The voice of tired Ukrainian soldiers from the front line; What choice do we have other than fighting?

According to RCO News Agency, the English publication reports that the situation for the soldiers of the Ukrainian army has become more difficult than ever; Soldiers who, on the one hand, in the political arena, see their government under pressure to accept Russia’s demands in the negotiations, and on the other hand, in the field arena, their ability to continue the war has weakened due to exhaustion, and in the face of the continuation of the chain of victories of the Russian army, they ask themselves when the war will end and whether they have any choice but to continue the war?

In this article, the “Guardian” newspaper has described the condition of two of these soldiers, named “Bohdan” and “Ivan”. Soldiers who have been stationed in the front line of the battle west of Pokrovsk for 62 days.

The Guardian writes: “Bohdan and Ivan have been in hiding for almost the entire 62 days of their deployment on the front line west of Pokrovsk; Their first hideout was a shop in the village. These 2 soldiers who belong to the 31st infantry brigade of the Ukrainian army had to hide and survive in a small basement for almost 7 weeks after a deadly conflict with Russian soldiers. During this time, food, water, cigarettes and other necessities were transported there by an insider drone; Their toilet was the same as their 3 square meter room, and their closest co-workers were about 200 meters away from them. Their only hope was to hide underground because they knew that if they were detected, a Russian drone could kill them all.”

Although the main characteristic of the war in Ukraine is considered to be drone battles, the role of infantry forces in this war has simply been forgotten. In many parts of the front line, Ukrainian ground forces had to quietly hold their positions while the air threats overshadowed them.

“I can’t sleep properly,” says Bohdan, who is more talkative than Ivan. “It’s too quiet here for me.”

When these Ukrainian infantrymen left for the front lines in late September, diplomatic efforts to end Ukraine’s nearly four-year-old war appeared to be at a standstill following a summit between US and Russian leaders in Alaska.

But when this crew returned from the southeast of Dnipropetrovsk region at the end of November, a new Russian-American peace plan emerged; the peace plan according to which Ukraine cedes all of Donetsk province, just to the east of the soldiers’ position; It will give up the territories captured by Russia in the war and permanently withdraw from joining the NATO alliance, and only then will Moscow be willing to consider peace.

According to the Guardian, this was actually a request for “surrender” and Ukraine refused. But later, Russia called the revised plan, which was prepared with Ukraine’s opinion, “unacceptable”.

According to the Guardian, if Ukraine continues to fight, infantrymen like Bohdan, 41, who installed thermal insulation before volunteering for military service in 2022, and Ivan, a 45-year-old repairman who joined the army in July, will be forced to risk their lives again and hold out until further notice.

“Of course, no one wants the war to continue, because many lives were sacrificed and many victims,” ​​says Bohdan, his hands and uniform still covered in dust. But at the same time, we don’t want to give up and we don’t want to give up our lands because we don’t want those sacrifices to be wasted.”

Not everyone is like Bohdan and Ivan

The English newspaper writes: “Other members of this military unit are also familiar with this feeling. Andriy, a 31-year-old sergeant in charge of drone operations at the unit’s headquarters, said when asked about Ukraine’s ceding land in exchange for peace: “Want to be honest? It’s really bullshit.” His group of fellow servants, who had been listening in silence, agreed with him with a sudden burst of laughter.

But not all Ukrainian soldiers like Bohdan and Ivan have kept their fighting spirit. In addition to the dead and wounded, between three and five percent of those returning from a combat mission on the front line require examination or treatment, a Ukrainian army psychologist said. Bohdan and Ivan were under observation for a while to ensure that they can be sent to the front again.

In October, the record of deserting soldiers from the Ukrainian army was broken and reached the figure of 21,602. One of the main current problems of the Ukrainian army is the lack of reserve forces, which means that it has encountered problems and shortages in the field of providing fresh reserve forces ready to replace tired and worn out forces. In this situation, it has become more common than ever for soldiers to be stationed on the front lines for a long period of time. Last month it was revealed that Serhi Tishchenko, a paramedic of the 3rd Brigade, spent 471 days in a combat position in Donetsk province.

According to the Guardian, Bohdan and Ivan did not expect to be on the front line for such a long time. Bohdan, who is the father of five children, says: “At first, I told my wife that I would be there for 2 weeks. But later she called everyone and almost ate their brains. She asked why it took me so long to return?” During this time, these soldiers do not know how worried their families are.

The report continues: “Although drone operators on the front lines have access to the Internet through Starlink and can make video calls to their families, members of the infantry force do not have such an option. “They can send radio messages to their family members, but their family members are not allowed to send back messages.”

Drone warfare has changed everything

According to this report, the widespread presence of drones has fundamentally changed Russia’s tactics. They have long abandoned the armor attacks that were common in 2023 because they lost so many tanks. But instead, they are constantly probing the scattered positions of the Ukrainians in order to find weak points, or weaker bridges that can result in more substantial attacks; The approach that has been prominent in the east of the city of Holyapol in the Zaporizhia province in southwestern Ukraine during the past month has led to the conquest of nearly 6 miles of land.

Ruslan, a battalion commander in the 31st Infantry Brigade, says the Russians “infiltrate in groups of two or three” to avoid detection by drones in the “kill zone,” a 15-kilometer distance on either side of the front line. Some wear heat-insulating clothing to avoid detection by thermal imaging cameras, which clearly show human bodies in white on a black background.

This commander claims: “If we see them, there is a 95% chance that they will be killed.”

At the same time, he admits that bad weather conditions such as fog or heavy rain make it easier for the Russians to mass their forces behind the front line with the mission of attacking and revealing the positions of the defenders.

Seeking death

Ivan and Bohdan were suddenly in a dangerous situation at seven o’clock in the morning; This was when three Russian soldiers appeared at a distance of 10 to 15 meters from their positions. The Ukrainians immediately opened fire on them, killing 2 of them, but the one who survived immediately requested drone strikes against their positions, and was then killed by a Ukrainian drone.

This caused these infantry forces to disperse and gather again in that basement after some time. At another point, a Russian drone bombed the entrance there and the collapse of the debris closed half of it. “We thought he would come back again,” Bohdan recalled. If he dropped 2 more bombs, our work would be over.”

In response to the question of whether they are ready to go to the front line for another 62-day mission and risk their lives, Bohdan said: “What other choice do we have besides this?”

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