not to remember anything now and allow myself to live a little bit”
- How long it lasted?

- I do not know. Maybe a few minutes, maybe longer. There, where I looked, everything was like in slow motion, and with side vision everything was dynamic. These are the features of my psyche: if I pay attention to something at such moments, then I see everything in quite detail. Then I can either not remember anything at all, or suddenly remember, but in fragments.

“Were you injured then?”

- No, I left Ilovaysk without a single wound. And then it somehow worked out. By the way, it’s very strange: they didn’t reveal any concussions, nothing, but at the same time stated that “there are no more vessels”. Such is the reaction to stress. I also have migraines such that no medication helps. Day, two, three in a row is so wild pain that I can’t even open my eyes.

Did you communicate with the Russians?

- They set a condition for us: either we surrender, or they will not even allow the wounded to be taken out. And in no other way. I had to go out. We were held captive for three days.

We were taken by the "Fox" (Russian officer. - Auth .). He then told me that he had an order to raze us to the ground: “But I specifically gave the order to put shells by, so that I could take you out. I don’t fight with doctors and women. ” Although the place was very targeted.

So the enemies also had manifestations of some kind of humanity. Then one soldier said: “You know, when you don’t see who you are fighting with, shooting is somehow easier. Now I see you, and if you died, I would be very sorry. "

That's when I learned to be both wise and flexible. So it was necessary. If they spoke to me, I answered, if they smiled, I listened calmly and also smiled. Wuxi pusi Do you want to hug me? Ok, cattle, hug. Thank you for not specifically killing me, yeah. “By the way, I should drink water for the wounded. Thank".

You see, our wounded were given water, knives and medical scissors were given to me so that I could make dressings, because some morons during the search tried so hard that they took the scissors and threw them away.

And if I was showing off, they could put me very hard in place. And not the fact that the guys would have endured it. Yes, you seem to be a beautiful woman, spoke out coolly, while others will grab a kidney or a bullet in the forehead for this. For girls it was very important to feel the line that cannot be crossed. Not to be naughty, not to show off, not to name them as I really wanted.

We were taken to the field. I personally saw when the “Fox” stood and said: “Damn, somehow you need to take you out so that yours do not crush us, and these morons do not get caught. These morons are unpredictable. ”

 

[berkut76]

The Corridor That Never Was. 5 Stories of Survivors of the Ilovaisk Cauldron

Written by Ukrainians for foreign audiences.

Ihor Pavlov, Senior Soldier of the 40th Battalion Kryvbas

On August 24, they were returning from the control points of the battalion in Starobeshevo to a camp outside the village of Kuteynykove in the Donetsk region. They were ambushed, the car was fired at.

"August 24, 2014. We were returning from the battalion control points to the base camp in Starobeshevo. In the village Kuteynykove of Donetsk region we were ambushed. Russians hit us from two BMDs (airborne infantry fighting vehicle - ed.). I learned later that they were Russians.

Everyone who was in the car was either killed or injured. It happened in the evening. I crawled to the forest. There were our wounded brothers as well. My arm was torn off and I got wounded in the head - a finger could enter my head. The hand hung on three veins. I was bandaged and injected with a painkiller. They were about to go, and I knew I couldn't go. And they were all wounded, they couldn’t carry me, I would have been a burden. I said I'd stay.

On the morning of August 25, I managed to walk myself from Kuteynykove to Mnohopillia.

I stayed in the forest at night. There was a fight close to me. Our people passed, and behind them - the Russians. I heard a Russian accent. When the sun went down I got up, gathered all my strength and started walking. It was eight kilometers. A kilometer and a half later I fainted and fell into the grass. I don't know how long I lay there.

It was already morning, the dew helped me come to consciousness. I went on.

I understood there was no point in trying to call anyone, they would not come after me - I was on the rear.

As I went on, I saw a Zhyguli car traveling from Kuteynykove towards Ilovaisk. There were a man and a woman inside. I stopped the car and asked them to bring me toward the Ukrainian checkpoint. They refused. They gave me a bottle of water and drove away. After a while I saw that car again, it came back. The driver stopped and said that I had to walk about a kilometer. I got to our post. I was put in an APC and taken to Volnovakha."

 

[berkut76]

From PBS, among all the possible sources.

