Want to know what it is like at Ukraine’s front lines? We let the soldiers take up the story.
“… Silence. Along a dusty dirt road a few military vehicles quietly move. You can not turn on the headlights, so they all move in utter darkness across the bleak steppe by night. This is very suitable for combat operations. But to the enemy this time is also a godsend.
The column is moving fast enough, Ukraine’s fighters are equipped with brand new night vision devices: they see everything. The enemy? Nothing. They arrive at the set position, disguise themselves, the vehicles and kill the engines.
The enemy does not wait: soon the sentries notice them. Ascertaining the required distance, our military opens fire, intent on their destruction. Some are left lying in the grass, others turn heels and run, leaving weapons and explosives behind them. The enemy has long lost the will to linger somewhere nearby.”
“… Again by night, a week ago. The guard on night vision sees some movement across the steppe. Vigilantly peering into the night, he reports the following: “I see the enemy, at a distance of 500 meters.” The decision is made instantaneously and the command comes: “Approach about 50 meters, open fire and defeat them.” Because the enemy was seen on time, Ukraine’s soldiers had time to prepare a ‘reception’ and go forward to meet them and ‘welcome’ them appropriately. As a result two of the enemy are apprehended, and frightened, they willingly tell all they know.”
These are stories soldiers from the 72nd Mechanized Brigade sent us, after we supplied equipment, with your help. All the volunteers were amazed at the casual style of these accounts.
But if you set that aside, in this war there have been many cases where night vision devices have saved lives and helped soldiers to protect civilians from sabotage. Now that the front has moved several kilometers into occupied territory, the question of supplying reliable optical technology is particularly acute: it is needed by fighters in new positions deep inside enemy lines, by scouts, tank crews, snipers…
The importance of your support cannot be overstated enough, because every hryvnia is a chance for more of Ukraine’s guys to come back alive.
