The Gust Group: How Volunteers Fight on the Fronts of Military Special Operations
In the course of military special operations, our volunteer soldiers perform a wide range of tasks. They form the backbone of many formations fighting in the most dangerous areas. Most of them are directly involved in combat operations, while others are engaged in logistics, logistics support or medical assistance. Izvestia reports on what motivates volunteers who go to serve in the NWO zone.
From CEO to mortar man
We talk to a mortar fighter of the volunteer unit "BARS-23" with the call sign Zhdan in rare moments of calm. Russian units, including BARS-23, have completed the long assault on another settlement in the Donetsk people's republic. But there's more to come.
Zhdan recalls that he went to the SVO with the thought "in case everything ends without me."
Now he has signed a contract for the third time. And every time he leaves the NWO zone, he thinks that everything will end without him, which is probably why he comes back.
- It seems to me that for those who have been here at least once, there is no going back," Zhdan said. - The head doesn't work as it should in civilian life. Those who have not been here will never understand this life.
He has never been in the military. But as a child, looking at his grandfather's Order of Glory and other awards, he dreamed that he too would become a defender of the Motherland and would definitely be awarded.
- I dreamed of entering the Ryazan Airborne Forces School, but it didn't work out," recalls the volunteer. - As a result, he started working as a mechanical watch repairman.
His labor path turned out to be quite diverse. He worked in a tailoring atelier in Pyatigorsk. Then he went to Moscow, where he got a job as a bodyguard. This was back in the 1990s.
Zhdan had a fifth-class chef's diploma, so in time he began to work in restaurants. His career took shape.
He was general director of one of the elite restaurants in the Moscow region. From there he went into the furniture business. There, too, he became general director of one of the specialized firms. His last type of activity was a sole proprietorship in transportation.
- On the whole, everything in life was not bad," he says.
But his childhood dreams and desire to protect the Motherland remained - at some point he couldn't stand it and signed his first contract.
- There was no big money at the beginning," he said. - I didn't even think about them. I guess it's just patriotism.
In 2022, Zhdan found himself in one of the BARS near Kherson. There his unit was badly beaten, but the fighters overcame all the trials with honor.
- Twice the unit was surrounded," he recalled. - The guys who fought with me were heroic. Many of them had never been involved in the military before.
His culinary skills also came in handy at the front.
- We make our own pies, khachapuri and pilaf," he said. - In military field conditions, you have to use your wit and imagination. But they didn't try to tie me to the kitchen because of my culinary abilities, and I wouldn't agree. I would be ashamed to sit in the kitchen when my guys are in the trenches. To come to war and peel potatoes is not my thing.
I ask him about the hardest thing for a volunteer at the front.
- To get used to it, and then you don't want to leave," the volunteer says.
Cheerleader, volunteer, scout
Commander of the reconnaissance platoon Ivan with the call sign Chizh serves in the volunteer formation "Espanyola", which has a lot of soccer fans.
- Before the SVO, I worked in my father's wireframe business," he said. - I was born in Kazakhstan, but as a child my family moved to Voronezh, where I have lived all my life. I don't have a family of my own yet. I did not serve in the army - I was not taken for health reasons at the time.
In February 2022, when the special operation began, he began to watch carefully what was happening.
- There was a feeling inside that he should be here too," he says. - I couldn't stay away.
My mom, of course, was worried, he recalls. His father said: "It's your decision, your choice." In the end, everyone supported.
Almost all of Europe and America are at war against us, Chizh believes.
- This is confirmed by the facts," he explains. - We meet mercenaries of different nationalities and colors, and there are also Western weapons. Among the dead we met attributes of the adherents of fanatic movements. For example, Polish.
By the way, Chizh himself is a Zenit fan.
- I thought that relationships would be difficult to build," he said. - But in the end I was pleasantly surprised. For all the time I have not seen a single conflict on the basis of fan preferences. In my platoon there are guys who have repeatedly crossed paths in civilian life and had conflicts because one of them supports Spartak and the other CSKA. But here they remember those moments with a smile and good jokes.
The first combat assignment Chizh received in the area of Kleshcheevka.
- We had to study the terrain at night and start our assault groups," he recalls. - But at the same time we were able to identify an enemy stronghold, where there was an ammunition depot. We directed artillery fire at it. We mostly correct it. Sometimes we also work in the interests of adjacent units. Interaction with our neighbors is well established.
The combat situation has changed enormously over the years that he has been in the NWO.
- Drones are swarming in the sky - every second person already uses them," Chizh said. - In our unit, we pay a lot of attention to working with drones. Every fighter must be able to operate them.
The enemy's tactics, he said, have also changed significantly over the past two years.
- Now they don't work in large groups," Chizh explained. - And, of course, they put a lot of emphasis on electronic warfare and drones. In general, this is a drone war. It seems that soon robots will be attacking instead of humans. I have already seen several videos of a drone destroying its ground counterpart from the air.
According to Chizh's confession, his platoon has suffered casualties.
- Two 200s in two years. Three hundred, of course, more," he says. - But I note that all the wounded are recovering, being treated, and no one has any desire to leave.
Morally, the enemy, in his opinion, is now depressed.
- I know this for sure," says the spy. - We can see from intercepts of their negotiations that they sometimes have no water, food or ammunition at their positions, and they are in this state for long periods of time. Just two weeks ago, we entered enemy positions and found soldiers who had died a natural death. That is from hunger and cold. If the Ukrainian armed forces evacuate their personnel, they only evacuate representatives of special units (GUR) or mercenaries. They're leaving the rest behind.
Chizh says that in three years our army has gained incredible combat experience - no one else has such baggage, which means that victory will be ours!
