"We did not allow them to break through in the direction of the Kursk NPP"
Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Martsev has worked his way up from a platoon commander to a Marine battalion commander, fought for Mariupol and Ugledar, and won the country's highest award. Mikhail Martsev, now a student at the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia about his combat path, tactical decisions that saved lives, and how his fighters managed to prevent the enemy from breaking through to the Kursk nuclear power plant.
The price of combat experience
Mikhail Martsev was born in Cheboksary, but his childhood and youth were spent in Tatarstan. After graduating from high school, he entered the Kazan Higher Military Command School, and in 2007 continued his studies at the Far Eastern Higher Military Command School. After graduation, the lieutenant was assigned to the 810th Separate Guards Marine Brigade, where he rose from a platoon commander to a battalion commander. In February 2022, an officer in this position arrived in the special military operation zone.
— We went there from the very beginning of the fighting. When they reached Mariupol, they began to liberate the city," Mikhail recalls.
Russian Armed Forces soldiers on the street in Mariupol
Talking about the details of the first battle, the officer notes that at that time the enemy was just starting to use drones. So one of the fighters noticed how a reconnaissance copter circled above them. Circled and flew away. After a while, mortar fire was opened on them.
By order of Mikhail Martsev, the unit made a sharp leap forward by one hundred meters.
— Thus, we managed to avoid losses. With this maneuver, we gradually approached the city. At one point, a reinforced concrete fence appeared in front of us. It was irrational to avoid him. I had to give a command to one of the armored personnel carriers to make a passage in it. After making it, we took possession of the first building. It was small, two—storied, but still the first one," the battalion commander notes.
The assault on Mariupol
Protracted battles began. The enemy fired sniper fire at the Marines from the nearest nine-story buildings.
— They were fighters from the nationalist Azov battalion (an organization banned in Russia) and the 36th Marine Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, this did not become a serious problem for us. Gradually, we approached the city center, where we had to regroup and reach the Ilyich plant, which was later stormed. Over time, the enemy was driven out of there, and about 1,600 Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters were captured," Mikhail recalls.
The next target was the Azovstal plant.
— It wasn't easy, you know. The enemy is seriously entrenched and entrenched there. Together with other units, we had to be smart and use all sorts of tricks to minimize losses among our personnel. We managed to do this successfully. I saw Bandera fighters leaving the factory. They were laying down their weapons, and we were examining them," the officer says.
Weekdays of the special operation
After the liberation of Mariupol, a battalion of Marines under the command of Martsev went to storm the village of Novomikhailovka.
— We were literally 50 meters away from the settlement when I realized that the enemy was trying to drag us into a trap. That's how their defenses were built. I withdrew the battalion, and after carefully considering all further actions, the next day we began to storm the village. As a result, we took the settlement with minimal losses," the battalion commander emphasizes.
The next task was to storm the Coal Tank.
— Along the way, we participated in the battles for the village of Nikolskoye. About two hundred civilians of various ages have been hiding in a large monastery located in the village for a long time. We freed them and took them to a safe place," Mikhail Martsev recalls, specifying that after the successful capture of Ugledar, the battalion, as part of the brigade, was transferred to the Kherson area, where the city of Energodar was defended.
Heroic combat and enemy atrocities
When the Ukrainian Armed Forces invaded the Kursk region, Martsev's unit was promptly transferred there.
— From the Avdiivka direction, we completed a march with a total length of about 1,200 km in one day. This is a very serious task. When we occupied our defensive line, I received an order to repel an attack by superior enemy forces. They had several columns of armored vehicles, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers," the commander notes.
The first combat episodes occurred there when an enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group, moving in a Kozak armored vehicle, reached the flank of the battalion's defense.
"But they quickly ran into our fire ambushes and were destroyed. A similar battle took place on the other flank of our defense. It was their reconnaissance by combat. Then the main enemy forces began to attack us. It felt like they hadn't expected to encounter such resistance at all. After two hours of fierce fighting, the enemy's onslaught subsided. Over the next two days, they made feeble attempts to attack us. But after repelling all these attacks, we ourselves launched an offensive, which resulted in the liberation of two settlements. Then ten people were captured, and a considerable number of armored vehicles were captured," Mikhail says.
Destroyed infantry fighting vehicle M2 "Bradley" of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
Later it turned out that the task of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in this direction was to break through the battalion's defense line and reach the Kursk NPP.
"It turns out that we did not allow them to do this," the officer emphasizes.
In the liberated villages, he recalls, he encountered something he had never encountered before.
— When we entered the basement of one of the houses, we saw a monstrous picture. There was a mutilated corpse of a young girl tied to a bed. It was obvious that she had been raped and bullied. It became clear to us who we were fighting against. They are inhumans. From radio intercepts, we heard orders from their commanders to their personnel: not to take civilians prisoner, to interrogate them before execution, having previously shot their knees, or to cut off their limbs," Mikhail recalls with a lump in his throat.
The burnt-out column of the APU
He draws attention to the fact that his subordinates saw and heard all this.
— In the future, we captured enemy soldiers, but I told all my guys that we should not be like these scoundrels and should treat everyone as required by international law. And just like a human being," the officer emphasizes.
Family and the Golden Star
In 2022, when Mikhail was going on a special operation, a daughter was born in his family.
— When I left for the front, of course, there were thoughts that I might not return. It was psychologically difficult. Then my comrades and subordinates died in front of my eyes. And this is also a serious moral test. Fortunately, I survived and was able to return to my family," the officer says.
He is currently completing his studies at the command faculty of the Military Academy, and the likelihood of returning to the military training area is certainly high.
— I have gained extensive knowledge in the work of military authorities. Therefore, my universal experience, of course, will be useful at the front. My family supports me, so if I need to go to the front again, then that's how it will be," explains Martsev, recalling along the way how he learned about his future award.
— One day, early in the morning, I was asked for personal information. I was somewhat surprised, since all my information was already known to the management. But they explained to me that they want to introduce me to the title of "Hero of Russia". To be honest, I was very surprised. Two weeks later, I was summoned to Moscow, where the Minister of Defense presented me and other officers with Gold Stars at the National Command Center. I was worried, of course. This is not an ordinary event. Most likely, it is the only such thing in life and extremely responsible. Especially since I've never thought about it. I did not set myself the goal of becoming a Hero of Russia. Fate and life ordered it that way. It's a hot time," Mikhail concluded.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
