AZOV REGIMENT, BETWEEN OLD AND NEW ARMY
Over the past year Ivan has took part in military operation of Mariupol liberation and many other military operations in Ilovaisk and Shirokino, he was the commander of the assault company of the "Azov" battalion.
But now Ivan is working with newcomers and it looks like he really like it. In the place, where I see only a pile of timbers, mounds of sand and pits, Ivan sees an obstacle course for trainings.
"We have studied the foreign military experience including the construction principles of the training camps for Special forces and other. Also we had read many books and looked many documentaries dedicated to military science. It helped us to create a few of professional training bases, just look at our obstacle course, moreover, here we have a special ring for melee fighting. It was builded for two nights."
Until we are walking near the obstacle course the groups of young guys are running beside us, climbing or dragging the timbers - they are the potential recruits of the "Azov" regiment.
About a 100 mens from around the Ukraine and other countries are coming here each month. They go through a two-week intensive course of selection. Then they will have a hard exam.
If they will overcome all the tests - they should pass a medical examination and welcome to the regiment. Anyway, a half of the group will be screened out after a long series of these exams.
"In fact, this is not the training camp. Here we carry out a first screening of recruits. The main task is to select people which are able to become professional soldiers. Here we test them under different conditions, their ability to operate in stressful situations. Moreover we should check the psychological stability the ability to obey the commanders. Then they are sent to the main training camp for more deeper military training. There they are studying a military science and tactics."
Ivan has also 10 instructors in direct subordination. Six of them are Belorussians. All they have took part in combat operations and battles at Donbass.
Artem and Ilia, for example, have moved to Ukraine in June last year. Artem came to Kyiv during the Maidan, there he found friends among Ukrainian nationalists and after the start of war he joined the ranks of the volunteer battalion "Azov".
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Now Artem is the official spokesman of Belorussians who are fighting in "Azov". Another guys are trying to keep their faces in secret in order to not create a problems for their families in Belarus.
For example, Illia has told parents that he went to work in Russia.
Anyway, they will not return home soon.
"We have left the Homeland in early June and in August we have already knew that there is no way back. Then we just stop to hide our persons, come to terms with this reality and continued the military service. We hope to receive Ukrainian citizenship in the near future and then, I hope, we will be able to visit our Homeland as the citizens of Ukraine."
Illia says that the soldier have created first training camp in the early winter when a first "truces" were started.
"Then we have moved to Kyiv, have built the base and became instructors.
The best sons of Ukraine are already at the war, they are went to the front in the first few months. Now about a third of newcomers are a peasants, inhabitants of villages. Also here come a people, who received a summons to the army, but did not want to join the National Guard or regular units and become cannon fodder." - says Illia.
"Someone has joined the regiment because they are believe in the "Azov". Someone has joined our ranks after several attempts, this is the recruits which had not been able to pass our rigorous selection system at the first attempt." - says Artem.
Soldiers and instructors are living right in the training camp, in special trailers, equipped for housing. Near the barracks is located the outdoor dining area. All food is cooked in a cauldron over an open fire in accordance with military tradition.
Mikael Skillt, instructor from Sweden, argues that living conditions in the camp much better then in many military camps of the Armed Forces. Sweden nationalist is quite fit into the landscape of Ukrainian military.
"Then we have moved to Kyiv, have built the base and became instructors.
The best sons of Ukraine are already at the war, they are went to the front in the first few months. Now about a third of newcomers are a peasants, inhabitants of villages. Also here come a people, who received a summons to the army, but did not want to join the National Guard or regular units and become cannon fodder." - says Illia.
"Someone has joined the regiment because they are believe in the "Azov". Someone has joined our ranks after several attempts, this is the recruits which had not been able to pass our rigorous selection system at the first attempt." - says Artem.
Soldiers and instructors are living right in the training camp, in special trailers, equipped for housing. Near the barracks is located the outdoor dining area. All food is cooked in a cauldron over an open fire in accordance with military tradition.
Mikael Skillt, instructor from Sweden, argues that living conditions in the camp much better then in many military camps of the Armed Forces. Sweden nationalist is quite fit into the landscape of Ukrainian military.
Second life for old plant
The "Azov" regiment`s military camp was builded on the territory of former engineering plant "ATEK" in the Svyatoshin district of Kyiv.
This fact is great cause for indignation among the Russian propagandist media - Ukrainian nationalist battalion has established his camp and repair base in the factory which previously had the name of "the Red excavator" and located that on the "Avenue of Victory".
The Russian media have published the article titled "Plant "ATEK" was captured by the punishers from the "Azov" battalion" with the sentimental stories about "horrible Ukrainian nazis" which are destroy the plant. Well, the plant is really looks like after the war.
In fact not just one but several armies of looters was here. They did not take only a monument of the Red Army soldier. "Corporate battles" for the plant, or rather, for its territory have been started 10 years ago. By 2012 the plant is mired in debts, it becomes to only a huge area with the piles of scrap and half-ruined buildings, a couple of exhibits and monuments of glorious labor history.
