1/ MEMOIRS OF A MOBIK, PART 2: Three years after he was mobilised, a Russian medical orderly with the callsign 'Ukol' talks with a fellow 'mobik' about his experiences. He describes the chaos and carnage he found when he was sent to fight in Ukraine. ⬇️
2/ For the first part, in which Ukol describes how he was mobilised and transported to Ukraine in a train filled with wildly drunken men and officers who were preparing to die, see below:
https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1966409619175092479
3/ Having arrived in the occupied Luhansk region in October 2022, "We were indeed brought and initially settled in settlements a couple of dozen kilometers from the immediate rear. The brigade's reinforcements were concentrated."
4/ "There, in these settlements, we met a small number of regular and mobilised soldiers, who were already thrown into the meat grinder at the end of September at Necropolis — that's what we later called the village around which long battles unfolded, ending in December 2023.
5/ "In October 2022, the enemy completely dominated us in terms of ammunition, and the sky was full of holes in terms of air defense, so Ukrainian aircraft-type reconnaissance drones easily flew to our settlements and adjusted the fire of Grads, 152/155-mm [artillery] and HIMARS.
6/ "We had to change houses, run away to forest belts for a while. And the Ukies would shoot from everything they had."
Earlier promises by the Russian military authorities that the mobiks would not be sent to the front line were quickly broken:
Earlier promises by the Russian military authorities that the mobiks would not be sent to the front line were quickly broken:
7/ "Our battalion was brought in in the most stupid way possible. Several columns in infantry fighting vehicles and trucks, with all the gear at once, the unloading area was a couple of kilometres from the line of contact.
8/ "The Ukrainians spotted us from drones and started to pile on! The Ural truck, which was at the end of the column, was immediately blown to bits, along with the people in it.
9/ "We scattered from the equipment, having managed to take only part of the things we had brought — and the vehicles drove away. And we ran to find shelter.
And then there was one continuous frosty, damp nightmare.
And then there was one continuous frosty, damp nightmare.
10/ "Live wherever you want. Eat and drink whatever you find. Ammunition!!! We collected our ammunition ourselves from the surrounding areas, because they didn’t bring it to us at first!!!
11/ "We drank melted snow and rainwater. It even got to the point that I had to drink strained urine at a position isolated by enemy fire, where I was stuck because I was sick! They simply did NOTHING to deliver to us at first.
12/ "And this was in November 2022, long before the era of FPV drones.
Our artillery almost did not fire, our air defence did not really protect us.
Our artillery almost did not fire, our air defence did not really protect us.
13/ "The Ukies pounded us at the front every day with everything they had: mortars, 152/155 mm, Grads, and sometimes rare kamikaze drones flew in.
14/ "We dug ourselves some trenches, covering the cracks. Instead of dugouts, we had pits covered with trunks of sawn and felled trees in one roll.
To be honest, the events of those days are mixed up in my memory into one viscous horror movie, for the entire winter of 2022-2023.
To be honest, the events of those days are mixed up in my memory into one viscous horror movie, for the entire winter of 2022-2023.
15/ "It was very cold, especially January and February 2023. Frosts at night reached -25 degrees Celsius, and during the day it was between -4 and -12.
The battles were of a moronic nature of counterattacks. It looked like this: today the Ukrainians came to us, we shot back.
The battles were of a moronic nature of counterattacks. It looked like this: today the Ukrainians came to us, we shot back.
16/ "In a couple of days we attack them [again]. And it all swirled between the Fortress (that's what we called the village near the Necropolis) and the Necropolis. We fought over individual forest belts, fought over individual buildings and streets."
17/ [Ukol does not identify these villages, but the Necropolis may be Raihorodka and the Fortress may be Andriivka to the north, which were contested then.)
"The main assault on the Necropolis from our side began in January 2023, but the peak of the fighting came in February."
"The main assault on the Necropolis from our side began in January 2023, but the peak of the fighting came in February."
18/ "The attacks were poorly supported, we persistently went to the same places several times. My company ended in January, after which we were briefly taken out for reformation – that's how I found out that I am now a paramedic in "Storm Z".
19/ "They simply told us: 'Hey, you are no longer just infantry, you are now an elite squad.'
The best episode that will explain everything to you will be my charge into the attack in cavalry style, in an infantry fighting vehicle.
The best episode that will explain everything to you will be my charge into the attack in cavalry style, in an infantry fighting vehicle.
20/ "6 fighters from our assault group were shoved inside the BMP, 6 sat on the armour from above, including me. We rushed forward across the field through virgin snow to land right next to a small Ukrainian fortification and take it.
21/ "As we were moving, mortars started flying near us. I immediately jumped off the armour at full speed and fell face down in the snow. Our BMP drove another 150-200 meters and blew up on an anti-tank mine.
22/ "Everyone inside died immediately, and those who were scattered by the explosion were finished off by Ukrainian mortarmen. I crawled out of there for a long time, then ran, then walked. Under enemy fire.
23/ "Yes, well, here's another episode. Either at the end of February or the beginning of March. The first group of convicts arrived to us, in assault company Z. They were thrown into some maneuver to squeeze out a forest belt near the Necropolis.
24/ "They were all held back and almost completely mowed down by 1 (in words: one) Ukrainian machine gun."
The Russians eventually captured the Necropolis, which Ukol says was aided by a lucky break in the weather.
The Russians eventually captured the Necropolis, which Ukol says was aided by a lucky break in the weather.
25/ "Snow and rain alternated for several days, during one of which another "decisive" dash was crowned with success, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces were driven out of the Necropolis.
26/ "True, we lost 6 tanks and 4 infantry fighting vehicles, a lot of people (as usual), but the Ukies retreated and fled.
And then something happened that was not written about in the news.
And then something happened that was not written about in the news.
27/ "After some time, the Ukies caught us in the same way and brazenly broke into part of the Necropolis. They got a beating on a few streets, but they managed to hold on to part of the village. Do you know how many of them we had to dig out of there?
28/ "[It lasted] until the end of 2023. I counted all the attacks I know of. I counted 68 attempts to dislodge the enemy from their remnant of the Necropolis and the surrounding forest clearings."
TO BE CONTINUED: treating wounded Russians and surviving bombardments
TO BE CONTINUED: treating wounded Russians and surviving bombardments
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