Ukraine 11
"We Are the Ones Shedding Blood"
The Ukraine war cheerleaders never speak of the human cost. I have heard far too much from retired American military officers, Washington, D.C. think tank honchos, New York City salon warriors, and journalists reporting from the bar of the Kiev Intercontinental, but rarely from the men fighting to defend their country. I reached out to some associates who have actually spent time on the front line and asked for their opinions. Since Avdiivka fell, Russian forces have captured three more villages (Stepove, Lastochkyne, and Sieverne) and the number of Ukrainian soldiers dying in combat continues to grow.
Ken is a retired Tier 1 operator who trained members of Ukraine’s 73rd Maritime Special Operations Center. Below is his account of a daring raid in Crimea on February 29, 2024, in which some of them were killed.
“It was a fast boat raid, quite a ballsy effort, deep inside enemy territory in Crimea. Just to get there, they had to refuel at sea, navigate around sea mines, and avoid getting spotted by drones. It was a dangerous mission, but they took it because those boys know that if they get in the shit, the only people they can rely on are each other. They planned to hit their target and get out, but they were compromised on the way in. Their RHIBs [Rigid-hulled Inflatable Boats] probably got spotted by drones as they came in, so the Russians were waiting.
The Ukrainian fire support boat could have run. Instead, they put themselves between the exfil boat and the enemy, and engaged. They knew full well that they were going gun against gun in a rubber boat. That takes remarkable courage. The fire they put down allowed their buddies to escape. You can see from all the spent brass casings on their deck that they died fighting. Andriy Vasyliovych, Serhiy Ivanovych, Vladyslav Vasylyovych, Maxim Zakharchuk, Andriy Tipusiak, and Volodymyr Boyko were killed in action on the night of February 29, 2024.
The sad part is that the day before, the Swedish donated real combat boats to Ukraine. They easily could have postponed the raid, but command, far from the front line, is impatient. Something that’s riled me since day one and this mission is a glaring example of it. While NATO congratulates themselves on the 15000 Ukrainian recruits they’ve trained, they have not trained a single Senior NCO or Officer. Zero. Leadership is the key and there is none.”
Translation of photo: “It was thanks to this Warrior that there were dozens of successful naval operations, which I think most of you have heard and seen, this is Serhiy, he was a true master of his craft. he, like most of the Warriors, has a family left, I suggest that the community gather to help the family of the fallen hero.”
Alek is a fifty-year-old Ukrainian presently serving as a combat medic on the eastern front. This seasoned veteran has spent almost two decades in international combat zones and worked for the U.S. Department of Defense in Iraq. After Russia invaded, he went to the front and has been there ever since. Alek was at Bakhmut and Avdiivka when they fell. Below is his account of the Ukrainian retreat from Avdiivka.
“Regarding XXXXXX company, I have something to say. XXXXXX brilliantly completed the tasks assigned to it, ensured the withdrawal of units from the city, and continued to fight. But: The city of Avdiivka was not at all prepared for defense. Nothing had been done regarding the fortifications. War has been here since 2014, it is only 6 kilometers from the outskirts of Donetsk. I saw the same thing in Bakhmut exactly a year ago. It was only a fortress, there were no fortifications. Perhaps all Ukraine’s concrete went to the new flower beds, roads and shopping complexes in Kiev where the war ended long ago.
Unlike Kiev, there is only one road to Avdiivka. The enemy immediately made his intention known when he cut it and this made logistics impossible. Once this happened, it was impossible to defend Avdiivka and the city was doomed. The minefields were mostly absent and those that were there were insufficient. Two rows of surface mines are not a serious threat. The “prepared” line of defense was a line of trenches that was half crumpled with only a few dugouts here and there.
It was more like a ditch than a proper trench. Due to the lack of dugouts, there were many unnecessary losses from enemy artillery fire and drones. Bunkers were also absent, are they already a forgotten art?
Our air defense only began to work effectively after our withdrawal. Before, 50 to 60 KABS [KAB 20, 50, and 100 are lightweight, precision drone launched guided bombs] a day flew into our position with impunity. Every KAB has a…bomb with a planning module. It’s a very effective weapon for destroying identified defensive units. The enemy aircraft operated with impunity and bombed the plant.
These childish mistakes cost those of us actually fighting, a lot of blood. There is nothing ingenious or special about war. The defensive measures I have been calling for have been widely known since World War 2, but the back slappers in Kiev can’t find them on Tik Tok. We are the ones shedding blood.”