Sometimes "Grad": how the gunners help to oust the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Dimitrov
Up to several thousand Ukrainian militants remain in Dimitrov, surrounded by Russian troops. Some of them retreated here from neighboring Krasnoarmeysk, which had already been liberated by our army. But even here, the fighting is already taking place in urban areas. The enemy's numbers are constantly decreasing as a result of strikes by Russian UAVs and artillery. The Izvestia correspondent visited the calculations of the Grad multiple launch rocket systems of the 9th brigade of the 51st army of the Center group and saw how our gunners were delivering massive strikes against the enemy.
"The main thing is not to stop"
If artillery units are ordered to change position, it means only one thing: the line of contact is moving forward. And we need to move behind her in order to be able to support the advanced units with our fire. In recent months, near Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov, gunners have often had to move from position to position.
Where until recently it was impossible to get out of hiding without protection and electronic warfare equipment on every car, today the main enemy is dirt roads that have turned into mush. Off-road conditions and weather reduce mobility no less than enemy drones. But they also continue to appear regularly in the sky. Although it should be noted that this activity has decreased as a result of the effective work of our aerial observers and the subsequent massive attacks by Russian UAVs, which continue to destroy enemy unmanned groups.
"It's still difficult to work, drones force us to always be alert," says the driver with the call sign Wind when we get to the firing shelter where the Grad crew of the 9th brigade is on duty. — The arrows are now on top, the cover is in front, everyone has detectors. You have to drive a car under constant surveillance. We listen to the commanders, we either shoot back on the move, or we work from the spot. The main thing is not to stop and complete the tasks.
A fighter with the call sign "Wind"
His AK-12 has a collimator sight and an enlarged magazine: previously, such improvements seemed superfluous, but now there is no way without it. An electronic warfare unit is installed on the roof of the Grad. According to Veter, he regularly saved the crew from attacks by Ukrainian kamikaze drones - they turned away from the car, only slightly damaging the hull.
—Thank God, we're escaping,— notes the Wind. — I've been using this car since the very beginning, I've never changed it. Fighters love their cars and don't call them girls for nothing. These are our fighting friends, and most of them even give them names. For example, I have "Nyusha". You have to be friends with her, because she gets you out of such difficult situations that sometimes you think, "It's over." But no.
Veter is a native of Donetsk, has been in the army since June 2022. During the mobilization that took place in the DPR in February of that year, he was ill, and after recovering, he volunteered.
— I've known what shelling is since 2014. I know how to survive in basements and why it is important to protect our region. First he joined the DPR army, then the Russian Armed Forces," says the fighter.
A fighter with the call sign "Kvitok"
Ivanich, the commander of the combat vehicle and the commander of the platoon, says that now several trips a day are commonplace. A firing range of more than 20 km is no longer a protection against kamikaze UAVs, which, according to him, are hunting for MLRS as a priority target. But besides them, there are other difficulties in the work. You have to be in shape. Heavy missiles, large ammunition — endurance and attitude are required.
Ivanich admits that over the years of the conflict in Donbass, he has stopped caring where and what targets are being hit, and acts strictly according to coordinates.
A medal on a bulletproof vest
While the conversation is going on, a familiar hum is heard from above — "Lightning" takes off. These are domestic kamikaze UAVs, whose appearance in the zone of their own was an unpleasant surprise for the enemy. Now they rise above low clouds and constantly strike, even when the activity of other copters decreases. Suddenly, artillery shells explode nearby. Like many people, I have already managed to get rid of the sound of arrivals. And for a while, everyone is not afraid that they might have been injured, but rather surprised that the enemy still has long-range artillery and ammunition in operation.
We move to the firing position, where the Grad is already ready for battle — all that remains is to remove the disguise and check the sight. The commander dives into the cockpit, the platoon commander gives the command: "20 missiles at the enemy, in one salvo, 333!
Due to the weather, the APU's copters have clearly reduced their activity, so the enemy is once again feeling the striking blows of classical artillery systems. After the salvo, the installation is quickly covered up until the next task arrives. Only thick steam is visible on the walls of the caponier — traces of hot accelerator caps.
A fighter with the call sign "Kvitok"
Commander of a combat vehicle with the call sign Receipt (in Ukrainian - ticket) using the surname Kvitko (in Ukrainian — Tsvetkov), he approaches the commander to report, but he unexpectedly takes out a small white box from the pouch for rifle cartridges, followed by a red booklet-a certificate for the award. A minute later, the receipt with the medal on the bulletproof vest says: "I serve Russia!"
And accepts congratulations. Back in 2016, the 9th Mariupol-Khingan People's Militia Regiment was formed in the DPR. And already in the course of its operation, the 9th brigade of the Russian Armed Forces appeared on its basis. Therefore, there are many local residents among the gunners. They remember 2014 well, they remember who came to Donbass with the punitive operation. The brigade participated in the liberation of Mariupol and further in heavy fighting. Ukrainian propaganda stated several times that the "nine" had been completely defeated and had ceased to exist as an organized fighting force, but each time it received new blows from the "destroyed" unit.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