Why this American is on the frontlines of Ukraine’s long war

• Simon Ostrovsky:
  He had no military experience. The only branch he'd served in was a bank branch in Delaware.
• Damien Rodriguez:
  I dealt with all the automated cash transactions, a lot of spreadsheets, Excel. Not for me, I guess.
• Simon Ostrovsky:
  Today, he's a long way from the spreadsheets, fighting an enemy even more formidable than ISIS or arithmetic, the Russian military. Last year, Damien joined the Marine Corps of Ukraine.
  We're in a trench on a hill that's overlooking some of the Russian-backed forces' positions. The reason Damien's unit's been sent here is because they're to provide covering fire for another Ukrainian unit that's hunting anti-tank crews that have been harassing Ukrainian vehicles lately.
  This machine gun nest overlooks the positions of the Russian military and their local separatist allies, who want to wrest control of Eastern Ukraine from the central government in Kiev.
• imon Ostrovsky:
  So, the United States — the United States has sent $1.5 billion of military aid to Ukraine, but there are no boots on the ground.
  That $1.5 billion goes to weapons, equipment and training. The only American servicemen here are in a facility near the Polish border, over 800 miles west of the front lines. Like the Canadian and British soldiers who are also in Ukraine, they're providing training at a safe distance from the violence.
  There's hundreds of other Americans far away from the front lines in a much safer environment. What does it feel like to be one of the only ones actually on the front line in the only active war in Europe?
• Damien Rodriguez:
  Last thing we need is another war. If you have more boots here, then that means Russia's going to have more boots over there. And, you know, do you really want this to be a huge, you know, possibly world war, you know?
• Simon Ostrovsky:
  One of his commanding officers tells us he's grateful for the fighters from the U.S., Great Britain and Estonia that have joined this unit.
  How did you feel when the foreigners first joined your battalion?
• Andriy Pidlisny:
  We know the reason why we are here, Ukrainians, because it's our land. We defend it. But why foreign guys come here? We didn't — these guys, very good guys, they're very patriotic. One of them want to take Ukrainian citizenship now, because our allows to do that.
• Simon Ostrovsky:
  Following in the footsteps of the U.S., Ukraine changed its laws to make it possible for foreigners serving in the military to receive citizenship.
  Not everyone plans on taking it, but the Defense Ministry says there are currently about 130 foreigners serving, including several Americans.
• Archil Tsintsadze:
  Someone who proves that he wants to be Ukrainian citizen, and he also has the good record of fighting for this country, well, he also has the privilege to be granted Ukrainian citizenship.
• Simon Ostrovsky:
  The reforms are seen as part of an effort to redirect internationals away from volunteer battalions that were not fully under the Defense Ministry's control, groups like the Azov Battalion, which has recruited many of its fighters from the ranks of the far right and has ties to organizations that participated in the 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville.
• Archil Tsintsadze:
  That's why you need somehow to regulate these volunteers or foreign fighters or whoever is fighting on your side. It was impossible to plan some military operations because volunteers never accepted your orders, and they did their own military operations.

 

[berkut76]

Israeli doctors remove malignant tumor for released Ukrainian sailor Hrytsenko

During Dennis Hrytsenko's 10 months incarceration at various Russian prisons and detention facilities, he never got any medical treatment beyond basic one, and the highly invasive renal cancer wasn't diagnosed until the naval officer's return to Ukraine a couple of weeks ago. With his life and career at stake, Office of the President of Ukraine requested an assistance from Israel which was immediately provided. Since Ukraine doesn't have any cnacer specialists and medical personnel capable of performing a non-invasive procedure, Israeli surgical team and equipment was flown into Kyiv where the successful surgery was performed and as a result, sailor's kidney was saved.

 

[berkut76]

WARNING. It took me a month to read an interview with Aleksandr Zhuk a regular Ukrainian soldier from Luhansk. He told the story of an early fighting in Ukraine in the summer of 2014 as it was. Quite a gruesome tale as one can imagine, especially the main portion of an interview which is focuses on fighting around Saur-Mogila. Proceed with caution. Surprisingly, the automated translation is pretty decent.

Did you really believe that it was possible to liberate Lugansk?

- At first - yes, of course. Until he got to Saur-Grave.

After that, there were still few Russians and Russian equipment. Ours have already freed Lisichansk, Severodonetsk, Rubezhnoye. I think we could reach the very border. But something, as they say, went wrong.

When regular Russian troops came in massively, I was just at Saur-Mogil. We stayed there for the first time from August 2 to 11. From a height of 278 meters above sea level, a territory is clearly visible in a radius of 30-40 kilometers - you can control a large section of the border with Russia, and in good weather you can see the Sea of Azov, 75 kilometers to it. At night the columns marched towards Thorez and Snowy. In total, during this time we counted 400 units of Russian armored vehicles.

We were bombarded from three sides - from the territory of Torez, Snezhnoye and Russia (from Saur-Mogily six kilometers to the Ukrainian-Russian border). From the outbreaks it was easy to determine where the fire was coming from.

- Was there anything to help?

- Honestly, there were no drugs or doctors. The dentist who was with us does not count. What experience he has, you understand. How could he stop internal bleeding without surgery, for example? And I repeat, there were a lot of wounded.

“Were you not injured?”

- Somehow it worked out.

- The family was in the know, where are you?

- My wife knew that I was in the ATO, but where exactly - no. Periodically called up with relatives until the phone is discharged.

In short, we all looked at it for three days. And on August 5, Gordiychuk said: "Tomorrow you will go on the assault." However, for some reason, everyone immediately outplayed and rescheduled the next day. They planned a bunch of tricks - how to confuse the separatists on the radio (they listened to us) , etc. I don’t remember the details in the chronological sequence.

The Hell of Saur Mogila

 

[berkut76]

A very interesting interview with a Ukrainian essentially self-taught psychological therapist about the affects of PTSDs on Ukrainian veterans and treatment process. Mostly doom and gloom since there is no network in place. The biggest challenges is that all Ukrainian veterans suffer from concussion due to widespread and intensive use of artillery during the war. If the veteran returns home to a stable family with kids (but not very young ones), he'll recover. If the situation at home is dreadful with abusive spouses in some cases, no treatment would help. The problem is infinitely worse in rural areas where the young soldiers without families have to struggle with their demons all alone and usually turn to alcohol to cope. So far, between 600 and 1,000 veterans committed suicide.

