In Ukraine’s forests, soldiers race to get for next push

The fighters disappear into central Ukraine’s deep woodlands before daybreak, guns slung and compasses in hand.

They’re preparing for a long-awaited campaign to change Ukraine’s battle with Russia.

The 22-to-51-year-old National Guard volunteers learn new attack tactics. The squad is part of a brigade preparing for a counteroffensive and has had only a few months to learn new abilities and recruit new members. The military admitted to having antiquated weaponry and feared a lack of training and funding. They promised to fight when the time comes.

The Associated Press joined Ukraine’s National Guard’s Steel Border brigade. Russia has held roughly a fifth of Ukraine for months since invading over a year ago. Modern weapons from the U.S. and allies have improved Ukraine’s arsenal, but ammunition and people are still scarce.

The squad’s members and leaders don’t know when or where the counteroffensive will start. They know they have little time to prepare.
“We’re preparing for big actions. No one will reveal them. “We get an order — maybe tomorrow, maybe in one month, we don’t know — to go to point ‘X’,” said Grunwald, one of the squad’s leaders. “We prepare daily.” The unit spoke to the AP on the condition that they be identified only by first names or call signs and the locale where the trainings are taking place not be disclosed.

Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov stated prior preparations “are coming to an end.”

The rest is scant.

Reznikov said in a Friday online briefing, “As soon as it is God’s will, the weather and the commanders’ decision, we will do it.

The soldiers carefully walk through the woodland, listening for hostile drones and vehicles. They stop every few minutes to examine unexpected sounds, crouching and ready to shoot.

Former airport immigration officer Serhii chain smokes and checks his compass every few meters. They’ve been walking for about three hours to cover 8 kilometers (about 5 miles) in two hours.

They rest under enormous pines. Roma is worried.

“We overdid it,” he admits.

Grunwald’s test involved sneaking through the woods, launching drones to find enemy coordinates, passing the coordinates to the artillery unit, and then attacking.

The fighters must remain hidden. One mistake destroys the operation and squad.

They use compasses only to prepare for Russian GPS interference.

Russia has spent years developing high-power jamming systems to disrupt GPS navigation. Traditional compasses are unjammable.

It’s harder to use. A one-degree compass inaccuracy might deviate the squad 100 meters. The team must overcome this to accomplish the goal.

One soldier laughed when squad commander Mazhor—meaning “rich guy”—presented the proposal. “He thinks one person is a robot capable of assaulting a trench, securing the enemy’s logistics hub, capturing an airport, stealing a MiG jet and landing it in Moscow, right?”

Grunwald called this a drone and artillery battle. It lacks both. Fighters deploy quadcopter drones for reconnaissance and antique guns.

Grunwald is raising money to buy easier-to-use drones that can carry bombs.

Squad members discuss training restrictions. Mazhor is told his orders would be confused in battle. They accuse teammates of laziness.

Every serviceman stated they would be ready for fight.

“At the beginning of war we didn’t know anything, but now we are more experienced,” stated Serhii. “These trainings sharpen us. We’re prepared.

After a long detour, they reach the reconnaissance drone launch site to locate enemy positions. Mortar unit receives coordinates.

“Victory in five minutes,” Serhii says into a walkie-talkie.

After eight hours of hiking through swamp, dirt, and vegetation, they emerged. Their coordinates missed vital enemy targets.

Mazhor said the staff completed the goal 90%. A war like this takes days of careful planning. They got lost.