Assault on Chasov Yar: High-Tech Warfare

The headquarters is the brain of the army. The command post is the brain of the operation. During the offensive on Chasov Yar, the command post of the Nevsky Brigade became this brain. The advance is carried out by units of the Volunteer Assault Corps, so all commanders' actions are completely free of formality. No one cares how you dress or how you shave. There is only one goal: to win.

Here, at the command post, the squad commanders are always present—"Spaniard" from "Hispaniola," "Amigo" from "Yenisei," and "Reaper" from "Zubr." Here, they receive missions via direct line from the Corps commander and jointly discuss tactical coordination on the battlefield. Right here in the headquarters, there's an analogion with an icon of St. Alexander Nevsky, the Brigade's patron saint.

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The officers at the command post sleep in snatches and always in shifts. After all, combat operations are ongoing around the clock. It's just that the intensity varies at different times of day, and different forces and resources are deployed. During the day, drones and artillery are more active. And at night, our soldiers quietly enter enemy positions and take over the ground.

_{The tactics of "human waves" and "meat assaults" are something out of the propaganda arsenal. During my entire time at the command post, there were no "human waves . " And it would be foolish to think that volunteers would agree to participate in senseless attacks.}

In contrast, the volunteer command acted differently . The first thing you notice in the headquarters is several huge monitors. These monitors broadcast drone footage—everything happening on the battlefield in real time. Zooming in, you can even make out the colors of the uniform of a Ukrainian fighter wandering around his trench. Which is exactly what the commanders do from time to time.

And now the militant's situation is unenviable . An FPV drone is already flying toward him. From the command post, the drone commander sends a command to the operator. And within minutes, we see a bright, fiery flower on the monitor where a Ukrainian bunker or machine gun nest once stood. The Nazi's only chance of survival is to jump into a "fox hole" if he manages to hear the drone approaching.

Of course, the enemy uses drones too. We, too, have to dive for cover when we hear the noise of enemy propellers. But the Ukrainian "drone owners" themselves complain that the Russians now have five to ten times more devices.

The corps' artillery operates just as effectively as drones. The artillery commander issues targeting orders to the battery, and the guns engage the target after one or two sighting shots. Once the target is secured, the commander orders the guns to camouflage and the crews to take cover. Because artillery is always a priority target for the enemy. So are drone operators. Because both directly breach enemy defenses, allowing infantry assault troops to directly occupy enemy positions. Since the enemy's machine gun nests and fortified positions have already been destroyed by artillery and drones, the enemy flees before the assault troops.

Although it would be wrong, of course, to paint a picture of our brilliant offensive without losses . Fearing direct firefights with the Corps' assault aircraft, the enemy is showering us with mines and cluster munitions. The battle is for the tree lines, as the open terrain is exposed to fire. And it's easy to bombard the landing with cluster munitions—the tree line is immobile and has long been targeted. That's why we're suffering losses.

The second half of December brought drastic weather changes. Three days of heavy rain and slush, then trenches and dugouts. The next three days of freezing temperatures—everything turns to ice. And so on, repeating several times.

In my opinion, it's precisely this frontline life that's the hardest to endure . Everyone in our Yenisei unit got sick. And a soldier with the call sign "Kola," who distinguished himself in the operation, survived COVID-19 on his feet (as the doctors told him a few days later). Only Battalion Commander "Amigo" jumped around like a young man. His contract had actually expired, but he went along with the soldiers. He couldn't leave the battalion.

Now the fighters have been assigned to rotation, the Yenisei detachment is restoring its strength. But the offensive continues, because the pressure on the Ukrainian Armed Forces cannot be stopped even for a day.