War in Ukraine
Russian soldier speaks about difficult conditions in Vovchansk
Ukrainian soldiers in the contested small town of Vovchansk.
© IMAGO
Hundreds of Russian soldiers are surrounded in the Ukrainian town of Vovchansk, near the Russian border. Their condition is uncertain. The other Russian units in the small town are also faring badly. In a video, a fighter describes a catastrophic situation and reports massive losses.
The Russian troops are pinning great hopes on the capture of the small town of Vovchansk in their offensive that began in early May. But this is only intended to be a stopover. From there, the soldiers could make advances towards Kupiansk, 80 kilometers away, or attack Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, although President Vladimir Putin denied the latter. But first, Moscow’s fighters would actually have to bring the city under their control. However, they seem to be getting further and further away from that, as a Russian soldier complains in a video.
Bomb attack on Russian soldiers in encircled factory area
After the recent days of encircled Russian soldiers in Vovchansk reported, whose liberation failed several times, the situation appears to be deteriorating again. On Saturday evening, a video circulated on social media showing bombs being dropped on the factory site, where up to 400 Russian soldiers were said to be holed up. It is said to be US munitions dropped by Ukrainian fighter planes over the small town. There is speculation on both the Ukrainian side and Russian military bloggers about the fate of the encircled soldiers – anything is possible, from raising the white flag to a massacre.
Video shows alleged surrender of Russian soldiers in Vovchansk
Furthermore, a short video clip has surfaced that is said to show two Russian soldiers surrendering to Ukrainian fighters. It is currently not possible to determine whether the video originates from Vovchansk and is also current. However, the statements of a Russian soldier on the Telegram platform at least reinforce the impression that the Kremlin troops are currently falling behind in the small town.
Anton Andreyev explains in the almost four minutes long videothat he is a soldier in the fifth company of the 1009th Regiment and is deployed in the north-eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv. He describes that his unit suffered massive losses in Vovchansk. On the first night, half of them were already dead, says Andreyev. Currently, 12 of the original 100 men are still alive.
Andreyev complains that the soldiers are constantly being urged to advance by the commanders. “Forward, forward, don’t sit still, occupy the sawmill, occupy the trenches,” was all they were told. They were only supposed to carry light luggage, presumably to be faster and more mobile. But the lack of armor apparently cost many soldiers their lives. “They simply cut us up. We are sent under machine gun fire and drones in daylight, like meat,” the soldier continued.
Andreyev also reports that his unit has received reinforcements from new soldiers who, in his opinion, have received little training.
Russians have no contact with soldiers in Vovchansk
The British Guardianreported referring to statements in Russian networks that relatives in Russia are asking about the whereabouts of their sons, brothers and fathers in Vovchansk. “I haven’t heard from my brother since May 12, when they were sent to Vovchansk,” Yevgeny wrote in a post on the social media platform VK. The network is often described as the Russian equivalent of Facebook. “I’m worried that the training only lasted a week. Is that even legal?” he asked.
Even though it is certainly premature to speak of the liberation of Vovchansk, the situation of the Russian soldiers does not seem to be looking good at the moment. There is talk on social media that Ukrainian soldiers are advancing northwards within the city. The districts mentioned are said to have been under Russian control until now. In addition, a video provethat Ukrainian soldiers have built a system of trenches around 15 kilometers west of Vovchansk to make it more difficult for Russian troops to advance westward. However, the trenches are already under fire from Russian artillery.
This article first appeared on ntv.de.