Thread by @Tatarigami_UA

I'd like to introduce a concise yet important interview with a seasoned Ukrainian company commander, known by the callsign Zmiy (Snake). He's a veteran of the 2014 and 2022 wars and offers direct insights into crucial issues. Strong language ahead.

🧵Thread:

1. Hello! Please introduce yourself and briefly tell us about you.

- My name is not important, as during the war I use only the callsign "Snake”. This is my Second Punic War. Between wars, I managed to find myself in the IT field. Right now, I am a company commander.

2. When did the war for Ukraine start for you?

- The war started for me as far back as 2013. I was living the typical life of an average Ukrainian. It was a weekend, and I woke up after a night out and

...saw the news about Berkut (riot police) beating protesters near the monument and on Bankova Street. That’s how it began

(Context: He is referring to events in 2013, which started massive protests against Yanukovich, culminating in his fleeing the country and russian invasion)

3. Tell us about your first encounter with the enemy

- It was in October 2014 - our convoy was moving from Mariupol Airport and got ambushed. The ambush was organized in a piss-poor manner, so we didn't suffer any casualties and managed to suppress the attackers.

4. How has the enemy changed since then?

- The enemy is the same shi*head. Tactics and weapons vary by location and unit. I've seen many variants, but no standard. Today you're fu**ing up rookies, and later they send veterans who have balls to crawl to your positions at night

5. Before the invasion, many overestimated the capabilities of the russian army. Now it seems there's a different view – the russian army is weak and doesn't know what to do with all their weapons rusty. What would be your assessment of the enemy's forces as of October 2023?

- I'd advise all adepts of "conscriptovich" theory to take a closer look at the map. Because if they were so weak, we'd already be near Don. Ten rusty rifles can suppress one new AR rifle. And if they have the option to send just as many in the assault - oooh sh*t!

..You must also understand that an old tank is still a fu**ing tank that rapidly spits out shells. The enemy, just as before, is ruthless when it comes to casualties, and math plays a role here. Bastards can afford meat assaults; we can't. Commanders who don't get this are idiots

6. Very often, one can come across the opinion that russian mobilized almost entirely lack warfare skills and pose no threat. To what extent is this statement accurate, considering that some of them have been in combat for almost a year?

- Let me give you an example. When the front line collapsed in Kharkiv region, we cornered one of them. We offered him to surrender, but he chose to fight. When we finally eliminated him, according to his military ID, he had been mobilized for just two weeks.

..But he fought, and he delayed us. The fact that they are willing to fight even if they aren't fully prepared is significant. Time is a scarce resource, and they have the numbers. That's why we didn't advance into Svatove, and beyond that, it didn't matter if he was ready or not

7. There's a lot of discussion about the importance of building a strong NCO corps in the armed forces, seen as a key factor for successful unit leadership in battle, similar to the US. What do you think about this? And how much is this idea put into practice in our military?

- A competent sergeant is like a diamond. They are both a warrior and a leader. I don't see any systematic work in terms of leadership at all. Without leaders, there's no one to lead into battle here and now...

...The army operates on a vertical hierarchy, and if soldiers have no one to lead them, it's not a combat unit; it's just a mob of guys with guns

8. If you had the chance to work with Western weaponry, which one did you like the most?

- Nothing serious ever landed in my naughty hands. I've fired various disposable grenade launchers. The AT4 packs a punch, as long as you don't fu*k up the button business. Anyone who's fired it knows.

9. If you had the opportunity to change (improve) three things in the army, what would you improve or change?

- I would introduce mandatory assessments of officers for battle planning. Criteria for the success of a unit's actions would be based on ...

...task completion without excessive losses. There should also be mandatory analysis of operations, both successful and unsuccessful, at every level from platoon and higher.

10. Quite often, on the internet, we see different types of collections: for drones and for transportation. Can you explain why there's a need for so many drones and vehicles?

- All of these resources provide the means to sustain the units' operations - reconnaissance, and...

...mobility. The conditions in which we have to operate and counter the enemy become significant factors that affect the duration of our work. Intense combat eats everything like a dragon, within a matter of days, or hours. But that's no excuse for carelessness with donated items

11. Can a regular infantry unit function effectively without a drone?
- Infantry can do it all, but I recommend having a pocket drone that can work in your favor at a short distance. It saved my life multiple times when, instead of going on foot, I flew a few hundred meters ahead

12. To what extent can volunteer movements actually fill the gaps in logistics?

- The army is a highly regulated structure, and volunteers help save time and nerves with their contributions, especially in terms of inventory management

13. Let's imagine that the war is over, and everyone is returning to civilian life. How do you see yourself after the war?

- I really want to reform education, as the junior officers, the backbone of the army, come in with almost no knowledge, and obtusely die because they wasted four years. That's what I see now, and it's fu**ed up.

14. Could you recommend your favorite places for foreigners to visit in Ukraine after the war?

- Under Dementiivka, we dug in like crazy Viet Cong. Let them come and see the fruits of my labor.

- Thank you for your time
- You are welcome

If you liked this interview, please like and share this thread, and follow us. We also recommend checking Snake's account @Tonny52337430 for more of his stories in Ukrainian