This is not an isolated case when Ukrainian soldiers spent many months in a combat position. Two members of the National Guard with the nicknames Tequila and Kuchár defended their position near Pokrovsk this year. According to their unit, the soldiers in question were not only repelling Russian attacks, but also helping with reconnaissance and evacuations of other soldiers.
The fact that they were well camouflaged helped them to survive, so they remained invisible to the Russians for a long time.
Ukrainian media recently also brought the story of Territorial Defense soldiers Oleksandr Alikseyenko and Oleksanr Tishayev, who spent 165 days at the position, although they originally planned to stay there for ten days. They described to the newspaper, for example, how difficult the fight was with the ubiquitous mice, or how water literally fell from the sky – they were supplied with it thanks to drones.
However, the Ukrainians had to be careful – a drone with supplies could reveal to the Russians that there were still people alive at the position. This is also why both Oleksandrs saved water and indulged in a sip of it every three hours. There were even days when they could drink only once every 12 hours from the supplies they had left, and in times of greatest desperation they even tried to squeeze drops of liquid from wet napkins.
They were helped by a captured Russian
The current story of two soldiers from the Cold Spring brigade, who spent an incredible four months in the front positions without rotation, was accompanied by a curious moment – a Russian prisoner also spent two months there with them.
According to the Ukrainian media, the prisoner could not be taken out of the positions, so he remained with the Ukrainian soldiers at the front.
A twenty-three-year-old Russian in the 93rd Brigade, that he originally served in the Russian corps that patrolled Nagorno-Karabakh. After he got into a fight with an officer, the soldier in question was prosecuted. Instead of going to court, the soldier ended up in occupied Donetsk. “I was in the training center for two weeks, and from there I was sent to Rusyn Yaru (a village near Konstantynivka, ed.),” said Rus, adding that his group was allegedly told that they would “just sit in position.”
What did the reality look like? A Russian armored personnel carrier, which headed towards the trenches, was attacked by Ukrainian drones defending their territory. After he was later wounded and his comrade fell in battle, the Russian surrendered to the Ukrainian soldiers and spent more than 60 days with them in the position.
When asked what he was doing while the Russians were attacking their position, he said he was “protecting the boys.” For example, by handing over weapons. “I was consolidating the position, I was digging. I wanted to survive,” he said, adding that during the offensive operation, Russian assault troops could shoot him without distinguishing who was sitting in the Ukrainian trench. At the same time, he added that not all Russian brigades take prisoners.
