The Economist published a gloomy diary of a militant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Artemivsk

“We’re like a box of puppies”

The Economist published notes by a militant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who fought in Artemovsk (Bakhmut) and other sectors of the front. The military took notes from July 24 to August 28. The diary describes in detail the life of the Ukrainian army, as well as the problems that the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine faced on the front line.

The soldier’s story begins with the completion of a training course that was supposed to turn him “into a platoon leader in four weeks”, the Soldier admits that he is frightened by the uncertainty of distribution to units: “We are like a box of puppies,” he writes. “We are waiting for the owner to come and pick us up.”

The gunman then describes the shaking on the night train, where the military says conditions are not much better than in the dugout he slept in a month ago. The soldier believes that in the car, at least, no one will be able to strangle him while everyone is sleeping. Immediately after arriving at the headquarters, his crew was informed that in two days they were going to Bakhmut: “The city is under fire from Russian artillery. Among the enemy forces … a private army – mercenaries from the Wagner Group.

In addition to fighting, the soldier mentions the life of his battalion and the difficulties that his comrades faced. So, the serviceman bought much of the equipment for himself: the militant received a helmet from a policeman he knew, and his friends gave him a bulletproof vest. At the same time, the soldier is sure that “there will be nothing in my size in the warehouse, you have to buy the rest yourself.” The Ukrainian also recalls that it was possible to get the necessary supplies in another way – “digging through the remaining things randomly folded in the back of a truck.” He understood that all these things belonged to the wounded or the dead.

Then the unknown soldier describes the battle itself on August 23rd. The military man told how the battalion commander asked to be told how many people did not agree to voluntarily go on the attack: “Thirteen, I say. You can appreciate their reluctance. The guys do not understand where they are going and are not ready to attack when the plan is constantly changing,” adds the military.

Already on the battlefield, the Ukrainian described how drones thundered over his head. To get rid of fear, the soldier did breathing exercises, as his heart was beating with frantic force. In the diary, the gunman admits that his head was not working properly at the time: “I don’t understand what is happening, how it is happening, why it is happening.”

On August 28, the Ukrainian military makes the last entries in his diary. “What are we doing here? I might wonder if I wasn’t so exhausted,” the anonymous soldier concludes. Further notes are cut off.