The veteran called: "I must bid farewell to life ..." To save him, I spent five hours with him on the phone

That guy is in what condition right now?”

- In general, not bad. Slightly recovered. His story is very long. He was also injured physically. He has one half body trembling (tremor), and he walks poorly. So the guy is disabled not only because of psychological trauma. We then helped him for a long time manually to obtain a disability group, because in his native Krivoy Rog the odious MSEC did not even give a third group.

But at least his family supported him. But the guy from Kakhovka in the Kherson region did not have support at all. We consulted on the phone all the time, he had a severe pathology - he drank heavily, serious suicidal thoughts occurred. At the same time, his wife giggled when he jumped up in a dream and “shot”. And then she told everyone: “And my moron ...”

You said that almost everyone gets shell shock in the war?

- The specifics of the war with Russia is that they use very high-tech weapons, giving a large mine-blast wave. The amount of brain damage is up to 35 percent in the structure of injuries, and about 80 percent of them are closed craniocerebral injuries.

In fact, shell-shock is an archaic term. Now it is not used anywhere in the world. In fact, this is an ordinary concussion, but not when you fell and hit your head or got it in an accident, but because of the blast wave acting through the ears. Both the auditory and vestibular apparatuses and the brain itself suffer.

Contusion occurs to varying degrees in almost everyone. Many carry it on their feet. Well, my head was spinning, lost consciousness for a couple of seconds, vomiting was three days. But alive, arms, legs, head intact. But this is such an invisible molecular effect on the brain that even MRI shows nothing, although both peripheral and central neurons are affected.

 

[berkut76]

An interview with an Israeli national, a native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Grigoriy Pivovarov who has been a member of Ukrainian armed forces since 2014. His application for Ukrainian citizenship has been pending for years.

Automated translation is so-so.

Callsign Jew

Has the Russian language in your family always been supported?

- At the age of 9, I came to Israel, learned Hebrew, English, I know Spanish. In Russian, we always spoke at home. Now my problem is that there is a mixture of languages in my head. And in Ukrainian I do not have that stress. Plus now the period of adrenaline. To speak Ukrainian, I need to think. The soldiers themselves ask: "Commander, go to Russian, so that we will understand you faster." And fill all the papers in Ukrainian, handle it. And I understand Ukrainian very well

You carry a call sign ...

- Jew.

- No offense?

- No. This is true.

Did you apply for citizenship?

- Yes, I collected everything I needed. There is a rumor that they have been in the Presidential Administration since 2017, but for some reason they are not allowed to move. But I still hope to become a citizen of Ukraine. For me, this is as important as winning this war

Yes, I can say I'm a Russophobe. Because I am against the slavery system. One must develop, move forward, not restrict oneself consciously. I was engaged in industrial mountaineering, tourism, trawling, was a courier. Work should be fun - my main principle. If he had not left Israel, he would have opened a travel agency. I wanted to show people Jerusalem, Capernaum, Caesarea, the Cyprus Sea, the Tel Aviv party, the Roman sarcophagi. This dream has now become a little transformed. I want to get citizenship before the New Year because I have promised to take my commander to the Dead Sea, to show Peter and Aqaba in Jordan. By the way, Ukrainians love this country and do not like Russians. Which suits us too.

If a person has traveled a lot, he begins to appreciate his land. After the army, I want to do just that. To make a project about Ukraine similar to the program "World inside out", but in our, Ukrainian, sense. To tell: here there were Cossacks, here UNR, here Makhno, here black Zaporozhians. A person who knows their history and land does not need loud slogans. The Muscovites are trying to destroy this in every person: his self-identification. They tried to do the same with the Jewish people. But they did not succeed because they were outsmarted.

 

[ao_sepia]

An interview with an Israeli national, a native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Grigoriy Pivovarov who has been a member of Ukrainian armed forces since 2014. His application for Ukrainian citizenship has been pending for years.

Automated translation is so-so.

Callsign Jew

Has the Russian language in your family always been supported?

- At the age of 9, I came to Israel, learned Hebrew, English, I know Spanish. In Russian, we always spoke at home. Now my problem is that there is a mixture of languages in my head. And in Ukrainian I do not have that stress. Plus now the period of adrenaline. To speak Ukrainian, I need to think. The soldiers themselves ask: "Commander, go to Russian, so that we will understand you faster." And fill all the papers in Ukrainian, handle it. And I understand Ukrainian very well

You carry a call sign ...

- Jew.

- No offense?

- No. This is true.

Did you apply for citizenship?

- Yes, I collected everything I needed. There is a rumor that they have been in the Presidential Administration since 2017, but for some reason they are not allowed to move. But I still hope to become a citizen of Ukraine. For me, this is as important as winning this war

Yes, I can say I'm a Russophobe. Because I am against the slavery system. One must develop, move forward, not restrict oneself consciously. I was engaged in industrial mountaineering, tourism, trawling, was a courier. Work should be fun - my main principle. If he had not left Israel, he would have opened a travel agency. I wanted to show people Jerusalem, Capernaum, Caesarea, the Cyprus Sea, the Tel Aviv party, the Roman sarcophagi. This dream has now become a little transformed. I want to get citizenship before the New Year because I have promised to take my commander to the Dead Sea, to show Peter and Aqaba in Jordan. By the way, Ukrainians love this country and do not like Russians. Which suits us too.

