Ground clearance: how military drivers supply troops on the front line
During their training, military motorists had to change their approach to work. Due to the massive use of attack UAVs by the enemy, warehouses are now located much further from the front than they were before. Accordingly, during the period of intense hostilities, the transport units are burdened with an increased workload, which they cope with honorably, setting some kind of records. Izvestia visited one of the autobahns of the Dnepr motorized rifle division, whose drivers carry four daily rations per day — at least 80 tons of cargo.
Battle records
The drivers of this unit have been delivering ammunition, water, fuel, and food to the front line since the early days of their military operations. They are all experienced fighters who have been under fire more than once. An automobile battalion is a large military structure with a large number of vehicles and personnel. Such a unit should have garages, hangars for repairs, places for refueling, and other infrastructure. Everything should be organized thoroughly and on a large scale. But in reality, everything turned out to be somewhat different.
Our Patriot drove up to the most ordinary wooded area and stopped.
"Have we arrived?" I ask the driver in surprise.
—Yes, we're already there," the sergeant nods his head in response. After getting out of the car and walking a few hundred steps, you begin to understand how everything is hidden from prying eyes.
The battalion is literally buried in the ground. Parking and repair sites are camouflaged so that the most experienced intelligence is unable to detect them.
The deputy commander of the weapons battalion with the call sign Krasnodar talks about combat work. He remembers how the working conditions changed over time.
— If two or three years ago the transportation shoulder was 150-200 km for us, now this distance has increased, — he says. — The average daily volume of cargo delivered to the front is 20-21 tons. This is minimal. Maybe more. This figure reached 70-80 tons per day.
In fact, in front-line conditions, the battalion transported a four-day cargo allowance, but the situation demanded it and the drivers coped.
Mastery of disguise
Then Krasnodar shows the temporary deployment point of one of the battalion's automobile companies. The main task of this unit is to deliver ammunition to the line of contact.
— In addition, we deliver attack drones and electronic warfare equipment to the frontline. As it is, these are mainly artillery and MLRS shells, small arms and ammunition, and grenades," the officer explained.
The unit has several hundred people and about 200 pieces of equipment.
"These are mainly KAMAZ trucks and Ural trucks," Krasnodar continues. — All the personnel of the company are military personnel under contract. Even those who initially served as conscripts had already signed contracts. Basically all drivers. We also have a support company, which includes chefs and bakers.
The place of deployment is equipped with maximum convenience for the fighters. The dugouts have been dug out and equipped for comfortable living of the personnel. There are baths, canteens, and leisure rooms.
There is also a special area for maintenance of equipment. But if you just drive by, say, by car past this place, you won't notice the military facility.
— That's because disguise is always a priority. There is no way without it now. Security posts have been set up, electronic warfare equipment has been installed, and constant airspace monitoring is underway," the source explains.
Both repairs and recreation
The company's senior technician, a sergeant with the call sign Mustafa, shows the place where the equipment is undergoing inspection and maintenance. There are equipped replacement posts for filters and technical fluids.
— Before each flight, the driver must come here, — says Mustafa. — The company's technician inspects the car, checks its readiness, makes sure that the documentation is in order, and the driver is ready to do the job. After returning from the flight, the car enters this compartment again, where it is prepared for the next departure.
Mustafa himself is from Dagestan, and has been serving under contract since 2006.
"I've been with her since her first days,— he says. — Family at home: wife and three children. My family reacted with understanding. This is my duty and my job. We communicate regularly. And twice a year I go on vacation to them. The family lives in St. Petersburg. My two sons are students at local universities.
I notice a "fresh" Zhukov medal on his chest.
— The award was given for military distinctions, — says Mustafa. — More than once I had to come under fire from the enemy. I remember the episode when we were driving with the company commander and mortars opened fire on us. But we have completed the task. The ammunition was delivered to the front on time and in full.
Autorota doesn't rest
The company commander with the call sign Derbent has also been on his own since the early days.
— First we fought in the Kherson region, then we smoothly moved to Donbass, now we are working in the Zaporozhye area, — he says. — The concept of a "day off" is not for us at all. We work every day. Of course, military personnel get time to rest. But the division itself does not stop its activities for a single day. Depending on the volume of tasks, the number of vehicles traveling to work is assigned. Eight trucks can go on the road.
There are no problems with providing fuel and lubricants and spare parts.
— We do the repair work that we can do ourselves here on the spot, — says Derbent. — The repair company makes the more complex ones. For example, right now all my equipment is working properly and is in service. We are ready to complete any task.
The company, with minor changes and additions, has been operating in its current composition for more than three years.
"For me, these are not just subordinates," Derbent explains. — These are my comrades in arms. My orders and orders are always carried out accurately and on time. And here it's not even that there is a chain of command and the soldier is obliged to carry out the order. I see and feel that people are trying their best not to let me down, our command and the country. I am as confident in each of them as I am in myself. And in turn, I reciprocate them. My task is to save lives, not to let them down.
His subordinate is a driver with the call sign Gadzhi on his own since 2023. I came here as a volunteer. His wife and three children are waiting for him in the Bryansk region.
"I go to the front two or three times a week and bring ammunition to our guys," he says. — Our work is difficult and dangerous. Iron tends to break down. This can happen directly on the road. But the experience is already considerable. We've learned how to fix problems quickly.
He was also awarded the Zhukov Medal.
"Of course, we don't attack or storm," Haji says. — But if we don't do our job efficiently, I think it will be difficult to achieve the common goal of defeating the enemy.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
