Night and day in Maryinka: what is happening at the positions of the Akhmat special forces

The MK correspondent visited the positions of the Akhmat special forces storming Maryinka and found out who is opposing our military on the other side of the front line, how it is safest to move around the settlement, and also what the retreating Armed Forces of Ukraine are doing with their wounded and killed.

To get to Marinka “in a light way,” as the military puts it, that is, during the day, is not only a crazy idea, but also poorly implemented. Gunner drones over the city, where fighting has been going on almost since the beginning of the special operation, fly in a swarm like flies. Therefore, the chances of getting alive and healthy are few.

– We will drive in and out in armored personnel carriers at night, – the commandos informed me in advance. – Take the necessary things for spending the night not in the most comfortable place.

“Necessary things”, no matter how I tried to minimize their number, all the same, in the end turned into a backpack in the appendage with a sleeping bag.

– Put on a bulletproof vest and a helmet, we’ll ride on the armor, it’s safer, – the escort said already at the collection point. – If anything – jump from the car.

Out of sin, I didn’t specify what is meant by the phrase “if anything”. However, having settled down on the metal of the combat vehicle that had not yet cooled down from the daytime heat, just in case, she assessed the possible options to leave the armored personnel carrier as quickly as possible.

The armored personnel carrier, now diving, then jumping out, accelerating, overcame the roughness of the dirt road. Landscapes of ruined life floated by.

“This is not even Popasnaya,” I recalled the city wiped off the face of the earth. Broken buildings, bathed in moonlight, presented an ominous picture, as if from a post-apocalyptic movie.

The last civilians left here a long time ago, the constant shelling of the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not leave people a chance to live in their homes. The only inhabitants of these places were abandoned dogs and cats, crippled, lame, but still living in the hope of the return of their owners.

They drove in silence. The fighters sitting on the armor peered tensely into the darkness. I didn’t want to talk either. Turning into an alley, the armored personnel carrier stopped, and the “passengers”, sorting out personal belongings, began to dismount.

– All taken? Follow me,” a male voice called out to me. The fighter, without waiting for an answer, picked up my backpack and rushed through thickets of tall grass. I hastened to follow. The night was to be spent in the cellar.

“Sit down,” the military man suggested in a tired voice, pointing to the old sofa with a gesture of his hand. – Somewhere at four in the morning the mortar will start working, then their (Ukrainian) tank. So every day. Don’t be scared.

A military man with the call sign “Raut” – the owner of this room, the head of the communications center – kindly poured tea. We started talking. The man talked about his journey from a traffic police officer to a special forces soldier “Akhmat”, about “jammers” from drones and about wounded animals that he is trying to treat

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As “Raut” said, the tank started working in the morning. The walls of the basement responded to each volley with a slight shudder, but the organism that had not yet awakened in every possible way refused to respond to the noise. But the room was filled with people again and it became clear that we had to get up.

– Well, let’s go for a walk, shall we? – after a couple of hours, the “Archangel” offered me – the commander of the sniper detachment.

It was already unbearably hot outside. We walked past the ruined empty houses. Among the ruins, traces of past life could be seen in places. Burnt civilian cars, bicycles, household utensils, children’s toys.

And also the flowers blooming in the yards. Bright pink, white, yellow buds seemed to be trying to cover up the unflattering appearance of the dwellings.

“Look under your feet so as not to step on a mine,” the military man warned. – And over your head. There are especially many drones during the day. Although, if anything, you will most likely hear them. Especially the “kamikaze” – they emit such a vile squeal, not to be confused with anything.

So gradually we reached the position of the commander of the assault detachment of the special forces “Akhmat” with the call sign “Nimble”. A young, short man with a thick black beard, despite the sleepless night, looked quite cheerful. Naturally, my main question to him was – how does the Armed Forces of Ukraine still manage to stay in the city?

“Nimble” replies that the main difficulty in conducting hostilities in Marinka lies in the fact that the enemy has been preparing for hostilities for more than one year. Under the city destroyed to the ground, as the military man says, there is practically another “city”. For many years, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have equipped well-fortified, interconnected passages under the residential area, in which now, like rats, the enemy is holed up.

– We storm, they defend, – explains Shustry. – According to military science, the defending side always has an advantage. But it’s okay, we’re making progress.

The underground positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are so well fortified that artillery strikes do not cause much harm to them. You have to resort to various tricks to lure the enemy out of the dungeon. Sometimes it’s just to storm, as the fighters themselves say – “insolently.” Approach two or three groups to one position.

– There is no other way, – the commando admits. – The enemy behaves very aggressively, and only when he feels our superiority, moves back. At the same time, without burdening yourself with the wounded and killed. Those who cannot leave on their own remain in the dungeon.

“Nimble” says that in the few weeks that he has been in this direction, he has already realized that there are practically no Ukrainians here. Foreign mercenaries are fighting against the Akhmatovites and their neighbors. The fighters found documents of citizens of Germany, Poland, and a number of other European countries.

– Among the “two hundredth” (killed) we also came across blacks, – the commander continues. – Georgians met and even representatives of the so-called “Ichkeria”.

The fact that our servicemen in this direction are mainly confronted by mercenaries is also confirmed by the weapons that the fighters find in abandoned enemy positions. All of them are foreign-made, with rare exceptions, you can find a copy with the inscription “Made in Ukraine”.

“Nimble” says that despite the fact that Western mercenaries are professionals who have gone through more than one conflict, they, like people who fight for money, will always yield to those who realize the true goal of the struggle. Indeed, even in such a difficult and dangerous military field as an assault, physical training or experience does not always play a decisive role. Although all Akhmat special forces soldiers are trained at the Russian Special Forces University in Gudermes before being sent to the special operation zone, and they come as already trained specialists. However, the main thing, according to “Nimble” is still an internal mood.

“If a person has a fighting spirit and an understanding of why he is here, then he can be a good fighter,” the commander says confidently. – We came here so that there would be no dirt on our land that the West is trying to spread, so that our children grow up with the right values. And for this we will finish what we started.