{"id":36240,"date":"2022-05-30T02:12:30","date_gmt":"2022-05-30T00:12:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/norkhosq.net\/?p=36240"},"modified":"2022-05-30T02:12:31","modified_gmt":"2022-05-30T00:12:31","slug":"ukrainian-volunteer-fighters-in-the-east-feel-abandoned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/norkhosq.net\/?p=36240","title":{"rendered":"Ukrainian volunteer fighters in the east feel abandoned"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By Sudarsan Raghavan<\/a>, Published May 26, 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DRUZHKIVKA, Ukraine \u2014 Stuck in their trenches, the Ukrainian volunteers lived off a potato per day as Russian forces pounded them with artillery and Grad rockets on a key eastern front line. Outnumbered, untrained and clutching only light weapons, the men prayed for the barrage to end \u2014 and for their own tanks to stop targeting the Russians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey [Russians] already know where we are, and when the Ukrainian tank shoots from our side it gives away our position,\u201d said Serhi Lapko, their company commander, recalling the recent battle. \u201cAnd they start firing back with everything \u2014 Grads, mortars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd you just pray to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukrainian leaders have projected and nurtured a public image of military invulnerability \u2014 of their volunteer and professional forces triumphantly standing up to the Russian onslaught. Videos of assaults on Russian tanks or positions are posted daily on social media. Artists are creating patriotic posters, billboards and T-shirts. The postal service even released stamps<\/a> commemorating the sinking of a Russian warship in the Black Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukrainian forces have succeeded in thwarting Russian efforts to seize Kyiv and Kharkiv and have scored battlefield victories in the east. But the experience of Lapko and his group of volunteers offers a rare and more realistic portrait of the conflict and Ukraine\u2019s struggle to halt the Russian advance in parts of Donbas. Ukraine, like Russia, has provided scant information about deaths, injuries or losses of military equipment. But after three months of war, this company of 120 men is down to 54 because of deaths, injuries and desertions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The volunteers were civilians before Russia invaded on Feb. 24, and they never expected to be dispatched to one of the most dangerous front lines in eastern Ukraine. They quickly found themselves in the crosshairs of war, feeling abandoned by their military superiors and struggling to survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur command takes no responsibility,\u201d Lapko said. \u201cThey only take credit for our achievements. They give us no support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When they could take it no longer, Lapko and his top lieutenant, Vitaliy Khrus, retreated with members of their company this week to a hotel away from the front. There, both men spoke to The Washington Post on the record, knowing they could face a court-martial and time in military prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I speak for myself, I\u2019m not a battlefield commander,\u201d he added. \u201cBut the guys will stand by me, and I will stand by them till the end.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The volunteers\u2019 battalion commander, Ihor Kisileichuk, did not respond to calls or written questions from The Post in time for publication, but he sent a terse message late Thursday saying: \u201cWithout this commander, the unit protects our land,\u201d in an apparent reference to Lapko. A Ukrainian military spokesman declined immediate comment, saying it would take \u201cdays\u201d to provide a response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWar breaks people down,\u201d said Serhiy Haidai, head of the regional war administration in Luhansk province, acknowledging many volunteers were not properly trained because Ukrainian authorities did not expect Russia to invade. But he maintained that all soldiers are taken care of: \u201cThey have enough medical supplies and food. The only thing is there are people that aren\u2019t ready to fight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Lapko and Khrus\u2019s concerns were echoed recently by a platoon of the 115th Brigade 3rd Battalion, based nearby in the besieged city of Severodonetsk. In a video uploaded to Telegram on May 24, and confirmed as authentic by an aide to Haidai, volunteers said they will no longer fight because they lacked proper weapons, rear support and military leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are being sent to certain death,\u201d said a volunteer, reading from a prepared script, adding that a similar video was filmed by members of the 115th Brigade 1st Battalion. \u201cWe are not alone like this, we are many.