The first mortar shells aimed at Russian forces beyond the ridge are released. But those who follow come, head for Ukrainian positions and land near the troops at their base.
The exchanges are taking place in Ruska Lozova, a village in a landscape of forests, valleys, streams and fields that was officially liberated late last month by Ukrainian troops, driving out Russian forces who besieged nearby Kharkov.
It is located just six miles north of the city and the presence of Russian forces here, with tanks, artillery and air support, is an illustration of the fragmented front line here in northeastern Ukraine.
The highway from Kharkov is littered with holes from artillery and air strikes and littered with used cartridges and shell casings. The grass edges on both sides are mined, so drivers need to make sure they do not deviate from the center of the road.
The motive behind Russia’s determination to maintain a presence in the region is to try to ensure that its supply lines are open to Izyum, a city that is being fought for in an attempt to cut off Ukrainian troops in Donbass – the Kremlin’s new focus for its military. actions after the failure of Russian forces to take over cities such as Kyiv and Kharkov.
“It was very close … they are not that far away,” said Commander Vsevolod Kozhemyako, while another mortar landed near the destroyed production facilities, which had become a base for his unit.
“We have had regular shelling here. The Russians are well dug in; they desperately want to block us from breaking through – if we break through, then their routes to Raisin are in danger. So it’s going to be a pretty tough and long battle. “
Damaged tank in Ruska Lozova
(Kim Sengupta)
The Paper Volunteer Battalion, along with a detachment of the Ukrainian National Guard, took over the village in April. But the Russians remain in force here. Three Ukrainian soldiers were killed last week and a number were injured. The Russians have dozens of victims, Ukrainians say.
The base was used by the Russians before the area changed hands. “It was absolutely dirty. We really had to clean it up and secure it properly. And then the challenge was to make sure they wouldn’t get it back, “said Commander Kozhemyako. “The scale of the attacks from the beginning showed how much they wanted to drive us away … what value they give to this place.”
The fighting spread to neighboring areas, leading to widespread destruction, including an internationally known plant gene research facility in the village of Pitomnik, which contained 160,000 varieties of plant seeds. He was reportedly hit by a Russian missile. Ukrainian authorities described the incident as “deliberate environmental vandalism.”
The Russians maintained high positions above the Ruska Lozova base, providing effective points for artillery fire. Attacks also continue to come from tanks and air, from both drones and helicopters. The Ukrainians have placed anti-aircraft artillery in the village; The Paper Battalion base has supplies of anti-tank missiles, including those supplied by the United Kingdom N-LAW.
The Russians have deployed modern weapons around the village. Ukrainian forces say they captured the T-90M, Russia’s main battle tank, last week, along with other armor. The fighting is carried out by Mi-28 Havok warships and Orlan-10 drones. Electronic warfare equipment is also used: Ukrainian forces are extremely cautious, with good reason, about disrupting their communications.
Ukrainian troops in their underground base in the village
(Kim Sengupta)
However, troops from the separatist Luhansk People’s Republic are less well-armed, Ukrainians say. Some have been found to use bolt-on Mosin-Nagan rifles, first developed in the last century, and wear bulletproof vests that offer little protection.
“They are not boys, they are men, and with a lot of experience if they have fought in the last eight years,” Kozhemyako said. “Some had good weapons, but others actually used old Mosin rifles, believe it or not. Many said they had been drafted into their army to come and fight; who knows if they were telling the truth.
“The Russians are throwing these soldiers forward – they don’t care about the losses. They rely on the power of numbers. These boys are being sacrificed, they are killing themselves. They are meat for the mill. ”
More mortars land nearby, then a faint whistling rocket fades into the fields behind before landing somewhere with a long shot.
Such attacks were incessant in the first days after taking office. “They were trying to find range and the shelling would get very close, come back and then get closer again. It was very worrying, “said Kozhemyako.
