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Russia-Ukraine War: Exhausted Ukrainian soldiers return from the fierce Donbass front

“Intense 21 years old”: Some really tough battles

Russia-Ukraine war: Exhausted Ukrainian soldiers return from the fierce Donbass front - Photo 1.

For a month, the soldiers of the 81st brigade fought hard to repel the Russian advance on the Donbass front in Ukraine. Photo APF/Digital Journal.

The Ukrainian Army’s 81st Brigade walked 12km on Saturday (April 30), camouflaged in the woods and through the barrage of bullets after they were ordered to retreat in the small town of Sviatoguirsk in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. – the place is under the onslaught of the Russian army.

For a month, members of the 81st brigade fought hard to repel the Russian advance in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces were advancing slowly, capturing villages one by one. .

“Everybody understands that we have to defend the front line, we can’t let the enemy get close. We have to try to defend the line with all our forces,” said lieutenant Yevgen Samoylov of the 81st Brigade, sharing his worry that his unit could be hit by Russian bullets at any moment.

“You can hear it, the enemy is very close,” added lieutenant Samoylov, pointing away. The formation of Russian tanks on the other side of a hill, only about 7km from the trenches of Ukrainian soldiers of the 81st Brigade.

When he was just 21 years old, Samoylov, an officer from the Odessa military academy, was assigned to manage 130 Ukrainian conscripts – some twice his age.

“This is my first fight. I was supposed to graduate in four months, but they sent me here,” the lieutenant shared.

When taking on combat missions in the Donbass, lieutenant Samoylov always carried a red book. He recorded every movement, as well as every request and comment of the soldiers in the unit.

Lieutenant Samoylov’s unit began operations on February 23, the day before Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine.

The unit was assigned to protect Izium for 1 month. But Izium fell on April 1.

“Some of the battles were really hard,” said lieutenant Samoylov quietly.

This brigade, like other military units, the soldiers did not disclose how many of their comrades were killed, according to Digital Journal.

When asked about losses and losses on the battlefield, lieutenant Samoylov’s eyes dimmed. Pain etched on his face.

Sad silent ride

A deadly silence fell over the military truck as it moved to an abandoned building where the soldiers would stay for their week off.

When the convoy passed a truck loaded with long-range missiles, the soldiers would automatically sign “V” with their fingers, a symbol of victory, and then sit in silence again. , eyes looking far away at the foot or the horizon.

Upon arriving at the base, the soldiers disarmed, stripped off their uniforms, and entered one of the dilapidated rooms without electricity, where they received medical check-ups after returning from the front.

Vadym Kyrylov, a doctor of the 81st brigade, said that these are servicemen who have survived fierce battles. Some “had small wounds on their foreheads, some were buried under the rubble in a bomb blast with broken bones, some were hit by shrapnel.

“But we mainly see problems related to somatic diseases, like hypertension or chronic diseases that have become worse,” added the 25-year-old doctor.

Wet foot syndrome

Ukrainian soldiers have also been diagnosed with “flooded feet” syndrome due to prolonged exposure to humidity, unsafe sanitary conditions or cold.

“During a month, they couldn’t dry their shoes…so there were a lot of foot-related injuries, mainly fungus and infections,” the doctor said.

After being examined, Ukrainian soldiers all have a common response: It is to isolate themselves and use the phone to call their lover, children or parents.

Ukrainian soldiers are not allowed to use their phones on the front lines and any application that requires geolocation is prohibited.

Four soldiers reassembled rusty metal bed frames and dusted the floor of a room.

“This is a time for the boys to relax, take care of their physical and psychological injuries, to regain their strength before returning to battle. They will sleep warmly, eat normal food and try more or less to walk on their feet,” said Lieutenant Samoylov.

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at Blogtuan.info – Source: danviet.vn – Read the original article here

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