Reporting
Recovery and recycling of captured equipment, the daily life of a Ukrainian infantry unit
Audio 01:16
A Russian BMP 2 recovered and repaired by the 92nd Brigade, in the Kupyansk region.
© Boris Vichith/RFI
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
While waiting for the equipment promised by the West, the Ukrainian soldiers are recovering.
Report from an infantry unit in the Kupyansk region in northeastern Ukraine.
These infantrymen have also seen the rise in the use of drones on the battlefield.
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With our special correspondents in Ukraine,
Anastasia Becchio
and
Boris Vichith
On his mobile phone, Oleksandr shows photos of the captures he is most proud of: vehicles marked with the letter "Z", munitions abandoned by the Russians during their various retreats.
Two months ago, he found a stockpile of Grad rockets: “
I found this in a grove, that's where the Russians had stored their rockets.
We will return to sender.
They brought them here to send them on us, but they didn't have time, because they had to flee quickly.
Now that we've found them, we're going to give them back
.
»
Lack of armaments
Faced with a lack of armaments in his unit, Oleksandr remains on the lookout, but the opportunities to find Russian equipment are quite rare: “
We spotted a vehicle, but it is almost on the line of contact.
We have to push them back a bit first and then we can go get him back.
This recovery work relieves our unity.
We had two additional vehicles and in particular a tracked armored transport vehicle which allows us to cover our rear and stop their offensives.
Their infantry will have a harder time advancing
.
»
The unit also unearthed a Russian armored fighting vehicle and restored it to working order.
While waiting for its official registration, the soldiers continue to maintain it away from the front.
►Also read
: The boss of the paramilitary group Wagner accuses the Russian general staff of "treason"
The constant use of drones is disrupting the battlefield
Drone warfare began in the first weeks of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Available in large numbers and at low cost, these devices of all types have turned combat upside down.
In Ukraine, "Bayraktar" quickly became a very popular song dedicated to the TB2 combat drone, produced in Turkey.
Armed with four missiles, it proved to be so efficient that it was nicknamed the "kalashnikov" of the sky.
The Americans refused to export their family of high-end drones, so this cheap drone came to fill a void in the market for long-endurance mid-altitude machines.
In Ukraine, the TB2 Bayraktar changed the way of warfare for a small nation.
Easy to use, it can pose a constant threat to the opponent.
And the TB2 is just one example, since in terms of drones the Ukrainian forces have proven to be very inventive.
kyiv has massively converted commercial drones into combat drones, like the Dji Magic, a "quadcopter" made in China.
Equipped with good quality optics, this small device allows the artillery to find targets and adjust the shots.
Easily modified, it can also carry a rifle grenade.
Access to a good quality signal, such as the Starlink satellite network, also allows these drones to have performance close to military standards.
A real revolution.
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Ukraine
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