What it says in the Russian soldier guide Maxime, foreign fighter in Ukraine: “We operate behind the enemy front”

In the very first chapter of the guide, he explains what the Russian war effort in Ukraine, officially known as a “special operation”, is about, writes the German news magazine Focus in response to a report by the Russian news site Oksol. .TV.

The term “special operation”, which sounds relatively innocuous, is to the participants a “real war with blood, pain, bitterness over losses and joy over victories”.

This confrontation of reality is embedded in a whole host of standard Russian war propaganda. The battle in the attacked neighbor is “a continuation of the Great Patriotic War”, Ukraine belongs to Russia and must be “denazified” and the great enemy in general is: the West.

“I live, I fight, I win”

The guide, titled “I live, I fight, I conquer”, is said to have been written by hardened Russian veterans in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Ukraine. It is said to be distributed to new recruits before going to the front. Recently, there have been repeated reports that some of the newly mobilized reservists had had no training at all before being deployed in combat.

In addition to war propaganda, the 66-chapter work also includes tips for a soldier’s daily life. Written in colloquial language — according to Focus, there are multiple insults such as “idiots” or “fools” on the pages — the veterans pass on their tricks for everyday life on the field.

For example, simple cooking recipes, such as one for potatoes in foil on coals, or instructions on how to remove mold from lice. Other tips sound much less understandable to civilians: for example, the soldiers should throw the cell phones of filming schoolchildren on the sidewalk.

Equipment tips should also not be missed. For example, if available, trekking boots are preferred over military boots. A telescope, a GPS device, and a laser rangefinder are also helpful. This advice is aimed directly at commanders – but experience shows that they themselves are responsible for purchasing the items, the Russian state does not pay for them.

Whether the guide actually belongs to the basic equipment of the newcomers has not been independently verified at the moment, Focus writes. The brains behind the work are – along with three other lead authors – Franz Klinzewitsch, a member of the State Duma. He leads an association of Afghanistan veterans and those involved in other Russian military operations.

According to Oksol.tv, Russian entrepreneur Andrej Skotsch has financially supported the development of the guide. This is a multimillionaire and is considered one of the richest Russians ever. The United States sanctioned him in 2018 for alleged links to organized crime. (against)