There was no time to adapt, I fought immediately in Popasna: the story of an officer of the NGU
The officer of the National Guard of Ukraine with the nickname “Bars” is the commander of the logistics platoon in the special purpose battalion “Donbass” 15 of the Slavic regiment of the NGU. He has the rank of junior lieutenant. The man had experience of service in the army until 2014. However, he said, he was skeptical.
“Before a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, I had no combat experience. But I am familiar with the nature of Donbas: here I spent my “serochka” [military service] in military unit 3023, which now does not exist. She was then in Horlivka [a Russian-occupied city since 2014] in the second battalion. After mobilization, he was led to the Alexandrian garrison together with his brethren. Soon we realized that our further stay there made no sense. Reports were written, transferred to the 15th Slavic regiment. There, the next morning, I was transferred to the special purpose battalion “Donbass”, - says “Bars”.
At first he was a sniper of the third category, until he reached the commander of the platoon. Then the “Bars” did not have time to adapt. He immediately got to the forefront. Everything had to be learned in combat.
“The first hot spot was almost immediately [after being in the Donbas Special Purpose Battalion]. Three days later he got to Popasna. Then there was the Kharkov offensive. Next, Kremensky forest, Serebryansk forestry. In Popasna, everything was already very, very sad at that moment. It was defense. They stood to death against the Russians, held their positions. In fact, there was nothing to touch on, because everything was destroyed, but somehow they still held on, because this is our land, our territory, so they fought for it. He was a senior soldier at the time,” says the man.
But in early September 2022, the fighters of the 15th Slavic Regiment managed to advance far to the north. “Then there was the Kharkov offensive. They started with Andreevka, then Volokhov Yar, Shevchenkovo, Kupyansk. It was already more interesting when compared with Popasna, because it was an offensive. We went forward, they had already knocked them out of position, not them us. Prisoners were taken, equipment: two BTRs, “KamAZ” (they recovered it later), BMP-2 — two or three pieces. So we got to Kupyansk. Then our guys went to the Estuary, then there was Majorsk. But I wasn't in Majorca. From it in November they entered the Serebryansk forestry, and by the beginning of March they left,” recalls “Bars”.
Then the “Bars” was the senior of the repair and evacuation group. In civilian life, he is a technician. He says the worst thing was getting from point A to point B under constant shelling.
“We drove the Urals, KETL [wheeled evacuation tractor light], pulled equipment, repaired, helped. It was hard because they covered our copter boys. There were many open areas. It's just that the whole forest, one might say, is now open, because the forest is no longer there,” says the commander.
The legendary battalion “Donbas” was formed in 2014 by volunteers. Subsequently - became part of the National Guard of Ukraine. His fighters were tested hard by fighting for Karlivka, Popasna, Lysychansk, Ilovaisk, Mariupol, Debaltseve, Severodonetsk, Majorsk, Kupyansk, Lyman, Rubizhne, Kreminna. They were noted in almost all hot spots in Luhansk region, Donetsk region, Kharkiv region. The soldiers of the special purpose battalion “Donbass” of the 15th Slavic Regiment of the National Guard are a specific component of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. They are professionally destroying Russian invaders on the eastern borders, desperately fighting for the will and sovereignty of Ukrainian lands.
National Guard of Ukraine
