The undeniable reality of war

The reality of the war has been undeniable this week. Ever-present. Relentless.

Unlike other times since I’ve been here, there has been very little opportunity for the illusion of safety to find a foothold. Every time it tries to find an anchor within a pocket of silence, there is another alarm of something in the sky.

We have been on the Southern front this week, right behind where the Ukrainians recently reclaimed large pockets in their counter-offensive.

But, in response, the Russians have been sending highly-trained troops here. Namely, the VDV their paratroopers. They are well fortified, professionally equipped, and they know what they are doing. Although their moral must be low.

This is proving to be a pivotal area in the conflict. First, I’ll tell you about what the team and I have been doing. Then, I’ll give you the broader picture.

We have been in the thick of it for the last week, working near the Southern front, conducting training exercises, teaching units how to dispose of mines and other unexploded ordinances.

The shelling never really stops in the nearest town. Roaring alarms of rockets awaken us through the night. We’ve barely slept.

In fact, a few days before we arrived, a rocket landed over the roof of the house that we are staying in. The missing veranda and pock-marked walls and broken remind us of what could have been.

It’s hard not to let your mind run away with these things sometimes.

On the East again it seems that the Ukrainians have made another small push, and in the South this counter offensive is somehow still pushing on. Slowly, but surely. However, what I have noticed is that the units the Russians have stationed in the South are more professional than those in the East.

Quality over quantity cannot be ignored. This is not somewhere that a soldier can ‘learn the trade’ by doing. Professional soldiers take a long time to train, to become people who are truly combat-effective.

Russian president Vladimir Putin is in the process of mobilising 300,000 men. The questions is, will they be combat effective like the units in the South?

I highly doubt it. From the videos we have seen, many are middle-aged men who probably haven’t held a rifle in a long time. Many don’t look up to the task and will replenish already broken and under equipped Russian units.

Putin has also fired a general of logistics; there are even more cracks in the Russian side that I anticipated.

There is chaos within the Kremlin.

More Ukrainians will undoubtedly die in defence of their homeland.

But Putin’s escalation of this war and his attempt to hold the West hostage by way of nuclear threats will only strengthen support to the Ukrainians.

THE world cannot be held hostage, not over this. Putin’s attitude toward the rest of the world is ridiculous.

We have seen him turn from an armchair general into some kind of crazy despot. I hope the Russian people can find a way out of this.

The Ukrainians do not want an escalation, they want the opposite. They do not want to have to send more men to face down wave after wave of Russian attacks. But, if that is what is called for, they are willing.

We met with the Free Belarusians when we were on the Southern front. People who have left their homeland to come here to fight knowing that, while the present regime remains in power, they will not be able to return to Belarus.

I never met so many young, motivated, professional gentlemen like those guys. It was really humbling to see such a band of guys brought together by a common cause.

Remember that Belarus too is being held hostage by Russia and their puppet dictator Lukashenko. We hear of Ukraine and Russia, but we do not hear what the Belarusians are going through. They are an oppressed people too.

I told them before I left, huddled around me and translated word for word, that I hope one day to visit Belarus again, and that it will be a place where their people can live free and without fear.