Road and angry: how do the soldiers of the supply units work on the front line
The fighters of the delivery groups are engaged in the delivery of ammunition and any cargo to the front — from water to UAVs. Their military work is hardly noticeable, but it is they who ensure the advancement of our units. Constant shelling and drone attacks make their daily work extremely dangerous. A correspondent of Izvestia witnessed one of these days. During the evacuation of a seriously wounded comrade, Migut's fighter himself received several fragments, but did not leave his colleague and carried him out of the danger zone.
Route difficulties
Cars on frontline roads resemble vehicles from the movie "Mad Max". They are "tuned" with additional grilles, chains and camouflage nets, and roofs have been cut off on many of them — such alterations often save them from drones and allow them to take on more cargo. Many tasks are shifted to motorcycles and ATVs — it's easier for them to get away from drones.
We managed to go along with the supply group of the 56th Special Forces Battalion of the 51st Army of the Southern Military District (SEB) to one of the field trips to deliver a supply of drones to the kamikaze UAV launch positions.
Before dawn, a small pickup truck made from a Lanos passenger car is checked and ready for loading. Such cars from the confiscated ones are converted into repair battalions and sent, as the fighters joke, "one way". They don't live long — either they become victims of kamikaze drones, or they can't stand the loads.
But they are fulfilling their main task while searching for a solution for the mass conveyor of the front line. Loads arrive at the front on time.
Large cardboard boxes with drones wrapped in polyethylene, packages of drinking water and bags of food are loaded into Lanos. Departure is planned at dawn — the darkness no longer protects, there are too many drones with thermal imagers in the sky.
There are few night vision devices for confident driving in the dark, and night roads carry additional danger. You can encounter armored vehicles that go at night without lights. In this case, buggies or jeeps turn into a pile of metal. The tank won't even notice such a collision.
The group is in business
A group of three people is moving out. The driver and the shooter in the back of the car, the fighter on the ATV for evacuation and assistance on the way. At dawn, without lights, the spare wheels are quickly loaded into the car. Usually, they try to take two observer shooters in the back, but they simply won't fit into a loaded Lanos.
— I drive from behind, controlling the sky, in case of approach of an FPV drone, I fire and warn the driver, and then - according to the situation, — explains fighter Wick before departure.
Usually there is one departure per day, but there may be more, It all depends on the consumption of ammunition in positions and the appearance of the wounded, who must be evacuated as quickly as possible.
— For us, the main threat is posed by UAVs — by the skeletons of cars and equipment by the road, when we go, it will be well understood, — says Wick.
On the spot, the delivery group should be met by sappers who equip UAVs.
— We quickly unload everything in Zelenka, because staying in place is not an option. And the guys who are there are already starting to carry goods on foot to their positions in the forest belts," Wick continues.
He is originally from Donetsk. He joined the military in 2022, then there was a pause due to a serious injury, but he recovered and returned to service in the 56th General Staff two years ago. The Wick is now 25 years old.
The commander of the Migut pickup group, who is also the driver of the car, checks the packaging and all the necessary details. Then he orders you to get dressed and equipped.
Wick selects an anti-drone rifle and cartridges from the gunsmith's shop, puts out magazines from the machine gun that he doesn't need on the road and throws a bandolier over his shoulder.
Miguta looks at the group's fighters once more — everyone is ready and in their places. After that, he takes a seat in the car himself.
"We'll move closer to the front," he explains before moving. — We have a point about 10 km away from the front. There we will leave a man with an ATV, who will provide assistance if necessary. From there, we will contact the guys who are meeting us, and if they are ready, we will give them the approximate time of our arrival and move out.
Warning signs
I am assigned to an empty quad bike seat, and we overcome the first section. It's almost an hour's drive to the intermediate shelter.
At dawn, active traffic begins on the road, evacuation teams raise dust on the road, moving at full speed. Fighters from oncoming cars give each other the thumbs up, which means the sky is clear where they're coming from, and they're waiting for an answer. If a similar gesture is followed in response, then the cars increase their speed.
