Regarding one of the most incredible videos to come out of the war yet.
Likely the most gut wrenching that I have seen thus far. Viewer discretion is advised.
Video in Twitter Post (shorter version of article):
https://twitter.com/ZimermanErik/status/1649872330695360512
Unfortunately, even this footage showing a tactical Ukrainian victory is not untainted by the cheapening propaganda machine that mainstream media supports and demands, and we will discuss that too.
First, this footage is a couple of weeks old, and it resurfaced again in Ukrainian sources, including DeepStateUA a couple of days ago. When things are not going well for them, they do tend to re-release previous "positive" material. The battle for the roads in #Bakhmut is not going well for #Ukrainian forces during the last few days. But it is a most desperate battle for both sides.
In this event, we see POV footage from two small-unit commanders, "Tihiy" and "Yabchanka" (the latter and his unit seem to be under the former, de jure or de facto). In the event, their entrenched position is under a daring, if not necessarily well planned or executed assault by Russian VDV soldiers.
They are both impressive commanders, and the footage from Tihiy especially shows a competent, calm, and brave commander who is trusted by the soldiers around him. His understanding of the area around him, and small unit tactics is excellent.
He directs those under him while maintaining communications with command above him and units adjacent to him (though he may have been the company commander over them in general, who was present at one of his platoon commander's position during the attack). Whatever the exact nature of the command and unit structure, he displays cool and collected judgement and courage.
It is obvious that but for his presence specifically, and the actions of one or two others (Yabchanka, Vlados), the position was very likely to be overrun and at the least to have suffered heavy casualties.
Discussion of the war typically can hardly be called discussion, and is most often no more than hysteric platitudes meant for propaganda purposes of one side or the other. Even among more reasoned participants, the discussion usually centers around weapons specs at its worse, and overall strategy, logistics and economics at its best. All of these tend to overlook what is at the essence of war, which we discuss here frequently.
Men on the line, willing to defend it or charge those defending theirs. Neither is easy nor a task most men in today's western societies are capable of doing.
The footage features the Da Vinci Wolves, a unit originally from the Ukrainian Right Sector, made up of volunteers. (the left can love something called "right sector” as long as it kills Russians).
Even in this unit, among the more elite and best (privately) equipped of the UA army, you see that the instinct of most of the soldiers was to simply keep their head down. Popping your head out to even look at what is happening is against human instinct... and it is easier to stay in the seemingly safe shelter of the bunker, ostrich style. In fact, heavy weapons covering fire and artillery in support of an assault or charge are meant to lower the heads of the defending enemy so that the attacking infantry can close the distance to them and clear the strong positions with grenades and small arms fire.
In this case, at first it may appear that we aren't shown much in terms of support, and thus that the Russian charge was foolish if not suicidal.
Though this is possibly the case, it is most likely not; at least not to that extreme. We are shown some artillery previous to the attack early in the video, which seemed to be enough to keep everyone well hidden inside the bunker. Though afterwards there is no supporting fire ("Retek" as we call it in the IDF) and the assault is not sufficiently strong frontally nor well supported at a flank; had it not been for these impressive individuals, the artillery preparation alone would have done the trick.
Soldiers hiding in their holes, Russian soldiers only seconds away from being able to lob grenades into them. The footage shows how critical individual soldiers can be during combat, let alone small unit commanders. The bravery of Tihiy, who ventures out of the bunker to repel an attack on the right flank is inspiring, and alone was responsible for much of the Russian losses.
On the Russian side however, it's not about a couple of guys willing to peek out of the trench to fire at oncoming enemies, but whole units of brave men charging a fortified and determined enemy position. There is impressive bravery on both sides, and the obvious waste of such gallant men is truly saddening.
One must say, without judgement, that it is unfortunate that the wounded Russians were not taken prisoners rather than shot at so repeatedly. Without judgment because at the heat of the moment, where precious little stands between life and death, the margin for error nil, and the uncertainty of how many enemies are coming and from where, it is understandable that any moving soldier is fired at. One wishes though, that the defenders could have had the self confidence and control at the moment to have shown some mercy. Though there is no sign that the Russian soldiers asked (or were able to ask) for quarter.
Finally to be fair, tactical brilliance was not needed nor shown in the defense of the trench, far more complexity is required in the attack than in defense. This footage can perhaps help folks understand the difficulty of advance in this near-peer modern war, and the benefits of defense. This is why Russia advances gruelingly and painfully slowly, while Ukraine in general cannot advance at all (into well defended parts of the front). Many misunderstand Russia’s ability for slow advance as sign that Ukraine can advance rapidly and recapture its previous territory, where it really is more of an indication of the opposite.
The Commander
On display is the reality of command under fire, which has nothing to do with rank and command in peacetime. We have discussed this before, and now we have photographic supporting evidence to add. What a commander can do to one during peacetime, is often enough incentive to make one comply with an order (ie clean the bathroom or you get your weekend leave cancelled). Poor quality commanders rely on this. They will find during combat that they have no control over their troops.