If a person has traveled a lot, he begins to appreciate his land. After the army, I want to do just that. To make a project about Ukraine similar to the program "World inside out", but in our, Ukrainian, sense. To tell: here there were Cossacks, here UNR, here Makhno, here black Zaporozhians. A person who knows their history and land does not need loud slogans. The Muscovites are trying to destroy this in every person: his self-identification. They tried to do the same with the Jewish people. But they did not succeed because they were outsmarted.

View attachment 190831View attachment 190832View attachment 190833View attachment 190834View attachment 190835View attachment 190836

born in russia,israel nationality,ukrainian soldier,wear german unifrom and last nazi Ukrain?

 

[ao_sepia]

An interview with an Israeli national, a native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Grigoriy Pivovarov who has been a member of Ukrainian armed forces since 2014. His application for Ukrainian citizenship has been pending for years.

Automated translation is so-so.

Callsign Jew

Has the Russian language in your family always been supported?

- At the age of 9, I came to Israel, learned Hebrew, English, I know Spanish. In Russian, we always spoke at home. Now my problem is that there is a mixture of languages in my head. And in Ukrainian I do not have that stress. Plus now the period of adrenaline. To speak Ukrainian, I need to think. The soldiers themselves ask: "Commander, go to Russian, so that we will understand you faster." And fill all the papers in Ukrainian, handle it. And I understand Ukrainian very well

You carry a call sign ...

- Jew.

- No offense?

- No. This is true.

Did you apply for citizenship?

- Yes, I collected everything I needed. There is a rumor that they have been in the Presidential Administration since 2017, but for some reason they are not allowed to move. But I still hope to become a citizen of Ukraine. For me, this is as important as winning this war

Yes, I can say I'm a Russophobe. Because I am against the slavery system. One must develop, move forward, not restrict oneself consciously. I was engaged in industrial mountaineering, tourism, trawling, was a courier. Work should be fun - my main principle. If he had not left Israel, he would have opened a travel agency. I wanted to show people Jerusalem, Capernaum, Caesarea, the Cyprus Sea, the Tel Aviv party, the Roman sarcophagi. This dream has now become a little transformed. I want to get citizenship before the New Year because I have promised to take my commander to the Dead Sea, to show Peter and Aqaba in Jordan. By the way, Ukrainians love this country and do not like Russians. Which suits us too.

If a person has traveled a lot, he begins to appreciate his land. After the army, I want to do just that. To make a project about Ukraine similar to the program "World inside out", but in our, Ukrainian, sense. To tell: here there were Cossacks, here UNR, here Makhno, here black Zaporozhians. A person who knows their history and land does not need loud slogans. The Muscovites are trying to destroy this in every person: his self-identification. They tried to do the same with the Jewish people. But they did not succeed because they were outsmarted.

View attachment 190831View attachment 190832View attachment 190833View attachment 190834View attachment 190835View attachment 190836

born in russia,israel nationality,ukrainian volunteer soldier,wear german unifrom and last nazi ukrain?

 

[ao_sepia]

sorry for repost,i didn't saw old post.

 

[berkut76]

born in russia,israel nationality,ukrainian soldier,wear german unifrom and last nazi Ukrain?

why Nazi? He is an anarchist in his beliefs.

 

[berkut76]

Ukrainian Combat Losses for September 2019

Absolutely horrible month for Ukrainians with 14 KIAs, including a female soldier.

 

[berkut76]

Elena Belozerskaya: officers are trying to keep women away from combat. The death of any soldier is grief. The death of a woman is a double tragedy, especially if she is a mother

An interview with one of the most famous Ukrainian snipers, male or female. She used to be a Right Sector volunteer, but since there are no more "volunteer" or like the Russian media likes to write "Nationalistic" battalions, she transferred over to the armed forces and now serves as an artillery corps officer. Surprisingly the interview is completely devoid of any politics. Once again the primary discussion is the role of women in the military that is engaged in constant combat. Elena mentions that women are better in some combat roles since they are easy on equipment. Obviously, substance abuse is not a big issue among female combatants as well. Also, she thinks that that rule that men and wife CAN'T be direct commanding officer and subordinate should be dropped. This is sort of Ukrainian thing, husband and wife pairs proved be very efficient as sniper teams and in recon units. At the same time, if there kids involved they could become orphans in an instant.

Can we say that women are attracted to army salaries?

There are those who join the army because there is a high salary. They do not want to be warriors, this is the same woman as in the rear work. But they serve where they can fly. Last year, the girl was wounded by a shell fragment - artillery fired on the rear positions. They risk their lives. There are women who really fight. Yana Chervona was a machine gunner (KIA April 2, 2019).

An adult woman, the mother of three children, is serving with us in the battalion. And she won the entire rotation at "zero" on a par with the men. I also managed to cook them. A very fighting woman. Her husband is the foreman of the battalion, and he did not bother her, let him go to the front line. Of course, the commanders try not to let women go to zero, this was and will be.

For him, it makes a difference who died: man or woman. The death of a woman is a double tragedy, especially if she is a mother. You can hear: "How I will live after this." In principle, this should not be. The death of any soldier is grief. What are the benefits of women? Women are physically weaker, and they are no more different. If a girl needs special conditions, she does not have a place in the army. Nerves are stronger in women. I did not see a girl who would faint on the front line, with whom a tantrum would happen.

