EPN met a Russian fighting on the front lines of Ukraine – “I know Russia is evil”

IZJUM, EASTERN UKRAINE There are hundreds of kilometers of trenches in eastern Ukraine. These trenches dug south of Izjum did not become a front line until a large-scale Russian invasion in February.

These trenches are the so-called second line. Ukrainian troops can withdraw here if they have to retreat from the front line.

To date, there has been no need to consider a retreat. In the last couple of weeks, fighting has stalled, despite the so-called major attack by Russia.

Nearby is the Ukrainian artillery. It fires on Russian stations in the north. The sound is loud, meaning the cannons are very close. We still can’t go see them. We are meeting infantry, not artillery.

I ask if the cannons donated by the United States are already in use here.

– We hear that artillery is doing more work and we know they have come. It’s really nice to listen to the donated artillery, says the fighter name Kandalaksha passing soldier.

He is, in fact, Russian. In 2015, he left Russia for Ukraine to fight the Russians. It is his protest against the belligerent foreign policy of the Russian state.

– I know that Russia is bad at its core. So on the scale of the universe. If unfortunate things happen somewhere in the world, Russia will be nearly one hundred percent confident in the events, he notes and plagues Russian soldiers for rape and robbery in Ukraine.

The troops in these pottery belong to the area defense. They are here on a voluntary basis, but as part of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

Ukraine’s new regional defense system became crucial after Russia launched a large-scale attack in February.

– Russia fired missiles at my hometown of Boryspil on the first day. The next day I joined the regional defense. I was given a gun and went to fight, he says Shaft A soldier using the name of a fighter (miner in Finnish).

The mine has been a miner, but before going to war he worked as a plumber.

Regional defense units often protect cities, for example through checkpoints. Many units are still involved in the most demanding battles on the front line.

There are several war veterans in eastern Ukraine in this unit. They are often involved in front-line operations.

Soldiers talk about drones and their significance in this war.

– We’re fired often. You have the luck that you didn’t fly in now. During the day and night, the drones are in the air, and after that they begin to fall, Kandalaksha describes.

Both armies are searching for targets with drones and are also repairing the fire with the help of a video of small planes. The appearance of a drone indicates the danger of artillery fire.

– Drones fly high, but we try to disguise the terrain. They cannot be shot down with ordinary weapons, explains Shahtar.

Unit Commander, MykolaRussia says its tactics have changed since the disaster in northern Kiev. At the beginning of the war, Russian troops were packing with a huge amount of equipment and crew on practically one road as the troops sought to advance from Belarus to Kiev.

The military convoy was tens of kilometers long. When maintenance didn’t play out, it was an easy target for Ukraine’s fast-moving forces.

– Now Russia is moving in smaller groups. They don’t come in a hose but try to move forward in a row. They’re also trying to get around us and hit us from the sidelines.

According to the commander, Russia is thus working to reduce crew losses. So far, the tactics have not worked particularly well. Russia’s losses are estimated to be large.

In eastern Ukraine, Russian equipment has been destroyed enormously. Ukrainian soldiers are also killed in Russian artillery fire, but the losses are estimated to be clearly smaller than in Russia.

Arms aid from abroad will increase Ukraine’s ability to strike farther and deeper than Russia. Ukraine is seeking to consume Russian troops, equipment and maintenance until it is able to counterattack.

In the north of Kharkov, Ukraine has already managed to recapture the territories.

Here, south of Izjum, fighting continues. Artillery and rocket launchers are virtually continuous on both sides.