Paper is one of the volunteer battalions that have proven their worth on the front lines in this conflict. Although they receive weapons from the government, most of their activities are self-financing.
Kozhemyako, a businessman before the war, lives abroad with his family. Two days after the start of the war, he abandoned his skiing vacation to return to his homeland.
Commander Vsevolod Kozhemyako
(Kim Sengupta)
“I entered Ukraine while thousands of people were leaving. “Elderly people, women with children, foreign students who were here forced to flee – it was such a sad sight,” he said. “I just hope that my city, Kharkiv, will not fall before I can get there.”
He and others in the business community became convinced during the separatist conflict that a large-scale war would come to Ukraine sooner or later, and began training volunteer citizens. This is one of the reasons, according to them, for the combat effectiveness of the Ukrainians.
Commander Kozhemyak stressed that he would continue to take part in the conflict until it was “over”. According to him, this means until all the “occupied territories”, including Crimea and the separatist republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, are recaptured. “If we don’t finish this now, then the Russians will start a new war in a few years. Surely our friends in the west are aware of this? “They warned us about this invasion and I want to take it more seriously,” he said.
The soldiers in the unit seem just as adamant that operations must continue until all of Ukraine, as they see it, is liberated. Gary, a former aviation technology student, says: “I’ve been feeling it since 2014 [the start of the separatist war] further that one day Russia will invade Ukraine. This has happened now and we have been able to fight them on many fronts. We must move on now; it would be a big mistake to stop. ”
“Doc” – a combat medic, as his call sign shows – adds: “It was a war imposed on us. We are defending our country. Nobody wants to see suffering, but now we are releasing people who have been under occupation, so things will start to get better. “
The soldiers provided medical assistance to local people injured in the fighting, and the more seriously wounded were taken to hospitals in Kharkiv.
Ukrainian forces evacuated most residents after the village was recaptured. Many homes were looted, and some young men were captured by the Russians and taken away.
Oleg Supareka of the Kraken Regiment
(Kim Sengupta)
“They seem to have robbed even the more modest homes, taking away everything they could carry. Some men were taken away … we don’t know what happened to them, “said Oleg Supareka, deputy commander of the Kraken Regiment, who led the villagers out. “These people have been under occupation from the beginning. They were in bad shape.
“The Russians started firing while we were evacuating. They knew that civilians would be at risk, but as we saw elsewhere, they didn’t care. Two of our vehicles were hit, but fortunately there were no serious casualties.
While Ruska Lozova seems almost devoid of people as we arrive, a few are hesitant to talk to us.
“We lost count of the time here, days and weeks … we didn’t know if we would stay alive at the end of all the battles,” said Olena, who decided to stay when most of her neighbors left or were evacuated.
“We kept it indoors as much as possible. The Russians searched some of the houses and questioned several men, but we are elderly people – they left us alone. “
The 61-year-old woman and her husband, Oleg, 67, rarely strayed from their farm outside the village. “There were constant shootings and bombings, day and night. It was very difficult to fall asleep.
“We are still finding missile parts in the fields and now we are very careful with the mines. My husband had lived in Russia; I have cousins there. “We never thought we would end up fighting each other,” she said, shaking her head.
“It’s not safe – there are still battles. We haven’t seen the Russians recently, but they are still here. We can hear bombs. We know that they tried to enter Kharkiv from here. I don’t know if they will come back and try again; we feel very nervous. ”
Hundreds of residents evacuated from Kharkov from Russian-occupied village for more than a month
(AP)
Further down the road to Kharkiv, two burned and shot trucks are evidence of Russian attempts to enter the city. They have become barriers at checkpoints by Ukrainians.
“We were here when it happened; it was soon after the start of the war, “said a police officer. “The Russians used civilian trucks. They were disguised as civilians. They tried to break through this checkpoint [meaning checkpoint] and we had to open fire. They fired back; we killed some of them. The others fled. “
A second employee continues: “These are big trucks, so we decided we could keep …
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