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukraine\u2019s military rebutted the volunteers\u2019 claims in their own video posted online<\/a>, saying the \u201cdeserters\u201d had everything they needed to fight: \u201cThey thought they came for a vacation,\u201d one service member said. \u201cThat\u2019s why they left their positions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hours after The Post interviewed Lapko and Khrus, members of Ukraine\u2019s military security service arrived at their hotel and detained some of their men, accusing them of desertion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The men contend that they were the ones who were deserted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waiting to die<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Before the invasion, Lapko was a driller of oil and gas wells. Khrus bought and sold power tools. Both lived in the western city of Uzhhorod and joined the territorial defense forces, a civilian militia that sprang up after the invasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lapko, built like a wrestler, was made a company commander in the 5th Separate Rifle Battalion, in charge of 120 men. The similarly burlyKhrus became a platoon commander under Lapko. All of their comrades were from western Ukraine. They were handed AK-47 rifles and given training that lasted less than a half-hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe shot 30 bullets and then they said, \u2018You can\u2019t get more; too expensive,\u2019 \u201d Lapko said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were given orders to head to the western city of Lviv. When they got there, they were ordered to go south and then east into Luhansk province in Donbas, portions of which were already under the control of Moscow-backed separatists and are now occupied by Russian forces. A couple dozen of his men refused to fight, Lapko said, and they were imprisoned.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The ones who stayed were based in the town of Lysychansk. From there, they were dispatched to Toshkivka, a front-line village bordering the separatist areas where the Russian forces were trying to advance. They were surprised when they got the orders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we were coming here, we were told that we were going to be in the third line on defense,\u201d Lapko said. \u201cInstead, we came to the zero line, the front line. We didn\u2019t know where we were going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The area<\/a> has become a focal point of the war, as Moscow concentrates its military might on capturing the region. The city of Severodonetsk, near Lysychansk, is surrounded on three sides by Russian forces. Over the weekend, they destroyed one of three bridges into the city, and they are constantly shelling the other two. Ukrainian troops inside Severodonetsk are fighting to prevent the Russians from completely encircling the city.<\/p>\n\n\n

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A May 22 image shows the destroyed bridge that once connected Lysychansk with Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine. (Aris Messinis\/AFP\/Getty Images)<\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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That\u2019s also the mission of Lapko\u2019s men. If Toshkivka falls, the Russians can advance north toward Lysychansk and completely surround Severodonetsk. That would also allow them to go after larger cities in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the volunteers first arrived, their rotations in and out of Toshkivka lasted three or four days. As the war intensified, they stayed for a week minimum, sometimes two. \u201cFood gets delivered every day except for when there are shellings or the situation is bad,\u201d Khrus said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in recent weeks, he said, the situation has gotten much worse. When their supply chains were cut off for two days by the bombardment, the men were forced to make do with a potato a day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They spend most days and nights in trenches dug into the forest on the edges of Toshkivka or inside the basements of abandoned houses. \u201cThey have no water, nothing there,\u201d Lapko said. \u201cOnly water that I bring them every other day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a miracle the Russians haven\u2019t pushed through their defensive line in Toshkivka, Khrus said as Lapko nodded. Besides their rifles and hand grenades, the only weapons they were given were a handful of rocket-propelled grenades to counter the well-equipped Russian forces. And no one showed Lapko\u2019s men how to use the RPGs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had no proper training,\u201d Lapko said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s around four RPGs for 15 men,\u201d Khrus said, shaking his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Russians, he said, are deploying tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, Grad rockets and other forms of artillery \u2014 when they try to penetrate the forest with ground troops or infantry vehicles, they can easily get close enough \u201cto kill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation is controllable but difficult,\u201d Khrus said. \u201cAnd when the heavy weapons are against us, we don\u2019t have anything to work with. We are helpless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind their positions, Ukrainian forces have tanks, artillery and mortars to back Lapko\u2019s men and other units along the front. But when the tanks or mortars are fired, the Russians respond with Grad rockets, often in areas where Lapko\u2019s men are taking cover. In some cases, his troops have found themselves with no artillery support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is, in part, because Lapko has not been provided a radio, he said. So there\u2019s no contact with his superiors in Lysychansk, preventing him from calling for help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The men accuse the Russians of using phosphorous bombs, incendiary weapons that are banned by international law if used against civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt explodes at 30 to 50 meters high and goes down slowly and burns everything,\u201d Khrus said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you know what we have against phosphorous?