A cancelled leave sure sounds better than braving withering automatic fire as one charges an enemy trench. There is little a commander could threaten his troops with that is worse, or even compares, with what the enemy might do to them if they comply with his orders. Good commanders earn the respect of their men, and this rather than rank or regulation gives them their authority under fire.
A soldier does what his commander tells him to do because he does not want to let him down, to disappoint him, nor to be ashamed of doing so. The fear of shaming himself, and letting down his commander and his brothers-in-arms is greater than any fear of the enemy.
While the reality of combat (and a combat-capable unit) is made up of things like this, comradery, honor, duty, abhorrence of shame, the ever weakening half-men that ever increasingly populate the west think technology can save them for the high bar once required cleared, to be a man.
This pathetic ignorance is on full display just days ago when Star Wars' Mark Hammill (Luke Skywalker) talked to the "brave Ukrainian drone operators". This was said without any comprehension of the inherent irony.
https://twitter.com/MarkHamill/status/1647316962794676224
These people don't live in the same world as the men in the trenches. But it's the men in the trenches that hold the line, so that their respective foes don't overcome everything and everyone that is in the rear (including these clowns).
Language and the Info War
This leads us to the following. Tihiy is speaking (at least mostly) in Russian throughout the video, as is everyone else. Your average western viewer would probably be surprised to hear that and assumes he was hearing such pure Ukrainian it was almost Polish.
Brave Russians are killing brave Russians in the Donbass, on uncle Sam's penny (that we have addressed and will address further and more deeply elsewhere).
In this Russian, Tihiy and his fellow fighters refer to their enemies as "Orcs" the translation would have you believe. This might surprise some viewers. Brave men referring to other brave men opposing them on the field of battle as "Orcs" is peculiar one should think.
Orcs is part of the dehumanizing dribble the hysteric media and Ukrainian government propaganda regime propagates. Much like Star Wars, where the Empire's stormtroopers are faceless (always masked) beings that can be killed without remorse.
The vision of swarms of non-human Orcs rampaging across Ukraine is one meant to dehumanize the enemy soldiers in the eyes of the domestic and international population so that all and every means is justified against them. It is once again the language of nerds, and their fantasy books, and strange to find on the battlefield. But, still understandable given the popularization of the term the government has given it. Perhaps, but not in this case!
The translation, prepared by the Ukrainian propaganda apparatus, has to be sanitized for the West (which ironically means calling the enemy non human fabled monsters). The Russian used is closer to "fucking fags" than "Orcs". Each time. But you can't have the Ukrainian soldiers using homophobic language against their enemies right... so a little white lie in the translation for your consumption.
An additional note on this, each language has its swearing particulars. In Russian, though this is the literal meaning, it has a different connotation than in English. It would be strange for US soldiers of any era to continuously yell "fags in the right trench, watch for fags outflanking us at your 6!" during war.
In Russian it is often used as more general insult, and would be more akin to American "these mother fuckers"... F..ers here and f...ers there! You don't mean it literally, they are just not your pals right now.
So while these troops of basically identical language, religion, ethnicity and who share a non modern-western (non PC / woke etc) culture, kill each other, the government of the Ukrainian ones pretend that Ukraine is one giant gay parade for the benefit of the West. They think that they are tricking the west into supporting them, but in reality it is the Ukrainians who are being tricked. Join the EU, join NATO, come talk to me in 20 years and tell me who was tricking who. When folks will not wonder if their neighbor speaks Ukrainian or Russian but rather wonder if its Pashtun or Swahili, and have children that don't know what gender they want to be and which bathroom to use.
The Best Dying First
I believe this striking footage shows us yet again, that the fierce fighters at the front in this war, are among the best of their nation, and deserve much better than to be used as cannon fodder for the machinations of the forces bent and the total decay and destruction of what is left of the Western World.
And if you don't agree with any of that, at the least let us agree that the clown that is Zelensky should take off his little green shirt, and wear a suit like the President he is supposed to be, or join the likes of Tihiy, his Vlados and Yabchanka at the front.
I recall one crusty old Russian general responding to a question of how wars are ultimately won and lost, "They are ultimately won or lost by skinny kids in bad fitting uniforms with last-generation weapons deciding to fight, and not run away”.
Watching mostly male, privileged, usually middle class Americans spectating this war on their expensive phones and tablets, cheering as Brothers kill Brothers for their amusement has been one of the most disturbing insights into Western minds. Paying money online to get bombs and grenades signed with ''Die Orks" and "LMAO" "LOVE FROM TEXAS", and paying crypto coins to order whatever sick torture they want on captured Russian solders, but hey, its fine those aren't real people, its all just like those Disney Marvel movies, those are all evil creatures from some alien planet. Soon the new world Global order utopia will be here, where the brave diverse LGBTQ heroes of Ukraine with the help from Americas ''Shield'' have saved the world from those evil minions of Nazi supervillain Putin.