Our special intelligence reports from Donbas
Military intelligence officers are a specialty. Their faces do not fall into the lenses of television cameras, and stories about deeds are “resisted” by time. My acquaintance with a soldier of one of the Russian intelligence units with the call sign “Krakow” happened in Donbas.
His agreement to the interview, even with all the restrictions, surprised me. The partner's face, as expected, hides a balaclava. Shooting photos and videos is strictly prohibited.
Russian intelligence agent at the liberated nationalist base near Krasny Liman. Photo: Press service of the Ministry of Defense
According to the repairman, he joined the armed forces five years ago. But first I wanted to serve on foreign intelligence.
– Children's dream, – laughs partner, – from films about Stirlitz.
Then life itself put everything in its place, the young man signed a contract for military intelligence. He was sent to one of the units to participate in the special operation. About the details – & nbsp; what, where specifically – of course not a word.
– At first I didn't even imagine where I would end up. I took combat equipment and headed to another city.
On the spot, the scout found out where and why they were going: “There is an order – it is necessary, then it is necessary.”
– When we stopped, it was a little unusual. At first I could not believe that everything was real, – admits the army. – The convoy seems to be going and going. We almost arrived in Kiev itself. And when the first shelling and the first losses began, everything fell into place in my head.
Then the deployment changed.
– The Ukrainian soldiers were well trained, it is clear that they were trained by foreign instructors. We often found foreign equipment and weapons in the positions we took. Even the banal dry rations they had at the beginning of the special operation were purely English.
Ukraine now seems to have concluded an agreement & nbsp; with Great Britain. The packages no longer have the British flag, but it is written that it was made in Great Britain, but the flag is already Ukrainian and the inscription – “Glory to Ukraine”. & Nbsp; They also found Korean dry rations. Equipment and anti-tank weapons are mostly American. What can I say, they are widely sponsored.
If we evaluate Ukrainian soldiers exactly as warriors, then in my opinion they are not very good. Their artillery is strong, but again, it's not male thinking. Our repairmen will repair the fire themselves and the program will show the point on their tablet and prescribe where and how to intervene. They are afraid to engage in direct combat with us and retreat. If we have already passed, Ukrainian troops sit in almost every forest belt and flee from each as soon as there is a threat of direct contact.
– Units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – “Veseushniks” – usually comes out at the end of the landing and observers sit at the beginning. Usually from the ranks of the mobilized. Roughly speaking – civilians with weapons in their hands. They have been driven in and are no longer allowed to retreat. Those who manage to surrender admit that they wanted to lay down their arms voluntarily from the very beginning. But they are not allowed to do so. They threaten the family with death or retaliation …
The intelligence officer also had to meet with foreign mercenaries fighting on the side of Ukraine. According to him, the difference is felt immediately. From equipment to professional skills.
– Foreigners have different tactics of warfare. Unlike the simple “Veseushnikov”, who often get lost during the battle and do not understand how to act, these people are ready. In case of contact, they are immediately deployed in a combat formation and act competently.
Several times, according to the spokesman, we had to deal with enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups.
– They will not find us and we have them. – Yes, that means they have less professionalism, – the soldier smiles without pride.
– We have to pay tribute to the soldiers I had to deal with here – and we communicated not only with the intelligence services, but also with other units. The army is strong, the people persevere. But there are situations that affect the image as a whole. Not everything can be predicted and planned. Sometimes even the terrain affects the speed of progress. You need time, preparation.
If we talk specifically about intelligence, even though we try to be constantly ahead, we are all human. Sometimes you need to rest and recover. As a result, there are some changes in the composition of the group, or the groups themselves. This means that deadlines may be slightly increased. And, of course, we should not underestimate the fact that the settlements we are liberating are not three-street villages.
– It seems to me that I am still learning. And I'm not the only one who has this feeling. I had the opportunity to communicate with an officer from another unit, who said, “I've had eight years of fighting, but I'm studying here, too.” No fight is the same.
tricks. “Gentleman's War” comes from only one side – the Russian side.
– Personally, mortars, large-caliber artillery, hail, shrapnel, phosphorus have often worked for me and my men. It came to the point that they were just throwing grenades at us in quadcopters.
– Personally, I've never heard anything wrong, even though I know different stories. We try to help people with food, cigarettes. We hear words of gratitude from many. People just say, “Thank you for coming.”
Case one was very indicative, collapsed in memory. We went to a settlement and people were washing things in the basement building. As we descended, they stepped away from the bowl, facing the wall, feet shoulder-width apart, arms raised. We walked around and then one of the women says, “Thank you for not beating us.” Later, it turned out that the people initially did not understand what kind of soldiers they were, and they thought that it was a National Battalion, which, according to the villagers, does not despise an attack.
“A lot of things,” the spokesman replies after a short pause. – It seems to me above all – culture and courtesy. We even have a motto: “Be polite to the enemy as well.” Of course, good physical fitness. We have to walk a lot, run, jump, shoot.
According to “Krakow”, a scout is not born, but he does. In his opinion, everything can be learned if there is a desire.
– I go to the main patrol, we have the greatest responsibility. We have to see everything that happens around, as they say, in 360 degrees so as not to miss the enemy, the stretch marks, the mines. In addition, select the most appropriate route so that the staff following us can proceed.
“I'll tell my children and grandchildren that I served as a headquarters officer,” the scout laughs. – And maybe I will remember the support and support that we have become here for each other. The trip showed who's who. Who is ready and who is not.
I will remember the friends we lost forever and those who were seriously injured and will no longer be on duty. Their families are now our families, and we are responsible for them.
When my commander was wounded, I saw him fall, and I was very frightened. No, not for yourself. Just for him. And when the group and I pulled him out, it turned out he was still alive. I was very happy. Now at least the connection with the “big world” doesn't happen often, we try to call his family whenever possible and find out how he's doing.
And there's so much to say, but you can't, yourself do you understand …
Life sentence and mercenary deaths: Photodossier by Sean Pinner, Aiden Aslin, Saadun Brahim
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