With inexperienced guys this happens. And this does not mean that they are cowards. This is a stressful reaction, they get used to shelling.

Women do not drink, or drink much less. They are more obligatory, do not disappear with the phone turned off. Men are not so neat. Once, we had a fierce battle, the machine guns did not stop. I was afraid that the Pokemon (PKM) barrel would overheat, but there were no spare parts, it was a terrible shortage. I remember screaming: “Guys, do not burn the trunks! Shoot short! ”

This fight is on the video, and when Dmitry Yarosh saw it, he said that only a woman in such a situation could think of such a thing. Women who really fight, tend not to respect girls who monitor their appearance, painted. Which, allegedly, primarily women, not soldiers. I do not agree with this. If she does her job well, then what difference does it make up or not? There are girls who do manicures in the trenches. Under the Donetsk airport in winter, the cold was such that we wore several sweaters. And you see a girl who is wrapped up to her eyebrows, but her eyes are made up. There was no harm from this.

Are there snipers called legends? "Poacher". He has crazy numbers, someone says - a hundred, someone - more than a hundred. There is a "Czech" - more than forty. But snipers talk a little about themselves. I’ll tell a story about "Corporal" and Czech. One went to the position and met the other. The guys argued, everyone said: “This is my position! What are you doing over there?". And someone suggested that they give the separatists plates: "I am "Corporal" and "I am Cech." So that they stick out with them and there is no dispute.

 

[berkut76]

Surprisingly decent automated translation from Ukrainian about a Combat medic, now a Ukrainian Army Major, who actually started out as a volunteer flying evac missions and performing operations in flight on a single Ukrainian med evca plane, Vita even before he was drafted in the military.

Hundreds of missions and thousands of wounded servicemen military doctor Sergei Livakovsky

Five and a half years have passed since the first departure to the front line. I think that by the richness of events, this time is the same as a lifetime in a peaceful, peaceful city. Remember the first flight?

- It was the end of May 2014. At that time, few people realized that they were going to the Donbass. We were told: there are four injured and we have to transport them from Kharkiv to the Kiev hospital. That's it ... That first business trip lasted four days. There were two departures per day. They transported the wounded from the two advanced hospitals of Kharkiv and Dnipro deep into the country. It's hard to convey emotions when you see a huge number of young guys every day with severe wounds, severed limbs ... Vita is designed to carry 15 people, but we took on board the "bandage" as the crew commander allowed. The state of shock that everyone, doctors, crew, wounded, was forever engraved in the soul. A shocking condition that we all learned to master and overcome.

- The main task of doctors is to save the lives of the wounded and sick. But the conditions of work on the land differ from the conditions of medical aid during the flight…

- Of course, anesthesia and intensive care are influenced by the reduction of oxygen pressure in the surrounding air, noise, vibration. This all increases the load on the respiratory, cardiovascular system, leads to a decrease in cerebral blood supply. Therefore, one of my tasks in flight is to monitor vital indicators and to prevent the patient from worsening during the evacuation. In addition, anesthesia protects the body during surgery. Any surgery, especially after a wound, is a shock that often lasts a lifetime. Minimizing the negative effects is my job too. Fortunately, we have not lost any of our patients on Vita.

Didn't you miss Vita in the hospital on the ground?

- To be honest, there was no opportunity. After all, in addition to receiving the wounded, they flew for evacuation by helicopter. I have about 40 such departures. How many then evacuated the wounded? I didn't count. There are hundreds of them. Each helicopter evacuation is one and a half dozen fighters.

- Which episode was the most memorable?

- Definitely, the evacuation from the battlefield in the winter of 2016. We were urgently summoned in the middle of the night. A helicopter standing on the ground near ours

59th hospital, was already ready for takeoff. So they immediately jumped into the turntable and flew to pick up the soldiers who had blown up on the enemy mine. Pilots have been warned on board: we must work quickly and extremely carefully. Because we will take the fighters on the line of contact. Local fighters marked a small landing area near the site where the blast occurred. Continuous darkness. Around - minefields, swamps, shrubs. Honestly, it was hard and scary. But we took away the dead and three wounded and successfully flew to the hospital. The evacuation ended and the fight for life continued. I changed clothes - and immediately into the operating room. They worked on the boys until dawn and in the morning all three were saved .

 

[Gnarlycharlie]

We stormed Novosvetlovka on the 13th of August, two days later I turned 18 years old - Alina Demchenko

Новосветловку мы штурмовали 13 августа, через два дня мне исполнилось 18 лет — Алина Демченко

Новосветловку мы штурмовали 13 августа, через два дня мне исполнилось 18 лет — Алина Демченко. Она бросила...

savelife.in.ua

She abandoned her studies and dreams about acting career to meet her adulthood under the MRLS fire. Today she is studying to become theatre director, she attends her university session coming straight from the frontlines. Alina Demchenko, a press-officer of the 28th Knights of the Winter Campaign Separate Mechanized Brigade, told the project “Povernis Szhivim” about her choice to defend the country, sixth year at the frontlines and the dream of opening a theatre.

The Revolution of Dignity became the starting point. There I realized: if you do not protect your rights and your country, no one will do it for you. Maidan for me was the epicentre of common sense and there was nothing more important for me than being out there.

“THERE WAS NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN BEING OUT THERE.”

