| Submit your comments on this article |
| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Just don't give us to Ukraine: What's going on in the Red River |
| 2022-10-01 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Viktor Zvantsev [RIA] Artillery strikes, mortar attacks and fierce shooting on the outskirts - Ukrainian troops are stubbornly trying to occupy Krasny Liman, in the north of the DPR. The city is defended by the forces of the republican armies and the Russian infantry. Tanks and armored personnel carriers drive along the deserted streets, a few civilians who did not have time to evacuate, beg the soldiers not to leave them alone with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Right Sector *. About what is happening on this sector of the front - in the report of RIA Novosti. WAVE AFTER WAVE Automatic and machine-gun fire can be heard from early morning. It subsides only by noon, when the enemy "strictly on schedule" leaves for lunch. After a couple of hours, the fighting resumes with a vengeance. Mines are constantly whistling in the air, which are bombarded not only with the city, but also with adjoining roads. There are more and more funnels on the sides. "They climb into Krasny Liman almost without artillery support," says a fighter with the call sign Kuzya. According to the fighters, they are attacking from Slavyansk, where one of the largest groupings of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is concentrated. There are many mercenaries in their ranks: electronic intelligence specialists intercept communications in Polish and English, soldiers find the corpses of blacks. The main forces of the Ukrainian troops were concentrated in the private sector near the western part of the Krasny Liman - in the area of the Blue Lakes. The other day they occupied a small forest belt, but did not advance further: the republican army met with heavy fire. As a result, the Armed Forces of Ukraine retreated to their previous positions and now make new attempts to break through every two hours. “We were able to get out of the Blue Lakes only on the fourth day,” says local resident Konstantin. “We came with my wife and children to visit our parents and got stuck. The fire is very dense there. The fragments riddled the walls of the house, the roof. Those who did not have time to escape are sitting in the basements. The situation is extremely difficult, but we do not plan to leave the city yet. We hope that Ukrainians will not be allowed here." "WE'LL JUST BE SHOT" This hope lives the majority of people who, for one reason or another, remained in Krasny Liman. Some have bedridden parents, others have a large subsidiary farm: chickens, geese, cows. On the street once again try not to go out. Only for humanitarian aid or work. “Despite the constant shelling, the railway hospital continues to operate,” says nurse Oksana. “Every day we go back and forth. In the morning I get on my bike and think: will I return or not.” When the front line approached the city, one of the first to leave it were officials of the local administration, the fighters specify. Now they visit here a couple of times a week - and then not for long. For all questions, people turn to the military commandant's office. These are mainly pensioners and railway workers: Krasny Liman is a large junction station. Although trains have not been running for a long time, part of the car depot, like the departmental hospital, is still working. Employees complain that the salary is delayed for the second month. However, almost all shops are closed. People survive on their own supplies and humanitarian aid, which is collected by various volunteer funds. However, delivery is also a problem. “Since the Armed Forces of Ukraine regularly and quite skillfully use UAVs, point artillery, heavy trucks do not enter Krasny Liman yet,” explains Pavel Fomenko, war correspondent of the People’s Militia of the DPR. "The trucks stop in a safe place, where our guys throw boxes into cars and drive on. make several flights, but even those who are unable to come to the point of issue receive assistance." Going for humanitarian aid is extremely dangerous: the Armed Forces of Ukraine are purposefully trying to hit crowded places. The other day, for example, one of the last open stores was fired upon. Several civilians were killed. They also destroyed the newly restored power grids. The locals are very worried about the prospect of a Ukrainian counteroffensive. No one wants to speak openly in front of the camera - they are afraid of cruel reprisals. People used to be cautious, and after the recent events in the Kharkiv region, they completely "lay low." "Only three families are left on our street," says Natalia, a former cleaning lady at the railway station. "We beg the soldiers for only one thing: don't let the Ukrainians in. There are rumors that in the village nearby, the National Battalions were shooting civilians." It became especially alarming when the Armed Forces of Ukraine occupied Izyum and came close to the borders of the LPR and DPR. “We are very afraid that we will get to Ukraine and the purges will begin,” sobs the former switchman of the railway station Irina (at her request, the name was changed). If so, what did you vote for. I personally support joining Russia, but suddenly the Armed Forces of Ukraine find out about it." The residents of Krasny Liman, like many in Donbass, made their choice back in the 2014 referendum. Then the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the "Right Sector" * entered the city almost immediately. The militias tried to resist, but the forces were unequal. "Ukrainians hit the hospital eight times with artillery, where wounded volunteers were lying," recalls a local resident Sergei. "Many civilians died with them then. Then bombs were dropped from planes directly on the militia camp near Brusin station." Sergei at that time studied psychology in absentia at the Pedagogical University in Slavyansk and remained neutral until armed militants of the Right Sector burst into his house, ordering him to follow them. "I also asked for a warrant, and they only smirked in response," he continues. "They said that my name was on some lists. There was a continuous obscenity in the police department, where many referendum participants had already been interrogated. Someone was beaten. As it turned out, they found the contacts of the guys from the resistance in my phone: I studied with some of them, worked with some. They kept me for a day, then they released me. Those who were considered traitors were probably shot. I was very lucky then." Right after the coup, 28-year-old Andrei Brichenko headed the Right Sector* combat cell in Krasny Liman immediately after the coup. According to neighbors, he never needed money and joined the nationalist organization out of ideological considerations. "I used to work in advertising and business, I owned three cafes," said a resident of Gutchenko Street, where the former house of the “chief right-winger” is located, on the rights of anonymity. "Immediately after the Maidan, Brichenko hung a red and black flag here. His “colleagues” were based in neighboring houses. They took what they wanted from people. For example, the 'wrung out' concrete slabs are still lying near the gate." On the eve of the special operation, Brichenko sold his house, took his mother and left for Ukraine. His return here is feared like fire. According to the People's Militia of the DPR, the situation in Krasny Liman is still under control. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are gathering new units and are probably aiming for the final assault. The Republican and Russian armies, in turn, are preparing for a fierce defense and waiting for reserves. The fighters are sure that the fate of the city will be decided in the coming days. |
| Posted by:badanov |