We have seen on the news that the fighting on the front lines in and around Bakhmut is reminiscent of the trench warfare during WWI. At this point, it seems like everyone we know knows someone who has been sent to that front line. While it is pretty much universally being described as a meat grinder, neither side is reporting how many of their own soldiers are being lost in this area.
Viktor was sent to the front near Bakhmut about a month ago. He had been stationed in a completely different region leading up to that point. When he was sent to the front, his unit included men who had little to no military experience. Some of them were men who volunteered for the army after Russia’s full scale invasion, but they expected that they would be able to serve in support roles, not actually be put in positions where they would be likely to kill or be killed.
A month ago, Viktor’s unit consisted of 100 men. By the time their unit was pulled off the front, there were down to 12. Six of those 12 were sent to psychiatric facilities.
Their commanding officer was being sent to a tribunal because of the way that their unit had been mismanaged, and the high casualty rate.
The entire month, Viktor was in trenches mere hundreds of meters from the Russian forces. As the month went on, their conditions deteriorated. They didn’t receive the food supplies that they were promised. They grew increasingly cold and wet. It was difficult to sleep. All of them had some level of concussion. Some of the guys couldn’t even eat as they kept throwing up everything because their concussions were so bad. Viktor said that by the end of their deployment, their unit was sharing one can of processed meat for the whole unit. That was all that they had to eat. They would suck on bits of ice they found on the field to quench their thirst.
You can see from the picture above the methodical way that the Russian forces are leveling every building in this area. This means that shelling is brutal and non-stop. In addition to firing at every standing structure, the Russian forces regularly fire cluster munitions.
Cluster munitions are weapons consisting of a container that opens in the air and scatters large numbers of explosive submunitions or " bomblets " over a wide area. Depending on the model, the number of submunitions can vary from several dozen to more than 600.
These cluster munitions are illegal in most of the world. In a recent episode of UkraineCast, former US Marine, Ryan Hendrickson, details the work that he has been doing in Ukraine to de-mine the country. He describes how many of these cluster bombs can send out shiny ping-pong ball sized explosives that will go off when disturbed. (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ukrainecast/id1611568441?i=1000594374116).
This explains why Viktor’s unit was down to only 2 sleeping bags between the whole unit. If a cluster shell goes off near their location, and fragments land on someone’s sleeping bag or gear, you don’t touch it. It doesn’t matter if it’s harmless fragments or a cluster. Making the smallest mistake can cost you your life or the lives of those around you.
This area will remain dangerous for years after hostilities have ceased.
Viktor’s unit was finally pulled from the front. He was sent to medical facility where he got his check up. He snuck away to get on a bus and go to Safe Haven. Anya told Viktor that he had run away from home, he ran away from the orphanage, he ran away from them when he was living in Safe Haven. This was the first time in his life that she was glad that he ran away.
Viktor was filthy, and beat up, and his clothes were worn out. At Safe Haven, they had supplies and they tried to get him to take a backpack with warm clothes, food, and sleeping bags. At minimum he would be able to give it some of the guys in his unit. Viktor refused everything, saying he’d get it later. He said he’d been promised 2 weeks of leave, so he’d have time later.
The skin on Viktor’s hands were worn down, like it was skin that had been ripped off and was just now healing. Turns out he some boiling water had been spilled on him, but he had been able to tear his glove off before any major damage was done. It was a miracle that this wound hadn’t become infected in the trenches without the proper bandaging and care.
Viktor talked about the Russian troops. He knew that conditions were as bad for them or worse. But there were times when the Russian troops would try to advance. They weren’t wearing the right clothing. Most of them weren’t properly armed. But the most surprising thing was how they acted. They would climb out of their trenches, and start walking toward them. They wouldn’t crouch down, but just stood up straight. Some of them had their hands in their pockets. The Ukrainians forces would fire on them, and men would start to drop. Typically, they didn’t respond when the soldier next to them was knocked down.
The only way that Viktor could explain it was that they had to be high on some kind of drug. The way they moved made no sense. In spite of all that was around them, they didn’t seem concerned. They needed to be smart, and they weren’t. They should have been afraid, and they weren’t.
Viktor found it very haunting.
Anya watched Viktor very closely. After everything that Viktor had been through, it was very likely that he was suffering from some form of PTSD. But she said that as she watched him, it was clear that he knew that what he had been through was hell. Some of the things that he saw haunted him, but only as they should. He wasn’t debilitated by his experience. He was still himself.
Bogdon caught Viktor that day and asked him how he really was. Did he still have faith in God? Viktor looked at Bogdon soberly.
“We all do. We pray all the time.” In the middle of Hell, you cling to your faith that there is a God above it all.
Viktor only stayed at Safe Haven for the day, before returning to his unit. They had promised him 2 weeks’ leave, but that didn’t end up being the case.
Just a few days later, Viktor contacted everyone. He was back on the front.
Comments
Post a Comment