Anadolu staff
03 July 2023•Update: 03 July 2023
DONETSK
Fighting in Ukraine is heating up, with the Ukrainian army using heavy artillery to target Russian army positions in the direction of Vuhledar, a front line town in the Donetsk region, amid a long-awaited counteroffensive.
"Our goal is to drive the enemy out of our lands. We are up against a dangerous foe," Evgeniy, a sergeant in charge of the motorized howitzer in the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, told Anadolu in an interview.
The Anadolu crew in the war zone also monitored the situation and military activity on the front and received information about the Ukrainian soldiers’ duties.
"We defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state," Sergeant Evgeniy, who declined to give his surname, said.
"Gvozdika" units provide intelligence on the locations of Russian soldiers and military equipment at the points they determine, he said, adding that their units then conduct dozens of artillery strikes during the day to support the advance of Ukrainian troops fighting on the front line and the capture of new settlements.
Evgeniy emphasized that his team's soldiers are trained and prepared despite the fact that they have been fighting the Russian army for a long time, which he says will continue due to the troops' patriotism.
First Lieutenant Sergey, who did not want his surname revealed, told Anadolu that they determined the locations of the targets using an artillery compass and shot.
"The coordinates of the target come to me. I enter the necessary information on the military application on my tablet and send the location of the target to my team. Then artillery shots are fired," Sergey said.
Sergey further said new information is given about the enemy's positions in cases where they could not hit their target, and that he then informs his commander and resume artillery fire.
The number of targets they hit changes daily, he said, adding that they face difficulties depending on the seasons.
"If there is heavy snowfall, fog, or rain, it is difficult for us to hit the targets. Under these conditions, the other party cannot discover our points, but our job becomes more difficult," he explained.
He added that Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the front lines should keep their morale high and not forget that their families are waiting for them.