I studied at the college of theatre and cinema. At first I came to Maidan as a passive observer. However, in January 2014, when the events on the Grushevsky Street began to heat up, I stayed there to take part in the protest. During that time, I was coming home only to wash myself, then I abandoned college.

Maybe I was naïve that time. I simply couldn’t except how government could exercise violence against populace without any reason and get away with it. I was led by my inner sense of justice.

In May russian diversion teams with the help of collaborators captured Slovyansk, the Maidan self-defence started to organize volunteer groups. They did not tell anyone much where and why they were going. However, I pleaded to take me and 3 other girls with them. This way four of us entered “Aydar” battalion. That time I was 17 years old so I lied that my id got burned during the Maidan to get into the battalion. So you can say that until August 2014 I served illegally if there was any legality with volunteer troops to begin with.

Why you ask? Probably because I was brought up with this sense of civic duty for my country since childhood, I guess. People don’t believe me when I tell them about my motivation, but I always knew that if there was a war in my country, I would definitely be out there. Therefore, when it all started, I knew where I should be.

“MOM, I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN IT TO YOU, BUT I AM VERY FAR AWAY RIGHT NOW.”

My mother was awestruck. She assumed that I just attend Maidan from time to time simply to observe. In a complete contrast now I’m calling her from Lugansk region where we arrived in May. I didn’t even know where I was exactly. So imagine this, I’m sitting in some forest belt while in a sleeping bag and saying:


- “Mom, I don’t know how to explain it to you, but I am very far away right now.”

- “What happened?”

- “I am currently in the Lugansk region, I entered a volunteer battalion, I don’t really have any time to explain in detail.”


I didn’t know how to explain the situation to her. You see, the relations in our family are quite conservative. I thought that if I started to explain her about the sense of duty, she would say: “Alina, you’ve lost your mind, you’re 17 years old, you should study not go on some crazy venture.” I called her once every 5 days and said that I was fine, she demanded an explanation, and when the battalion was somewhat officially created, I said:


- “Mom, I'm in the army.”

- “You are out of you mind!”

- “And that is final, I'm a soldier now.”


I can’t even imagine what she went through during that period.

I don’t really think that there are male or female professions. When you have able body, a steady mind and a fiery heart, you can do anything. Even more so, some things are even easier for women to pull through than they are for men.

“I JUST TRIED TO BE USEFUL. ALSO I HANDLED MY RIFLE PRETTY WELL.”

I was issued a rifle and taught thoroughly how to use it. I just tried to be helpful. Also I handled my rifle pretty well.

Women usually were registered for non-combat positions like secretaries, accountants. At first there was no strict distribution of duties in the battalion anyway, but most women still weren’t allowed to enter combat. During that time there was word going about the start of operation but I unfortunately I missed the Schcastye offensive. By that time, I knew that it was useless to ask the commanders to deploy me in combat.

When the "Novosvetlovka-Khryaschevatoe" operation went on in August, I just got on the bus with the group and went on the operation. This was my first combat experience. Our task was to storm these settlements, clean them from any enemy presence, gain a foothold and wait for the army to show up.

“HAIR WAVING IN THE WIND WHILE I’M RIDING ON THE BMP, EVERYONE OPENING FIRE.”

At the crossroads beyond Georgievka we were divided into two groups. One went to Khryaschevatoe, and we went to Novosvetlovka. I did not fully understand what was happening. We switched from GAZ-66 to BMP. We drove in blindly like some kamikaze. It went something like this: my hair was waving in the wind while I’m riding on the BMP, everyone opening fire. Someone ordered to dismount the BMP even though we were still on the move. When I jumped off, I injured my leg a bit. This way I was more concerned about the leg than the military operation itself.

After the dismount we entered the outskirts of the village and we were immediately shelled by “Grad”. We hid under some small bridge. I asked guys what to do in this scenario? They said: "Lie silently and cover your head with your hands." So I did.

“WHAT IF MY FOOT GETS BLOWN OFF INTO THIS SUNFLOWER FIELD. WILL I BE ABLE TO LIVE AS A CRIPPLE?”

MLRS rockets were landing in a sort of checkerboard pattern. The earth was shaking, and I heard explosions approaching. It was like Hell broke loose. There was a sunflower field nearby and suddenly a weird yet logical thought occurred: "What if my foot gets blown off into the sunflower field. Will I be able to live as a cripple?" No, I did not think that I’ll die that day, instead I was really afraid of being disabled. The shelling was short because apparently they shoot only half of the “Grads” load. We got lucky, I guess. In the village itself we did not meet any strong resistance. The terrorist occupied only one building, either a school or a cultural centre. After a short firefight we captured this building, took a couple of POWs.

We entered the village on August 13, and two days later I came of age. I recall we went into some house to pack our things, shortly after we got shelled by automatic grenade launcher. In case with “Grad” you know that the enemy is far away, but AGS-17 means that the enemy infantry is quite close. It means that there’s some bastard nearby who aims precisely at you while reloading the “snail”. In times like this you can nothing but think: “Ah, you mother@@ker!”

I sat down by the house wall, everything around was exploding and I thought: “God, in only two days I’ll turn 18. But will I be able to or will I die a minor? I had a bit of panic back there, fortunately comrades supported me then.

