Details of the storming and successful liberation of Neskuchne - an interview with a soldier
Soldiers of the 7th Battalion of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army of the 129th Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces took part in the liberation of the settlement.
Radio NV spoke to one of them, Serhiy Zherebil. In an interview, he talked about the details of difficult but successful operation.
NV: We read that the assault on the village lasted four days, with two and a half of them in continuous battle. How did it happen?
Zherebil: Neskuchne is a kind of outpost in the south of Donetsk Oblast. It was under occupation for more than a year. There had been several attempts to free it with assaults by other units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. But these happened under slightly different conditions. Together with other units, this time we succeeded.
It was not very easy, because Neskuchne is an outpost, and it has a complex geography. There is only one entrance to the village and one exit. On the right side is a height, on the left side is the Mokry Yali river. And the entrance on the left side was limited by the fact that on a hill below the river was a school in which the Russian invaders were fortified.
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So there was a lot of preparatory work. Our Arey battalion came from Kherson to the Zaporizhzhya front. At the beginning of March, our mission was set here. We studied the enemy and conducted positional defense.
On the morning of June 7, we began the assault on Neskuchne.
Indeed, for two and a half days, the fighting went on almost continuously. Our boys showed courage and perseverance. There was a period when it was very difficult, but no one gave up, and no one turned back. Everything was very well planned.
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We are also thankful to our gods of war - artillerymen, and thankful to our leadership in Zaporizhzhya, specifically to General Litvinov, for their support.
Unfortunately, we lost our best brothers. We had six dead. Eternal memory to our boys. But we finished the job, and we’re moving on.
NV: This settlement was under occupation for a year. Who exactly was your enemy there? Were they the so-called “L/DNR,” or were they regular units of the Russian army? Can you talk about it?
Zherebil: This was the line which at that time was occupied by the Russian Army’s 60th Motorized Infantry Brigade. We asked prisoners about who was there fighting with them. There were also PMCs, along with “DPR” guys. There were many people there. But this was the area of responsibility of the 60th Brigade, most of which consists of residents of Russia’s Primorsky Territory [in Russia’s Far East, with its capital in Vladivostok – ed].
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They were professional soldiers. They had time to strengthen themselves for almost a year, to prepare to be on the defensive. But our offensive came unexpectedly for them.
They expected a large amount of heavy equipment. Our assault groups entered early in the morning, in the dark. They didn’t expect that. And there was tough fighting.
A day and a half later, when there was a turning point, and they realized that they were almost surrounded, they tried to get out of there. We did not let them, and we poured in after them. They took a lot of losses.
But, in fairness, it must be said that both from the right and from the left flank, our troops were also at work. They included – from the direction of Blahodatne – the Marines and the 68th Jaeger Brigade. The guys also went forward, and our advance was made possible through joint efforts.
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NV: You guys managed to break through. Could it be argued that this was because our defenders were able to almost surround the village, and that the invaders simply had no other options but to die there?
Zherebil: You have to look at and understand the geography. It may be difficult to explain in words. But if you look, the school was a strong point on a dominant height. And almost everything in Neskuchne was visible from this school.
We entered quietly, at night, with several assault groups. The enemy did not immediately detect us. When we starting attacking, that’s when the battle began. They tried to push us out. There were attempts to counterattack, and they had reinforcements when they pulled up their reserves.
Our guys showed heroism and courage. We thrashed them again and again, kept pressing them, and answered their counterattacks with our own counterattacks.
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Everything was planned quite competently by our battalion commander. Overall, we already had experience, we understood how it would be, and it all came true.
NV: Is it possible to estimate how many invaders were destroyed there? I think the Ukrainians would be very happy to know how many Russians died there in Neskuchne.
Zherebil: We didn't count. Let other special services do it. But there were a lot of their corpses. And now they are trying to take them out slowly.
The prisoners told us that they did not expect such a powerful attack and dense fire. And our mortars, and the whole battalion overall worked perfectly.
There were over 200 people there. Without exaggeration: more than half will remain there forever.
NV: This is great news. You say that there were prisoners. And what do they say? What conclusions can be drawn from speaking to them?
Zherebil: Yes, their answers are standard. As always: “I didn’t want to, I was mobilized. It was either here or in jail. I didn't want to, I never fired." They will say anything to save their lives.
We understand that we also need them to replenish our pool for prisoner exchanges.
We took two more this morning. They are from the Krasnodar Territory. They gave standard answers. They say that Putin is ... I will not say what on the air.
NV: I think everyone knows what he is.
Zherebil: They are ready to do anything to save their lives. They all didn't want to, they all ask for forgiveness, but it's true. Is it possible to believe in it?
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We took some prisoners in battle, and some of them got out later. They tried to escape, but then were wounded, hid somewhere, and then came out with a white flag, like today, asking for help.
NV: How do you find the strength (sorry for this question) to take them alive? These are the same people, if they can be called people, who came to our land, who kill our people, and who kill your brothers.
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Zherebil: Indeed, they are. We took our first prisoner in battle on the second day of the assault. At that time, I was in positions with my brothers, maintaining operational control of the battle. And when his guys pulled over (it was not far from the battle itself, about 400 meters), I held back my brothers so that his earthly life would not end in my dugout.
But still we are human. We understand that we fight with honor. We are not wild, we are not a horde. We are civilized people. But emotions really can overwhelm you and it's quite difficult.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
