The Russian military has made a number of gains in the east as it tries to encircle Ukrainian troops in cities such as Kramatorsk and Slavyansk. After a series of horrific failures, Vladimir Putin has targeted an area called Donbas, but success depends on the acquisition of strategically important communities such as Barvinkove. Image: Ukrainian soldiers wrap blue ribbon around their right arm to identify with each other The city itself now looks like an ad-hoc guard with hundreds of soldiers arriving and departing through the main square. It was here that we found members of a battalion of volunteers waiting for a transfer. Johnson greets “hero” Zelensky during visit to Kyiv – follow the latest updates on Ukraine Picture: Many of the soldiers look young They were all men and the majority were around twenty – and to our well-traveled eyes, they looked pretty green. A soldier played nervously with the safety grip on his machine gun. Another turned an AK-47 in a way that was annoying. A member of the battalion named Vandal approached us and asked if we had a tape. Ukrainian soldiers wrap blue tape around their right arm to identify with each other. Nobody wants to be shot in the side. Image: Vandalos was heading to the front line for the first time We did not bring a tape with us, but the investigation led to an unexpected interaction with Vandal and I want to narrate parts of this discussion here. An imaginative 25-year-old from the Kiev region spoke English from “movies and shows and video games”. Image: The trenches have been prepared before another expected attack He said he had not fought any battles yet. In fact, his unit was going to go to the front for the first time. I asked him how he felt and he answered me with admirable sincerity. “Well, if I say people are not afraid, it’s a bull ****. Everyone [is] a little scared. This is normal, this is war. No one is sure they will return home. No one is sure he will see his family, his girlfriend and others. So everyone is a little scared. “ I asked, “Do you have the equipment you need? Are you sure about what you have been given?” Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:22 Ukraine’s foreign minister says country needs ‘weapons, weapons and weapons’ This is a key issue in Ukraine, with almost everyone, from President Zelensky and down, protesting that they can not fight the Russians with their current arsenal. Vandalism is no different. “We need more equipment, we need weapons, precision weapons to be able to fight the Russians, better and faster. Read more: Putin’s spokesman tells Sky News Russia has suffered “significant losses” Read more: The catastrophe in Borodyanka “significantly more terrible” than the war-torn Bucha Picture: The tanks are ready in Barvinkove “You know the Russians are scared now, especially when they saw Javelins and NLAW [anti-tank weapons], and other things, they were completely scared. They started putting this s ** t in the tanks [metal anti-missile grids] but it does not work. “They know that if a javelin hits a tank, the tank is destroyed.” “What is your attitude towards the Russian soldiers, how do you feel about them?” I asked. “Well, I see them as people, but after the things they did in Bucha, they are bad, they have to die,” he said. This feeling is often expressed, part of the lingua-franca on the Ukrainian side – but I was trying to find out how Vandal treated the Russians as adversaries, as potential adversaries on the battlefield. Image: Damaged Russian tanks are filled with garbage in the streets of Bucha. Photo: AP In recent weeks, Ukrainian troops have told us that Russian troops tend to flee when both sides are involved. The 25-year-old, however, had a different opinion. “Usually, people think they are completely stupid, but if you have 10 soldiers, one will be smart and you can be sure that when you fight them, this smart one will fight with you. “You have to understand that. If you think everyone is stupid, you are not going to live that long.” Image: Ukrainian soldiers stand over the raw grave of a civilian in Bucha The Vandal told me he was not married, but he had left his girlfriend in Kyiv. This was probably the worst thing in the war. “She said she was really sad,” he said, laughing uncomfortably. “But she understands. I think it’s hard when I’ve not seen her in weeks.” “Maybe he does not want you here?” I suggested. “I’m sure he does not want me here. I’m absolutely sure of that.”