Later I took things more calmly. I even learned to sleep under shelling and so on. However, I finally understood that war is not fun and games at all. So the day I came of age I had a simple choice: either go home or stay with the battalion. And I decided to sign a contract. I thought that there are very few people who celebrated their adulthood in such a way. I was very proud of my choice and never ever regretted it.

We dug in Novosvetlovka, made a checkpoint. Artillery bombarded us all night so we spent the night in the basement. The next day we began to establish supply routes. We were there for about 10 days, and on August 23-24 we received an order to leave, the army left some time later.

“I KNEW THAT THERE IS AN ENEMY AND THERE IS MY RIFLE AND THAT THE ORDER MUST BE EXECUTED”

I can’t say that I’m some tier 0 killing machine, but I was able to carry out my orders. I knew that there is an enemy and there is my rifle and that the order must be executed.

We were all really anticipating the order to advance in Lugansk, we should have started the offensive pretty soon according to rumours. We were just 8 km from it. I persuaded myself that I will definitely take part in the offensive. I dreamed of putting the Ukrainian flag over Lugansk. However, the fate decided otherwise.

Subsequently, we returned to the base in Polovinkino, I was transferred to another company in Trekhizbenka. There, at the bridge towards Slavyanoserbsk, we had a checkpoint. In the autumn, the military action mostly ceased in our sector and we occupied this checkpoint for some time.

There were occasional clashes, but there was no heavy artillery shelling, mostly mortars. On the other hand, small arms firefights were a routine. In May 2015, a friend of mine died in Zolotoe. I met him during Maidan, he was from the "Yastruby" - a kind of quick response group. The guys solved various conflict situations during Maidan. In summer he entered Aydar too, he turned out to be a pretty interesting guy. We quickly became friends: listened to music to music together, read books. Kind of a platonic relationship. I grew close to him and he supported me many times. In 2015, I went to Trekhizbenka and he went to Zolotoye. We were out of touch for several days, and then I was told that he died.

“I LOST FRIENDS BEFORE, BUT WHEN HE DIED EVERITHING SUDDENLY CHANGED.”

I lost friends before, but when he died everything suddenly changed. The strange thing was I didn’t shed even a single tear. We haven’t had a steady burial procedure then. We had to get everything necessary by ourselves.

“ONE SECOND I LOOKED AT THE CROWD AND THE NEXT THING I REMEMBER DPOPPING MY RADIO AND FALLING IN THE BACK OF THE CAR.”

I pulled myself together because I knew there was a lot of work to be done. We went to the morgue in Kyiv on the next day and there I saw his embalmed body. I was in shock, though conscious still. When we brought his body to Maidan in order to say final farewells many people gathered. I got out of the car, one second I’m looking at the crowd and the next thing I remember is dropping my radio and falling in the back of the car. I fell unconscious. I kept it together before, but there I just couldn’t bare it.

After that I took some time off and went on vacation, visited his parents, but upon my return I completely changed, I burned out. I perceived everything apathetically, but I still done what needed to be done and carried out my duties. Any major actions in the Luhansk region completely came to halt. In 2017, I felt that "Aydar" wasn’t a place for me anymore so I transferred to the reconnaissance company of the 92nd SMB.

“THEY LOOKED AT ME AND LAUGHED, SAID: WE WERE NOT EXPECTING FOR SOMEONE LIKE YOU HERE AND WE HAVE NO USE FOR YOU."

These guys already were for some time on the frontlines. On our first encounter they looked at me and laughed, said: “We were not expecting someone like you here and we have no use for you”. However, I replied: “Yeah, that’s not goanna fly, it's too late for this line already, I serve in your unit now." Of course they were wary of me at first and were reluctant in trusting me with anything of importance, but eventually I became a part of the team.

We were deployed in Krasnogorovka then; I was one of the people who helped with intel analysis. I wasn’t into headquarters work of any kind. I thought that it was being pushed on me simply because I am a woman. But I came to help, besides things got much more serious in the recognisance platoon so I carried out my part.

Subsequently, they began to take me with them to watch posts, drone launch sites and the like. However, they never took on any of the actual missions, since “a woman aboard brings ill luck” as they say. Kind of hated them for this. During the second rotation I became the part of the family. And I calmed down already, because when they didn’t take me with them no matter what, I just simply wanted to prove that I could be a worthy soldier. But then I thought that I had already proved that to myself plenty and there was a limit to how far I can go. Since then I simply did anything to be of use.

I served with the platoon a little less than a year and in June 2018 I wanted a change of scenery so I transferred to the 28th. They have their PPD in Odessa.

“5 YEARS IN A WAR AND THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE WHO ARE OBLIVIOUS TO WHAT IS HAPPENING AT ALL.”

The brigade commander offered me the post of press officer and I agreed. Mostly because I think that the informational component is one of the most important in the hybrid warfare. I mean we are already 5 years ina war and there are still people out there who are oblivious to what is happening at all.

I have a groupmate at the university, he is about forty, has his own enterprise, just came to study for director likw me. One day he was giving me a lift and said:

- “So, do you serve?”

- “Yes, I do.”
I answered.

- “Well then, explain to me what is happening out there, who is fighting who there, what are you doing on the frontlines? These separatists, they really are separatists or what?”

I simply was at loss of words. This truly is our loss as state. We have already lost the information war. Our people shouldn’t even have such questions. They should already know who’s who, where, how and what for. And we must show it to them.