If they describe circles in the air with their index finger raised, the sky is "dirty", the commanders on the spot have to decide what to do next. Only they know their tasks and the acceptable degree of risk.
Occasionally, after exchanging gestures, drivers greet their acquaintances with a raised palm. But dozens of units are now pushing forward towards Pokrovsk along the narrow roads in the offensive area, so friends rarely meet.
As they approach the front, there are fewer cars, and soon the homemade pickup truck in front stops. The fuse, jumping out of the truck, drives the barrel of the gun over the trees in search of a target.
The driver turns off the ATV's engine, and, raising his weapon, everyone listens: two drones are walking across the road, one after the other. Miguta decides that these are his own, and then we make a dash to the waiting point.
Collection point
We arrive at the point a little later than the appointed time, soldiers from another similar group on the Field are already sitting there, hiding under the trees. We learn from them that the sky is "dirty" further, we must wait and act according to the situation.
A cross-country motorcycle rushes past, a wounded man is strapped to the shoulders of the "biker". They are shouted that it would be better to wait, but they go to the rear: from their point of view, the worst is already over: the slightly wounded man, smiling, shouts something inaudible over the crackle of the engine in response. The driver adds gas.
A little later, a large convoy is moving to the rear: a buggy with a trailer where people are sitting, an ATV and a couple of motorcycles.
In the back and trailer there are wounded and soldiers leaving their positions for rotation. The car bristled in all directions with rifle barrels and electronic warfare antennas. This group is more likely to rely on the density of fire than on speed.
Waiting for the "good" to continue the movement lasts about an hour, periodically the fighters take up positions to shoot at drones. But they fly by in the distance, and the only visible UAV turns out to be its Lightning Bolt.
An hour later, the permit arrives, and both makeshift pickups, hiding in the forest belt, break forward.
The guys on the converted Niva are the first to return.
— Everything is fine, we went safely today, thank God we didn't see the "birds", artillery shells were laying aside, victory will be ours. Glory to Russia! — reports the shooter Bullet, who was riding in the back with a gun.
He's in a good mood. The tension that was before the departure subsides, and after resting, this group moves on.
After a while, Lanos and Miguta's group arrive.: they dented the wheel disc in one of the pits and put the spare tire right on the road. The only UAV encountered passed by and later exploded in a field.
While Miguta puts on the compressor and pumps up the spare tire, the guys take off their warm clothes — the heat of the day begins and the jackets are no longer needed.
A fighter who went on rotation with the carriers shows a quadcopter with the emblems of the Ukrainian volunteer foundation, which he found shot down and is taking to the rear for flashing for further use.
Miguta's Feat
The return trip passes without problems. I change into a lighter-than-weight car, and Miguta shows me a burned-out Ukrainian Maks Pro armored car and a tank truck destroyed during the battles for Avdiivka. The car was carrying the Leopard tank to the front line, but it was burned by the drones of the 56th SSBN, which we are working with today. The burnt-out enemy equipment is still standing on the road.
We say goodbye in a good mood — it's all over for today. We'll arrange another ride sometime.
In a couple of days, the ATV of the delivery group under the command of Miguta breaks down, and while they are trying to start it, the car is attacked by a Ukrainian kamikaze drone.
Miguta and Shooter Bruce will be injured. We still manage to talk to Miguta after the UAV attack.
"Bruce couldn't walk, and Leshy and I dragged him into the landing," he said. — Allied sapper units were there, and they helped to bandage him. We called a car, but it couldn't get close.
Then the wounded Miguta decided to carry his friend to the car on his own. He carried it 400 m along a narrow path in the landing, waiting for enemy UAV attacks. Leshii walked behind, loaded with the equipment and weapons of the fighters.
But they were lucky — the drones passed by, Despite the fact that Miguta himself received three shrapnel wounds, he endured and brought his comrade to his own. Bruce was taken to the hospital on time, where he received the necessary help. So the fighters saved their comrade.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