\u201d Lapko asked. \u201cA glass of water, a piece of cloth to cover your mouth with!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Lapko and Khrus expect to die at the front. That is why Lapko carries a pistol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a toy against them, but I have it so that if they take me I will shoot myself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Survival<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Despite the hardships, his men have fought courageously, Lapko said. Pointing at Khrus, he declared: \u201cThis guy here is a legend, a hero.\u201d Khrus and his platoon, his commander said, have killed more than 50 Russian soldiers in close-up battles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a recent clash, he said, his men attacked two Russian armored vehicles carrying about 30 soldiers, ambushing them with grenades and guns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTheir mistake was not to come behind us,\u201d Lapko said. \u201cIf they would have done that, I wouldn\u2019t be talking to you here now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lapko has recommended 12 of his men for medals of valor, including two posthumously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The war has taken a heavy toll on his company \u2014 as well as on other Ukrainian forces in the area. Two of his men were killed, among 20 fatalities in the battalion as a whole, and \u201cmany are wounded and in recovery now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then there are those who are traumatized and have not returned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany got shell shock. I don\u2019t know how to count them,\u201d Lapko said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The casualties here are largely kept secret to protect morale among troops and the general public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn Ukrainian TV we see that there are no losses,\u201d Lapko said. \u201cThere\u2019s no truth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most deaths, he added, were because injured soldiers were not evacuated quickly enough, often waiting as long as 12 hours for transport to a military hospital in Lysychansk, 15 miles away. Sometimes, the men have to carry an injured soldier on a stretcher as far as two miles on foot to find a vehicle, Lapko said. Two vehicles assigned to his company never arrived, he said, and are being used instead by people at military headquarters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I had a car and was told that my comrade is wounded somewhere, I\u2019d come anytime and get him,\u201d said Lapko, who used his own beat-up car to travel from Lysychansk to the hotel. \u201cBut I don\u2019t have the necessary transport to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Retreat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Lapko and his men have grown increasingly frustrated and disillusioned with their superiors. His request for the awards has not been approved. His battalion commander demanded that he send 20 of his soldiers to another front line, which meant that he couldn\u2019t rotate his men out from Toshkivka. He refused the order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final affront arrived last week when he arrived at military headquarters in Lysychansk after two weeks in Toshkivka. His battalion commander and team had moved to another town without informing him, he said, taking food, water and other supplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey left us with no explanation,\u201d Lapko said. \u201cI think we were sent here to close a gap and no one cares if we live or die.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So he, Khrus and several members of their company drove the 60 miles to Druzhkivka to stay in a hotel for a few days. \u201cMy guys wanted to wash themselves for the first time in a month,\u201d Lapko said. \u201cYou know, hygiene! We don\u2019t have it. We sleep in basements, on mattresses with rats running around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He and his men insisted that they want to return to the front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re ready to fight and we will keep on fighting,\u201d Lapko said. \u201cWe will protect every meter of our country \u2014 but with adequate commandments and without unrealistic orders. I took an oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people. We\u2019re protecting Ukraine and we won\u2019t let anyone in as long as we\u2019re alive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But on Monday, Ukraine\u2019s military security services arrived at the hotel and took Khrus and other members of his platoon to a detention center for two days, accusing them of desertion. Lapko was stripped of his command, according to an order reviewed by The Post. He is being held at the base in Lysychansk, his future uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reached by phone Wednesday, he said two more of his men had been wounded on the front line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yevhen Semekhin contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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