I am a third year student at the University of Culture and Arts. My dream is to open my own theatre, but this is all to do after the war.

“IN THE ARMY I UNDERSTOOD THAT I’M NOT ALWAYS COMFORTABLE WITH BEING ORDERED AROUND”

I always wanted to work in the theatre. I studied for an actress in college, but in the army I realized that I was not always comfortable when I was being ordered around. So I decided to study for a director instead. A good director has a lot of authority, and he can have great results when he uses it properly.

 

[berkut76]

Ukrainian Troops Are Still Using This Pre-World War I-Era Maxim Machine Gun In Combat

The video, which originally aired as part of a segment on Ukraine's Channel 5 television network and has been circulating on social media since at least Jan. 31, 2020, shows a member of the Ukrainian armed forces manning the M1910 machine gun in an unspecified location in the country's Luhansk Oblast. Luhansk is one of the Ukrainian regions that declared itself to be an independent republic in 2014 following Russia's illegal seizure of the Crimean Peninsula and the beginning of the Kremlin's support for nominally local separatist forces in the eastern part of Ukraine. Luhansk, together with Donetsk, form a region known as the Donbass, which has been the epicenter of the conflict ever since.

It's not clear what particular M1910 variant is seen in the recent video from Ukraine, but it notably lacks the later so-called "tractor cap" on top of the cooling jacket, which was added to many of the guns, such as the one in the video below, beginning sometime between 1941 and 1943. The gun seen in the video clip from 2016 does have this feature.

It's also worth noting that even if the gun seen in the video from Ukraine was among the very last M1910s produced in the Soviet Union, it would still be 75 years old.

As long as the gun itself works, there aren't any real hurdles to using it, either. As noted, it uses standard 7.62x54mm ammunition, which remains in production in Ukraine and Russia, among other countries, more than a century after it was first introduced. Subsequent Soviet machine gun designs also continued to use interchangeable cartridge belts to further reduce logistical demands. This particular Ukrainian M1910 appears to be loaded with ammunition using a belt from a much more modern PK-series machine gun.

At the same time, it also shows how deep Ukraine has had to dig to source additional weapons and other military equipment while it faces down one of the world's largest armies and its proxies. Whatever the case, that this M1910 is still serving in any capacity at all is both a testament to the design of Maxim's gun and Russia's 7.62x54mm cartridge.

With the conflict in Ukraine, unfortunately, not looking like it will be ending any time soon, it's possible that this gun, already at least 75 years old, still has years of service left ahead of it.

 

[berkut76]

The War in Ukraine Was Supposed to End 5 Years Ago. But It Didn’t.

The terms of the Minsk II deal were decidedly unfavorable to Ukraine. Today, many Ukrainians see the constitutional amendment requirements to be a Russian Trojan horse aimed at undermining Ukraine’s pro-Western pivot.

However, with one of the fiercest battles of the war raging in the Ukrainian town of Debaltseve at the time, February of 2015 was a do-or-die moment for Kyiv.

In Debaltseve, Ukrainian forces—a mix of regular army troops and civilian paramilitary units—had at that time been weathering weeks of heavy shelling at the hands of a combined force of Russian regulars and Moscow-backed separatists. It was a classic example of Soviet “area warfare,” in which an enemy is targeted with overwhelming, indiscriminate firepower.

Today, neither side is fighting to affect a breakthrough or take significant new ground. Rather, both sides simply go on fighting—weathering daily shelling and sniper fire—to not be the side that backs down first.

“Today’s attack by Russian-led forces near Zolote—which resulted in Ukrainian casualties—comes on the five-year anniversary of Russian-led forces taking the key rail hub of Debaltseve in direct contravention of the terms of the Minsk agreements reached just a week earlier,” Cherith Norman Chalet, acting deputy representative of the U.S. to the United Nations, said Tuesday.

“Then, as now, Russian-led forces continue to contravene commitments made by President Putin and Russian officials, and to kill Ukrainians on Ukrainian territory,” Norman Chalet said.

For Ukraine’s soldiers, their country’s ongoing war effort is meant to keep the Russian threat quarantined to the Donbas war zone. Many Ukrainian troops say that if they simply packed up and went home, then Moscow would continue its invasion behind them all the way to Kyiv.

For Moscow, the war in eastern Ukraine is a long-term gambit to slow Ukraine’s pro-Western pivot. By dialing up or down the level of violence in the Donbas, Moscow attempts to extract diplomatic concessions from Kyiv and delegitimize Ukraine’s pro-democratic ambitions.

Apart from the humanitarian crisis and the ongoing tragedy of soldiers continuously killed in combat, the war has certainly been a drain on Ukraine’s economy and a detractor from much-needed foreign investment. The war is also a continued roadblock in the way of Ukraine’s ambitions to join both the European Union and NATO one day.

Yet, if Moscow had hoped to use the war as a way to coerce Kyiv back into Russia’s so-called sphere of influence, then the Kremlin’s plan has been a resounding failure.

Ukraine’s democracy is flourishing like never before due to the tireless efforts of grassroots, pro-democracy, civil-society groups. Many Ukrainians say their country is now firmly set on an irreversible, pro-Western trajectory. Moreover, the country has also undertaken a top-to-bottom cultural, economic, and political divorce from its former Soviet overlord.