In the Ukrainian war, the front moves slowly. Three soldiers under Kiev’s command report on their experiences on the battlefield.

Kiev – Since the beginning of the Ukrainian war, there has been a lot of talk and discussion about the fighting, especially in the West. Increasingly intense since the second counterattack by troops from Kiev, it seemed to be progressing very slowly. The train of thought is diverse. Just like the questions that only real experts try to answer.

What are the best tactics against invaders from Russia? What kind of military support does Ukraine most need? At what point on the front do you have the best chance of making a successful advance? But as time passes: is Ukraine even capable of winning this war and liberating its territory from the aggressor?

Ukraine’s war and counterattack: Three soldiers report from the front

After all, it should be a report from The New York Times according to Criticism from supporters of actions in the combat zone she gave. According to their own statements, the Ukrainians have recently managed to break through at least the first line of defense of the Russians. However, there is still a long way to go to achieve the goal we set for ourselves. Moscow’s units still control nearly a fifth of the largest country located entirely in Europe.

But none of the experts around the world know what it really looks like up front. Perhaps not even the military commanders of both countries, who issue their orders from a safe distance. But only soldiers who fight for their country, or in Russia’s case, for the reputation of their boss who sits in Moscow. In the worst case scenario, you will die.

Video: Military expert from Kiev – People have the “absolute will to persevere”

Ukrainians at the front: “I only heard the screams – their screams”

Last time she was in Handelsblatt An article about one A journalist’s visit to the front Back. He met well world-Chief correspondent Ibrahim Al-Nabr on the two main axes of the counterattack by three Ukrainian soldiers describing their lives in the war (Articles behind the paywall). There is Roksolana, who goes by the code name “Sultan,” and has a nine-year-old daughter named Milana. Their unit advanced through the small town of Pyatychatki in the Dnipropetrovsk region to Robotyn in the Zaporizhzhya region.

Al-Qannas describes how she lost two friends at once. They had just said goodbye to each other: “But two minutes after they left, we heard the dreaded noise, the hissing.” It was immediately clear to the 31-year-old that they were under fire. “After a moment, all I heard was screaming, her screaming,” she says.

She received information via radio that six of her comrades had died. “A wounded man approached, I pulled him into the hole in the ground and gave him first aid,” Roksolana recalls. “Out of the corner of my eye, I saw soldiers dragging a comrade across the field without a head. Two of my friends died instantly.”

Minefields at the front: the tank was captured – “fortunately no one died”

Mark belongs to the Special Forces and is called „selfish”. He sees suicide drones and minefields as obstacles to progress. “One time, near the village of Mala Tokmachka, we turned our car right,” says the 33-year-old, describing the delicate situation. “The Bradley tank that was driving in front of us was going in a different direction. It hit a mine. Fortunately, no one died.”

He describes the seizure of two robots as just a small step: “I don’t expect it to suddenly become easier,” because the Russians are in the majority, and the Ukrainians also lack “tanks and other weapons.” “Almost all special forces have to drive to the forward area in unarmored cars,” Mark complains.

Tank bombing in the Ukraine war: “The car caught fire”

Ruslan drives Kirby, an armored personnel carrier. The 22-year-old considers liberating the village of Makarivka to be his „most difficult mission.” Because his car came under fire from a tank: “Our car was hit first head-on, and then the tank was hit later.”

“The car caught fire – I will never forget that moment for the rest of my life,” he gives insight into the anxious moments: “Kirby stopped, but he saved our lives.” According to Ruslan himself, he only suffered a concussion and was hit by shrapnel.

“The enemy is not as stupid as we thought,” he says. “Many of us underestimated the Russians at first.” Ruslan doesn’t ignore the worst moments either: „It’s indescribable when one of your comrades dies in your arms. Only those who have experienced it themselves understand that.”