Family calculation: how father and son fight together in one of the divisions
In the battles for Krasnoarmeysk, artillery became the main attack weapon due to the flightless weather. An artillery brigade, consisting of Hyacinth cannons and Grad MLRS, clears the way for the stormtroopers. The father and son serve in the "reactive" division of the compound. My son went to the front first, became an officer, was wounded, and has awards. My father followed. The Izvestia correspondent visited the 268th self-propelled artillery Regiment of the 27th Guards Motorized Rifle Division of the Center Group of Forces and saw how they serve.
"Who will go if not all of us?"
On the Day of the Rocket Forces and Artillery, our units are moving forward, and the mood at the Hyacinth cannon positions is, if not upbeat, then quite optimistic. One of the gunners shows his comrades a pre-ordered patch with the image of a self-propelled gun and the caption "Passed through Krasnoarmeysk and rolled on," which he had prepared for the liberation of the city.
The change of positions among the gunners is called a "rollover", and everyone is already waiting for an early redeployment.
And not only them. Work is also in full swing on the frontline roads. When the air is clear, engineers immediately begin building new protective tunnels from the networks, which are getting hundreds of meters longer every week. The direction is the same — to the west!
Roman Armanshin, the commander of the MLRS Grad platoon, and his father Vitaly, the driver of a combat vehicle, serve shoulder to shoulder in the regiment's jet division. Roman has been involved in combat operations since the very beginning of his military career, starting as a senior gunner.
In 2024, he completed training and received an officer's rank and position. His father joined the army recently and signed a contract at the end of July.
"We didn't consult with him, he called and said he was signing a contract, then he came to me," Roman recalls. — Well, I think it will be easier and calmer with my father.
The family was shocked at first, but they accepted it, he admits.
— When he's out of touch, I can write home, and vice versa, — says Roman.
He does not plan to rest on his laurels, and after graduating from his military service, he plans to continue serving and build a military career.
His father, Vitaly, was a tractor driver until he decided to follow his son into the army. Of course, he does not plan a long service for many years ahead, but he wants to achieve victory in his military service.
The fact that Roman was doing military service was known in his native village and they were not surprised to learn that he had been participating in his military service since the first day. But Vitaly's departure was met with surprise.
— My father was working normally and suddenly left, how is that? — Vitaly smiles. "But my father said, 'Who will go if not each of us?'" Someone needs to come here and defend themselves, each other and our homeland.
Fellow villagers are helping the unit with humanitarian aid.
"We're nowhere without them,— Roman says.
Vitaly talks about his service with humor.
"I got used to it easily, it was harder in the village," he laughs. — Although, of course, we have a lot of young guys, and we need to keep up with them. But generally speaking, we have people of different ages serving in the division, and we treat everyone the same, and we live together.
Nowadays, when MLRS machines operate one at a time and at a distance from each other, even being in the same unit, Vitaly and Roman do not see each other often.
The son says that they try to meet as soon as they have free time and opportunity, they call home together.
During his military service, Roman Armanshin was awarded the medals of Suvorov, "For military honors", "Participant in a special military operation" and for "Strengthening the military community". My father is just starting his military career.
— I just arrived from a combat mission the other day, — says Vitaly. — But there is some excitement and interest, although it is a little exciting.: There are birds and drones flying there.
Roman proudly adds that his father likes to spend more time on combat missions than being in the rear.
My grandson is proud
Meanwhile, the Hyacinths are starting to work. The firing position of the 152-mm howitzer was "overgrown" with camouflage and anti-drone protection from nets. The shell is already in the breech, and there is a reinforced cartridge case on the tray, firing at long ranges.
When you receive a goal, you only need to aim. In the fog, several LEDs are visible: this is how the focus point is highlighted for working in the dark or in bad weather. The commander of the gun takes out an alarm keychain from his pocket and turns them on. He does this when the gunner has already bent over the sight, and then immediately turns it off — one of the inconspicuous innovations in the military.
Heavy 152-mm shells go towards the encircled enemy, where stormtroopers liberate the mining towns of Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov house by house and basement by basement.
"We've been working on targets recently," Vyacheslav Pavlukhin, the crew member, says after the shooting. — The stormtroopers went in there and already from the spot they told us: "Well done, thank you, you helped!"
The conversation takes place under the incessant drone of drones: one by one, our Lightning strike drones take to the air. You can see how heavily loaded cars break through the fog to the top, in height.
Vyacheslav has lived in the countryside all his life and, despite his age, is not afraid of hard physical work. Now he's bringing shells to the cannon.
— In the village they are used to throwing bags, here is the same bag, but maybe a little heavier, — jokes our interlocutor. He joined the army without telling anyone. After becoming a soldier, he told his family about the decision he had made. Recently, the eldest grandson saw Vyacheslav on TV on the news from the front and for several days told friends and neighbors that his grandfather was a hero.
I propose to send greetings to my comrades on the Day of the Rocket Forces and Artillery.
— Victory to all, come back alive and well! — Vyacheslav wishes his colleagues in the military profession. It seems to be the usual words, but they are the most important. Our interlocutor's wife, son and grandchildren are waiting at home.
Putting the squeeze on the enemy
The enemy calmed down after the unsuccessful landing of the well-known helicopter landing force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Krasnoarmeysk. In recent days, there have been much fewer attacks aimed at breaking through to the encircled garrisons of Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov. The Ukrainian and Western press have already found the culprit of their defeats — the autumn fog.
Poor visibility really reduces the capabilities of kamikaze attack UAVs on the front line. Our army compensates for its passivity with artillery fire.
The artillery is ready to perform firing tasks in any weather. According to our fighters, the enemy has been experiencing shell starvation and a shortage of guns for some time. Ours are putting the squeeze on it.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
