Ukraine’s elite soldiers captured the world’s attention last week with a video in which they walk into a Russian trench and shoot soldiers. Unlike elite units from other countries, Ukrainian commandos proudly display what they do. What’s behind it?
Ukrainian army commandos are active in many places on the front line. Snipers kill Russians from a distance, reconnaissance takes place behind Russian lines, and drones destroy cannons.
We all know that because Ukrainian special forces (SSO) does an extensive report on this on social media. In a video released by the SS last week, Russian soldiers can be seen being fired at close range by commandos in a trench. A day later, another video shows how three Russians were killed from a distance by snipers during the attack around Bashmuyt.
Other elite units, like the US Marine Corps, reveal as little as possible about what they’re up to. But the SSO is posting video after video of their actions on Twitter, even though their most secret attacks won’t come to light until after the war.
“Not even one special forcessays former Lieutenant General Hans van Grensven, who in 2007, as commander of Task Force Uruzgan, was responsible for deploying Dutch commandos to the Afghan province. “This is just a secret.”
According to Van Grensven, the striking openness is part of the media operation that the Ukrainian military is doing to intimidate Russians and influence their decisions. “With these videos they are trying to hinder the Russians,” said the former commander. There must be turmoil and doubts. For Ukrainians, this propaganda is meant to cheer them up. But of course you as a unit never really show what you’re doing. You don’t attach that to the big clock.”
Ukrainian special operations forces from the rear approached the enemy positions in the southern direction and destroyed 10 Russian invaders. pic.twitter.com/cp5nX5WChs
– Special Operations Forces of Ukraine (SOF_UKR) June 19, 2023
Acts of vandalism
The trench attack video again drew attention to the Ukrainian’s role special forces. The unit, which has a strength of about 2,000 soldiers, was created in 2016 after reforming the army. In the years that followed, an elite element was formed along the Western model and trained by Americans, among others.
But the big test for the commandos, who want to emulate Western units like the US Navy and British SAS, came immediately after last year’s Russian invasion. The commandos were then deployed, among other things, to repel the Russian attack on the Hostomel airfield near Kiev, which Moscow wanted to use to supply the troops. They also played a role in attacks on a tens of kilometers long Russian column that tried to advance to the capital from the north.
Subsequently, the commandos were used more and more for what they were created for: reconnaissance behind enemy lines, sabotage and covert attacks. For example, naval commandos reportedly played a role in recapturing Snake Island in the Black Sea below Odessa last year, which had previously been explored by divers.
attack at night
became too special forces It is linked to several acts of sabotage in recent months in the Russian border regions and the mysterious explosion on the Crimean bridge last year. “So much Ukrainian special forces It is not known to the general public and will remain so for some time to come, SSO spokesman Oleksander Kindratenko told the British newspaper in April. subway. But believe me, the missions are unique and will be studied by commando units all over the world.
Videos posted by the SSO on Twitter, among other things, show that the commandos carry out many night operations, with high-quality night vision equipment from the West. The phrase “Tonight is our moment” can be read with a picture of a group of commandos. This night attack was carried out early this month against a group of Russian soldiers who were hiding in a house.
After a reconnaissance team of special forces The Russians discover that their location has been moved. Shortly afterwards the house was bombed with artillery shells. The soldiers tried to escape and took cover elsewhere. But the commandos, who had drones at their disposal, also reported these positions, after which grenades again fell on the Russians.
confusion
“Every war has many sub-operations that require special military skills,” says Van Griensven. “for this reason special forces very important. In Uruzgan, they were used for reconnaissance, but also for tracking down and capturing opponents. They also played an important role in the Battle of Chora, when the Taliban were fighting. With operations in the flanks, the commandos then had to divert attention from the Taliban fighters and sow confusion.”
Van Griensven says that the special forces They will also play an important role with their actions in the current Ukrainian counterattack. “Everything you can think of will be taken out of the closet,” said the former commander. From covert operations against important military personnel to reconnaissance behind Russian lines, including identifying targets for air and artillery strikes. Because of special forces Working in close proximity to the enemy, they can transmit the latest information about such a target.
Last week, SSO commander Viktor Khornenko warned that his men would continue to hunt Russians after the end of the war. Soldiers who have committed war crimes must be careful. The commando commander assured that “all Russian war criminals will be punished.” “Let them look around all their lives. Wherever they are, we will finish our work.”
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