"We realized that we can beat the enemy"
The battles in the encirclement near Kherson, the storming of settlements and counter battles with the enemy are episodes of the combat path of a motorized rifle unit under the command of Hero of Russia Ainur Safiullin. Despite the fact that his subordinates were operating in the hottest spots of the front line, not a single soldier under the officer's command was killed. Now he is 29 years old, he is a student of the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of Russia. Major Safiullin told the Izvestia correspondent about the most striking events of his combat work.
Meeting on the road
The start of the special operation caught Ainur Safiullin and his unit on exercises in Belarus, when he was still a company commander.
— My company passed through the Kiev region, after we were transferred to the Izyum direction, then we got to the Kherson region, and from there we went to Zaporozhye, - Ainur Safiullin told Izvestia.
He remembered well the first battle in the Kiev direction.
"My unit was marching in a marching outpost, and on February 25, 2022, we came face to face with an enemy column," he recalls. — It was already late in the evening. It all happened very suddenly. We walked with our headlights off, using night vision devices only. Later, we found out that one of the Ukrainian special forces and their 25th Jaeger brigade had blocked our way.
It was obvious that the forces were unequal — the enemy had a clear numerical advantage.
"We emerged from this battle as absolute winners and without losses," the officer says. — We completely defeated the enemy due to the fact that we acted faster. The enemy ignored the blackout, and about 500 m before the intersection we saw their headlights. They instantly deployed into battle formation and gave battle. The enemy resisted, but sluggishly and for a short time.
This episode had a great impact on the commander and his entire staff.
"Personally, this is the first time I've been in real combat, like many of my soldiers," the officer explained. — Nevertheless, we caught the courage, we wanted to apply everything we were taught. What I taught my fighters myself. We succeeded. It was a purely rifle battle with the support of infantry fighting vehicles and two T-80 tanks. I won't say exactly how long it lasted. It seemed like five minutes. In fact, much more time has passed. I repeat, the personnel were greatly encouraged by this victory. We realized that we can beat the enemy.
Heroic fight
In the Izyum direction, Ainur's unit was tasked with storming the settlement.
"It was a major logistics hub, Great Kamyshevakha," he says. — First, we looked at how our neighbors worked there, and changed our tactics. We marched 7 km on foot to the line of attack, and sent our equipment and all our armored groups to a diversionary strike. In general, we simulated the main attack, and while the enemy was distracted, we were able to go first to the flank, and then to his rear. Thus, the enemy was caught and defeated.
In the Kherson area, his company was tasked with making a barrier for the enemy so that he could not surround our guys.
"The enemy was attacking us with a strength of about a battalion," the officer recalls. — We created a maneuverable defense and gave the enemy a serious rebuff. But the forces were seriously unequal, and the enemy managed to close the encirclement ring. Once surrounded, I led the battalion, as the battalion commander and all his deputies were seriously wounded. For five days we held the line, fighting off regular attacks by Ukrainian forces.
And then the fight happened. The assault group under his command was tasked with liberating the southern part of the settlement. The unit moved into position under the cover of artillery to block the enemy.
— Having assessed the situation, I decided to storm the settlement. He received a shrapnel wound during the battle, but he did not leave his guys, he continued to lead," Ainur tells the details of the battle.
After reporting to the command about the success, the officer ordered the personnel to take up a circular defense and prepare for an enemy counteroffensive.
— For more than three hours, we held off the enemy's counterattack and completed all the tasks set. By the way, there are no losses," Aynur emphasizes. — Then they counted and realized that more than two platoons of enemy manpower had been destroyed, eight nationalists had been captured, and many of their weapons had been destroyed. But first of all, I am glad that large losses were avoided.
According to him, later that night his guys prepared a serious defensive position.
"Towards morning, the enemy went on the offensive again, we repelled his attack and got out of the encirclement," he recalls.
Meeting with the President
He received the Hero's Star from the hands of the Supreme Commander in December 2023.
— I found out about the award when my battalion was defending in the Zaporizhia region, — Ainur recalls. — One night, the brigade commander called and said that I should be in Moscow in a day, without explaining anything else. I arrived in the capital, and we were gathered into a group of ten awardees. In principle, no one knew exactly what it would be. We arrived at the National Defense Management Center of the Russian Federation, a senior officer approached us and said that we would be awarded the stars of Heroes.
Aynur admits that he was worried.
"There was an inner thrill," he recalls. — I have never interacted with people of this rank before. I will say more, I have always admired our president, read books about him, and respect him very much. When I approached him, I was even a little confused, I stumbled in my report, but he supported me. And I promised him that we would go forward and defeat the enemy.
Safiullin is currently graduating from the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and is preparing to go back to the front, and his family supports him.
"My wife is pregnant now and is due to give birth soon," he says. — We got married in September 2023. When our forces successfully repelled the so-called Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Zaporizhia direction, the brigade commander then let me go on vacation.
Ainur was born in Kazan, the son of a military man.
"My father fought in Afghanistan," he says. — His example greatly influenced the choice of profession. But first, I did military service in a reconnaissance battalion, and after that I entered the Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command School.
After graduation, he was assigned to the Far East, to the Amur region, where he began his career as an officer in the 38th separate Motorized Rifle Brigade as a commander of a reconnaissance platoon. Later he became the commander of a motorized rifle company. The Hero's Gold Star is not his only award, he is twice a knight of the Order of Courage, and the officer has other awards.
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