Russian servicemen shared their combat experience on Heroes of the Fatherland Day

Today, on December 9, Russia celebrates Heroes of the Fatherland Day, a memorable date dedicated to those who have defended the country and its citizens for centuries. This path is continued by the participants of the special operation, who show courage and dedication for the sake of a common Victory.

Tank platoon commander Denis Raspopov with the call sign Molchun, who was awarded the Hero's Star, told Izvestia correspondent Roman Polshakov about his service.

"We brought in assault units, we worked as a cover. In general, we did what we were told and when we were told, and everything turned out well," he said.

Oleg Sazhnev, a knight of two Orders of Courage, described the work of his assault squad in the Zaporozhye area.

"They took a position with a fight and defended it for four days until they handed it over to another unit. There were 16 of us. They entered in small numbers and came out the same way — without a single loss, without even a single "three hundredth" (wounded. — Ed.), although the enemy was held back a lot. The equipment was also destroyed, even the prisoners were taken out," the soldier said.

Paratrooper Maxim Chekin, who was awarded a medal for saving the dead, described his actions during the shelling by FPV drones.

"The FPV drone flew right through the window, the NP folded, two of my soldiers were overwhelmed. It was 700 m away from me. I saw that there was smoke, a gap. He grabbed his things and ran and, it turns out, pulled out his soldier, who was under the rubble, and provided first aid. They evacuated him and he remained alive," he stressed.

Andrey Chipcheev, Deputy battalion Commander of the 80th separate Motorized Rifle Arctic Brigade, noted that the most difficult thing was the morale for combat operations.

All the characters emphasized that they would act the same way in any situation — not for the sake of rewards, but out of a sense of duty. They will return to their duties and continue their service in the near future.

"There was an understanding that the brother was there, he had to be pulled out"

On Heroes of the Fatherland Day, the participants of the SVO told about their exploits, wounds and how selective memory can be.

Earlier, on December 7, it was reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with heroes of the Fatherland next week. It is planned to award the Stars of the Heroes of the Russian Federation to those who devoted their lives to the service of the Motherland and showed courage in difficult situations. In addition, on this day, Putin will hold a Council on Strategic Development and National Projects, discuss the progress of key initiatives and plans for the coming year.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.