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- Well, the Artist: how an entrepreneur from Voronezh became a commander on the front line
Well, the Artist: how an entrepreneur from Voronezh became a commander on the front line
When an entrepreneur from Voronezh decided to volunteer for the front in the fall of 2022, even his family did not know about his choice until the last moment. Today, an officer with the call sign Artist commands an artillery platoon, supports the advance of assault groups, and has participated in Operation Trumpet and received a medal for Bravery. In an interview with Izvestia, he told how drones have changed the rules of combat, why gunners have to change their position after each salvo, and what the gratitude of the infantry means to a fighter.
From Kremennaya to Operation Pipe
The film crew got to the training ground of the tank regiment of the Yuzhnaya group of forces purposefully. The fighters of this particular unit have a key role in the recent liberation of several large settlements in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. They work in the area of the special operation without interruptions and unnecessary noise. Here, amid camouflage nets and the roar of firing ranges, Izvestia met with the commander of an artillery platoon with the call sign Artist.
His combat path is the geography of the hottest points of Donbass. In the fall of 2022, the unit dug in in the Lugansk People's Republic near Svatovo, followed by a transfer to Volnovakha, and a little later to the Ugledar direction. After solving the problems in this area, the fighters were transferred to the Kharkov line, and then to the Kremennaya line, where they fought for quite a long time.
At some point, the gunner had to temporarily master a related but completely different military specialty: in September 2023, he was sent to an unmanned aircraft training center. Having successfully completed his training, the Artist got into intelligence and joined the detachment storming Avdiivka. The task of his group was to adjust the fire of mortars, tanks and heavy artillery batteries. It was there that the officer became a direct participant in the legendary Operation Truba, when Russian soldiers secretly made their way to the rear of the AFU fortified area through underground communications.
— The preparation took several months. First we went to the industrial zone, we got hooked there. And from there, in January, they moved out of the pipe to the Tsarskaya Okhota fortified area," he said, noting that in the enemy's rear, his group caught the Ukrainian militants by surprise and captured several strongholds.
For his bravery in this operation, the soldier was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Duel with five shells
After a short vacation, everyday life at the front began again, and the Actor returned to his regiment. Intense combat work included artillery duels. The commander calls one of them the most vivid and memorable episode of his service. The skirmish unfolded in the forests near Kremennaya in the conditions of fierce January frost. At night, an urgent order was received to take up positions. The situation was complicated by the fact that ammunition was running out — another overnight delivery was delayed on the way. The crew had exactly five shells left for the 152-millimeter Hyacinth cannon.
At that moment, the battery commander radioed in a heavy introductory message: a counter-battery battle was beginning, and the American towed M777 howitzer, or "Three Axes" in simple terms, was working against them.
— Fortunately, our scouts discovered her in time, and we began preemptive fire. But we only got there the fourth time. In general, the target was destroyed. The fight was short-lived, but the tension was intense. That's probably why it stuck in my memory," the artist shares the details.
According to the officer, during the special operation, artillery tactics have undergone tremendous changes due to the widespread use of kamikaze drones and reconnaissance aircraft.
— Everything has changed radically, to be honest, — he emphasizes. — Previously, we occupied positions from the line of contact at a distance of 10 km and could work safely. We can't get that close right now because the Ukrainian Armed Forces' drones don't give us that opportunity. It's extremely risky. Therefore, we are now using such long-range artillery systems as the D-20 and Hyacinths.
Large-caliber sniper rifle
Now the gunners of the Yuzhnaya group have practically no free time. The onslaught does not weaken, combat work is going on around the clock against exposed facilities, fortifications, equipment and manpower of the enemy. The artist calls his calculation a perfectly coordinated mechanism, where everyone is ready, without unnecessary words, to insure a friend or replace him at the gun. The Hyacinth-S self-propelled gun also earned the commander's praise for its reliability and high maneuverability, and the soldiers learned how to quickly fix minor technical problems on the spot.
Among the military, this weapon is considered a kind of "sniper rifle" for its phenomenal accuracy.
"This cannon hits accurately and can sometimes hit any target, even a moving one, without adjustment," the officer explained. — We use high-explosive fragmentation shells weighing under 55 kilograms specifically for enemy manpower. The maximum range is 30 kilometers.
Special attention in the platoon is paid to the safety of the calculation. Ammunition in positions is never stored together — the powder charges and the shells themselves are stored separately, in a special shelter, which the gunners call the basement. This approach minimizes the risk of detonation of the entire arsenal in the event of an arrival and saves lives. The loading process itself is brought to automatism: one fighter brings a projectile, the other a charge, no one pushes, so that the shot occurs in a matter of seconds.
Effective artillery firing is the main aid for advancing assault groups. The gunners do everything to help the infantry, and immediately after completing the firing task, the crew has no more than two minutes to roll up and take cover before the return fire begins.
— The infantry is happy, we help the infantry, we get there. There is nothing better than gratitude from the guys for the work done," said the artist.
Education by the North
The future commander grew up in the Murmansk region, in the closed Polar garrison, in a military family. As the officer himself recalls, his father served as a submariner, so they lived in the North for a long time before the family moved to Voronezh. After graduating from high school, the young man went to study in Samara. In civilian life, he managed to try himself in various professions and even engaged in business. By the time the fateful events began, he already had his own family, in which two daughters were growing up.
In the fall of 2022, his life changed dramatically. The decision to go to the front as a volunteer did not mature instantly, but it was firm. Until the last moment, no one in the family knew about his plans. The officer admitted that the news of his departure was a real shock to his wife.
— But I said that we need to set an example for the younger generation. If we don't go, who will? She understood me! — he thinks.
When asked what exactly made the successful entrepreneur and father of the family change his business suit to camouflage, he answers modestly.
— The fact is that we were brought up back in those years when such things as Homeland, family, and mother were sacred to us. Such an upbringing personally does not allow me to be on the sidelines when such events occur. Of course, I noticed how fascism began to be reborn. And I don't want this infection to appear in our country," the officer concluded the conversation.
So the lessons of his father and the harsh hardening of the North determined his fate years later.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
