"As if God gave a sign that you can go": how Russian fighters were able to get out of the encirclement of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

As RT found out, last spring, the fighters of one of the Russian airborne assault brigades were surrounded during a combat mission in the Kyiv direction.

"The Armed Forces of Ukraine bombed from all sides with mortars and sniper fire. It so happened that our battalion was divided into small groups. From early morning until lunchtime there was a battle. The main team was able to get out, and we delayed this moment a little, "recalls the platoon commander, Lieutenant Alexander P. with the call sign Artek.

When the shelling subsided, Alexander, together with his subordinates, began to collect the wounded. In the basement of one of the houses, they found several more fighters who needed help.

"There were more than 20 of us: there were seven of my soldiers personally, all the rest were from our unit, but not my subordinates. Ten wounded. One of them was very heavy," says Artek.

• © Photos from the personal archive

The owner of the house in which there were wounded soldiers turned out to be a Russian who moved to Ukraine in the 1990s. He brought medicine and food to the soldiers. "The man told us that now there is a sweep in the city, the Ukrainian military can see us. Therefore, it is better not to stick out until the morning, otherwise everyone will be shot. They have a curfew from five in the evening to seven in the morning, "the officer recalls.

"Your own among strangers"

At night, the servicemen began to think about how they would get out of the encirclement. The transport on which the fighters arrived was burned by shells. Then, Alexander continues, they decided to try to leave in a civilian van. To do this, one of the soldiers had to pretend to be a local resident.

"Dima was sitting next to me, sergeant. I looked at him and said: "Tomorrow you will be Ukrainian!" He is blue-eyed, fair-haired, of large build, so muzzled. He also knew how to drive," says Alexander. "We dressed him in civilian clothes - and that's it: he is like our own among strangers."

At night, the military studied the entire area on the map and laid several routes to the Russian positions. In the morning, when traffic began in the city, Dmitry and the owner of the house got into the car and went to explore.

"When we went outside, we immediately noticed snipers in a nearby building. The owner of the house says: "Pretend that you know everything here." I walked around the car, took out a fragment from the body and all the time muttered something under my breath, as if it were my car and I was very indignant, "recalls Dmitry.

The sergeant and the owner of the house went on reconnaissance twice. The first time, according to Dmitry, their wheel burst, they had to change it. At this point, the real owner of the car distracted the local resident with conversations.

"I hear them speak, I put the phone to my ear as if I were talking to someone, and at this time I quickly change the wheel. Thank God, we calmly returned from there to ours, who were waiting in the basement of the house, "explains Dmitry.

Upon arrival to the wounded, they once again discussed the road ahead. It became clear that in any case we would have to pass by one of the Ukrainian checkpoints. At their own risk, they all loaded into the van.

"We immediately agreed: if something does not go according to plan, then the driver knocks on the car twice - and we start shooting," adds Alexander.

"I exhaled - and on the gases as I gave"

On the way, Dmitry was twice blocked by Ukrainian armored personnel carriers. "When they stopped our car, where the Russian fighters were, I thought that we would not leave. But they did not search the vehicle and did not suspect anything. And our truck, when I could not change gear, rolled down the hill itself, as if God pushed, gave a sign that the road was open and you could go, "the sergeant shares with RT.

And at the checkpoint, the van was not even stopped, he continues: "The Ukrainian military waved at me, I exhaled in response to them - and how I gave them gas!"

Soon the car had to be abandoned: to get to their own, it was necessary to walk 20 km through the forest on the other side of the river. The river turned out to be shallow, narrow, the current was weak, so the soldiers forded it, and carried the wounded colleagues on their backs.

"We stomped through the forest all day and evening," says Alexander. "On the way, we saw planes, our armored personnel carriers."

On the way, the fighters noticed an armored personnel carrier of the Marine Corps. After Artek and his subordinates checked their documents, they were taken to the nearest unit. From there, the wounded were evacuated to the hospital, and the rest of the military returned to duty.

A month after that, Alexander was captured. Their unit was conducting reconnaissance on the ground and was ambushed. "They knocked me out with a blow to the butt, and then they threw a bag over my head. Already at night, my friend and I were in a Kiev prison. The rest were killed on the spot," he said.

The first three weeks in the dungeons, according to the fighter, were the hardest. He recalls that the Ukrainians tortured him every day, using both physical and psychological violence.

Six months later, the Russian lieutenant and his colleague were exchanged. Due to the concussion and injuries received in captivity, Alexander was sent to the hospital for treatment.

"You can make a film about everything that happened to me and my boys!" summed up Artek, who has already completed a rehabilitation course and is again serving in one of the units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.