Over the next few days, I traveled north from Kharkiv to the Russian border, south through Kramatorsk and Kostyantiniivka to Kyiv, in what they considered a betrayal of the US promise to help “for as long as necessary.” I talked to Ukrainians about this. They didn’t try to be diplomatic. They were hurting, sad, and worried. But they didn’t give up.
The soldiers I met north of Kharkov, just 25 miles from the Russian border, didn’t say much, but they didn’t need to. A group of Polish volunteers had just provided them with an excavator to dig the trenches, and this said it all. With no weapons or ammunition to mount an attack, they could only dig in, trying to withstand the advancing enemy. The excavator was brand new and they were grateful to have it, but they were distressed at having to evacuate. Instead of launching a bold attack.
My next stop was near Kramatorsk, about 240 miles south of Kharkov, to see a military unit I knew from several previous visits.previous The cheerful and optimistic soldiers provided a sobering reminder of their limitations. Their commander expressed his frustration while observing Russian troops with a drone. Without 155mm artillery shells from the United States, Ukrainian forces can only engage the enemy if Russian forces get close enough for domestically produced short-range drones called FPV (first-person perspective) to attack as a kind of “replacement artillery.” It is. His unit has some ammunition, but “for the last six months we have only been able to respond when there are at least 40 or 50 Russian soldiers. Wasting 155 for a small group.” It is not possible”.
He said that without artillery to support the infantry, bringing in new troops would make little difference. “A month ago, out of the 14 newly trained soldiers we sent, all of them were 200,” he said, using a military term for killed in action. “The Russians know that they can get very close to us, and they even have an electronic warfare system, REB, that shoots down our drones. There are not enough REBs.”
Another soldier from this unit told me that the armored personnel carriers they own cannot go anywhere near the town of Chasif Yar. Because without artillery and REBs, the Russian army would destroy armored personnel carriers within minutes. Chasiv Yar is a target of continued Russian attacks, perhaps because President Vladimir Putin captures the small town during the annual May 9 parade celebrating victory over Germany in World War II. Probably because they want to brag about what they did. “You can see their Grad (multiple rocket artillery), and it would take 10 to 15 shells to neutralize it, and you can’t use that many shells.”
I met an agent from another unit under a beautiful cherry blossom tree, but the news he gave me was equally bleak. He said the Russians often sacrifice soldiers to provoke Ukrainians to reveal their positions. This was a “meat-grinder” tactic, sending inexperienced Russian troops to the front, followed by the “Zagrad Otriaad” detachment, notorious since World War II, whose sole purpose was to attack young Russians. The goal is to prevent the military from retreating, he said.
In Kostyantiniuka, another old acquaintance, Olga Alexandrovna, greeted me with flowers. Look at my tulips, they are so beautiful this year. ” We went inside her home where she was born over 60 years ago. Looking at a colorful package of flower seeds, she said decisively: “I have to sow all these seeds and take care of the strawberries and blackcurrants and tomatoes. And all my orchids have two stems. … No, they can’t leave.” Of bombardment. There was a sound, but Olga Alexandrovna declared it was gunfire because her fluffy white dog would panic if the shelling came. “Mishka knows the difference. He is my protector.” She knew that if she wanted to evacuate, a bus was available. She also packed a small bag “just in case,” but she knew she wanted to stay here unless Chasif Yar, six miles to the east, fell.
Next I went to Kiev and spent a few days Before that, Russian missiles destroyed the Trypilska power plant, which provides the capital with the most electricity. Ukraine’s inadequate air defense is a new deficiency that is costing lives every day. Fortunately, we have electricity in our area, and Mikhail Leva, a sculptor from Odessa, gave a master class on art and politics to young community leaders. Afterwards, he was asked by a journalist what he thought was the source of such determination in the Ukrainian military. I listened as he quoted Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. “Our secret weapon is that we have no other choice.”
