“The priority in Bakhmut is our soldiers”

The first coordinates to arrive are the location coordinates Rocket launcher BM-21. We have to press the gas all the way, because it will soon be put into operation to attack enemy positions around the capital city of Donetsk, first a self-proclaimed independent republic and later annexed by Moscow last October.

The Ukrainian army does not accept the loss of more territory and continues to try to recover the nerve center of Donbass, although Major Mukola Tymchyshyn He admits it won’t be easy. “We have enough weapons to defend the position, but not to advance. We hope to receive it in a month and a half, more or less.“, he comments.

A Ukrainian drone took off to identify the exact location where Russian soldiers are hiding. As soon as their coordinates arrive, one of the soldiers will set up a rocket launcher and Tymchyshyn will give the order to fire the Grad (fight in Russian) that has caused so much damage in the war between these two neighbors who share the same Soviet heritage as the rockets they kill.

The rocket launcher came out of its hiding place in the middle of the forest and stopped at the edge of a deserted road full of potholes. It’s an outdated truck like Lada Tymchyshyn drives. But the communications systems the officer uses to receive vital information for the shot are 21st century. It’s a strange mix that reflects how Ukraine defends itself against invasion using both the junk he had in his arsenal like the modern systems the West sends you. – Everything that comes is welcomed and used – he admits with a smile.

an easy target

Government strained calm. A rocket launcher and two cars in which the army and this journalist are driving are also visible, next to a vast plain where no one will cultivate anything and they are easy targets. The sound of artillery seems to come from everywhere, and the fighters grow impatient. “I got it!”announces the major, giving instructions to his subordinate, who redirects battery forty Grad to the east.

False alarm. The coordinates are changing. You have to recalculate the shot. Tymchyshyn looks at his tablet, raises his hand and the soldier climbs into the truck. “Vogon!” vice. Fire! And the fire comes out of the back of the rocket launcher, with a deafening noise. The hail leaves a trail in the sky and hits several kilometers away, creating a column of smoke. By then, the convoy was already moving at full speed, seeking shelter in the trees.

Something has gone wrong and you need to find another place to take more shots. At four degrees below zero, the Ukrainian battlefield is a nasty cocktail of mud, snow, ice and standing water. A surface on which a person slips or is swallowed by the earth. But the truck moves smoothly. This time it points in the other direction and the wait is repeated.

Meanwhile, Tymchyshyn chats in the car. “If Europe and the United States would send us the most modern weapons, we could quickly liberate the country. The arrival of the American Himars was, in fact, a turning point. Because now we can attack the Russians from a greater distance and the supply is stable,” explains the major, who has been fighting since the beginning of the invasion. “This Friday was a year ago,” he emphasizes.

fight for every meter

Tymchyshyn emphasizes that Ukrainian troops are motivated and goes on to predict another change as important as the one brought about by Himar when Western countries train the soldiers needed to operate Leopard and Abrams tanks. “Victory is ours”, sentence, repeating the mantra that all Ukrainian soldiers say.

Bakhmut is not far from the grenade launcher’s position. However, Tymchyshyn downplays the importance of the city. “It is not a strategically important city. We fight for every meter of territory. If we withdraw from Bakhmut, it is because the priority is to save the lives of our people», he explains. The army claims that it is not a strategic error. “The plan is to liberate Bakhmut together with other cities, as we did in Kharkiv, when we captured a thousand square kilometers in a week,” he adds, hinting at a new counter-offensive.

The information Tymchyshyn has been waiting for is coming and there is no time to waste. The rocket launcher calibrates and the two Grads fire. You have to make a small change in trajectory. Two others break a rare moment of silence. “Let’s go out quickly, the Russians had time to locate us and attack us.. They usually last about eight minutes,” says the official. Lada goes further than expected. When asked if he knows what the consequences of the rockets were and whether the operation was successful, Tymchyshyn shakes his head. “Not yet”.