Spring assault: how the village of Troitskoye was liberated in the DPR
The small village of Troitskoye on the border of the DPR and the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine was liberated, cleared and held by the stormtroopers of the Center group. The operation began in March with access to the line of development and ended with the complete liberation of the village in May. Thus, simultaneously with the offensive in the Pokrovsky direction, our troops are gaining a foothold on the border, opening up a new direction and threatening a new region of Ukraine. The Izvestia correspondent met with the stormtroopers, who for the first time in all this time went on rotation, and learned how the difficult battles for the village took place.
How the village of Troitskoye was stormed
— First, we conducted reconnaissance, moved to the village of Troitskoye early in the morning. We have identified the enemy's firing points. We reported to the command and began to practice positions," says senior sailor Igor Aivaseda, a reconnaissance sapper of the assault unit of the Center group.
At the time of the beginning of the assault, the foliage still did not hide the movement in the forest plantations. And the trees themselves were badly damaged by shrapnel from artillery shells and did not allow them to reliably hide from enemy surveillance and UAVs. Igor recalls that two fighters in the group carried double-barrelled rifles in addition to automatic rifles. With one of these 12-caliber rifles, he shot down a kamikaze drone coming at the group with the first shot, as a result of his extensive bird hunting experience. The unit also has semi-automatic rifles of various models at its disposal, but they are more often used in evacuation groups, where this is the main weapon. Stormtroopers also save weight and carry lighter double-barreled shotguns as an addition to assault rifles.
— We started moving from the beginning of Troitsky, slowly clearing the basements. They threw grenades, looked to see if anyone was there or not, and went on. We didn't storm the firing points head—on, first the drones fly in there, hit the machine gun, and then we start storming," says Igor Aivaseda, as they moved along the main street of the village after securing themselves on the outskirts in an abandoned house.
For the first two weeks inside the village, our attack aircraft gradually expanded their area of control, receiving supplies using UAVs. Only then were the foot groups of the tray, evacuation and replenishment able to approach Troitskoye. The fighters took refuge in the basements of houses and continued the gradual cleansing of the village.
— We made our own small fortified area. Being in close proximity to the enemy (less than 30 m), it was difficult to move, very difficult, but not impossible. And more often than not, we carried out cleaning operations at night. Enemy AGS (automatic grenade launchers) points in neighboring houses and a mortar point were identified," recalls Private Sergei Talaev, commander of one of the assault groups.
He explains that the quality of the enemy's infantry was relatively low, and the defense was mainly held by the mobilized. But the vast majority of them fought to the end, afraid to retreat under the blows of their own UAVs, which were waiting for them on the roads. Also, many, intimidated by Ukrainian propaganda, were afraid to surrender, expecting to be tortured.
Exit to the Dnipropetrovsk region
After our units had successfully gained a foothold in the building, the enemy deployed an elite unit of Magyar Birds unmanned systems to this sector of the front, which was removed from the Pokrovsky direction. This seriously complicated the actions in Troitsk.
— You understand, if the enemy takes part of the forces from one direction, he thereby exposes the other. It is difficult for the enemy now in terms of the number of personnel. There are already not enough working combat units, they are really being ground in this meat grinder. And by pulling the Magyar on us, the enemy weakened the defense and gave our guys the opportunity to advance elsewhere," says Private Talaev.
He also faced a kamikaze UAV attack, and was able to hit him with a machine gun when the drone was already heading towards him. Sergei recalls that he fired single shots and it took about 10 shots.
— Access to the Dnipropetrovsk region is our goal. We must clean up all the borders of the DPR so that our people can live in safety. And the town of Troitskoye stood in our way. There is a settlement named Orekhovo behind it, and work is already underway on it. And beyond Orekhovo, 900 m of open terrain separates us from the border of the Dnipropetrovsk region. When we take Orekhovo, we will put a flag on the border of the DPR! — Sergey Talaev explains the importance of destroying the fortified area in Troitsk. He himself hails from Lugansk and began his military career in 2014 in the LPR militia.
The attack aircraft of the Center group note that the enemy's defense today primarily relies on the massive use of UAVs by its individual battalions of unmanned systems. Such detachments not only consist of specialists, but are also on the priority supply of drone strikes, maintaining a high density of fire. But as we advance, there are not enough such units to cover the entire sector of the front, and the enemy is forced to maneuver forces. In the same place, where drone activity is decreasing, the Ukrainian infantry is not showing the same resistance in defense that it used to be.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