"It all happened by chance. Guys from the "Azov" have seen that a huge area littered by some debris, huge plant are idling. At that time we repaired our technique in 7 small private garages. So we concluded an agreement, raised the money to pay the "ATEK" debt, - 21 million UAH. in Order to Sviatoshyn regional tax office of Kyiv will gave us the opportunity to use the plant and create a repair base for our military technique." - says the chairman of the Supervisory Board of the foundation - Svetlana Zvarich.
Volunteers and the workers have cleared the plant from debris, repaired the roof, paved a new electric cable, also was repaired a few old machine tools and bought a new one for cutting of armored steel. All that was done for three months.
Moreover, the "ATEK" workers have brought back a couple of machine tools, which were hidden from looters in the days of raider attacks but now their time has come. A two-storey modular office was presented by a businessman from Kyiv.
22 people are working in the plant now. Also we have 8 constructors who deal with new developments, which should strengthen a tank armor.
47 pickup trucks already were prepared here and have sent to the frontline. As well we have repair the "BRDMs" and the KrAZ "Spartan" combat vehicles.
Recently they started to build their first tank. Now the "Azov" engineers are want to produce one tank per month. They have a talented mechanics at plant, so later they planning to increase the production of tanks up to 12 per month.
"The number of tanks in the sector "M" is ridiculous. Officially they are somewhere there, but in fact - they are not. In addition, a big number of weapons, repaired in Ukraine is obsolete. In turn, we are trying to increase efficiency of whole armored vehicles with the help of some upgrades. We already have our design department. This is the most experienced constructors in the country, people with 30-40 years of experience in the design of armored vehicles. For comparison, the "Malyshev" plant and the National Guard need about a month to figure out the details and provide the elementary repair for a tank, for example the replace of a tank engine. We can do it for one day." - Andriy Biletsky about the plant.
A more complex repair of a tank at the military plant in Kharkiv costs about 4.5 millions UAH and lasts about 3 months. The mechanical team of the "Azov" is planning to learn to do this for a week.
Andriy Biletsky says that the mechanics are start to use an experimental system of protection to strengthen the armor of old tanks: "Now we have a tanks even in Shirokino direction. They already have earned the name "The Black Panther". We received them from some units of the Armd Forces in pretty poor conditions."
It looks wildly for any civilized country where volunteers create battalion, volunteers help them get dressed and armed, and now volunteer battalion started to repair tanks and even trying to create new military technique. And this despite the huge warehouses of the Ministry of Defence, full of tanks, and large military plants that are able to produce these tanks for three shifts.
It is so difficult to show a good result without heavy machinery, it should be reminded that the "Azov" regiment didn't have own tanks before the battles in Shirokino.
"The Armed Forces of Ukraine have promised us full cooperation. At that time "Azov" didn't have any artillery or heavy armor. All we had is four APC few BRDM and six "Spartans", it should be noted that some of this technique were captured by our soldiers during the battles. General Staff have promised to support us by artillery and tanks. But in a few hours before the start of offensive operations generals have deprived us of any support. Even the units of the Armed Forces which are actively cooperating with us and eager to fight were brought behind the line of strengthening the receive a prohibition to participate in the offensive actions.
In result - 400-500 "Azov" soldiers overthrew the enemy without a tank support. But wit the help of artillery and tanks which the Armed Forces could give us, we would able to liberate Novoazovsk and reach the border."
Anyway, the "Azov" regiment started to receive a military technique only after the bloody fighting near Shirokino.
Now, step by step, from volunteer nationalist battalion "Azov" turns into a full-fledged military unit with recruiting centers, training camps, armored vehicles, repair facilities for its repair, and moreover trying to collect manually own tanks.
This is good example for the Ukrainian Armed forces. May of Ukrainian military personnel are afraid of nationalist-volunteers in the ranks of Ukrainian army but probably it is a natural way to create new armed forces of Ukraine.
47 pickup trucks already were prepared here and have sent to the frontline. As well we have repair the "BRDMs" and the KrAZ "Spartan" combat vehicles.
Recently they started to build their first tank. Now the "Azov" engineers are want to produce one tank per month. They have a talented mechanics at plant, so later they planning to increase the production of tanks up to 12 per month.
"The number of tanks in the sector "M" is ridiculous. Officially they are somewhere there, but in fact - they are not. In addition, a big number of weapons, repaired in Ukraine is obsolete. In turn, we are trying to increase efficiency of whole armored vehicles with the help of some upgrades. We already have our design department. This is the most experienced constructors in the country, people with 30-40 years of experience in the design of armored vehicles. For comparison, the "Malyshev" plant and the National Guard need about a month to figure out the details and provide the elementary repair for a tank, for example the replace of a tank engine. We can do it for one day." - Andriy Biletsky about the plant.
A more complex repair of a tank at the military plant in Kharkiv costs about 4.5 millions UAH and lasts about 3 months. The mechanical team of the "Azov" is planning to learn to do this for a week.
Tanks for the new army
Andriy Biletsky says that the mechanics are start to use an experimental system of protection to strengthen the armor of old tanks: "Now we have a tanks even in Shirokino direction. They already have earned the name "The Black Panther". We received them from some units of the Armd Forces in pretty poor conditions."
It looks wildly for any civilized country where volunteers create battalion, volunteers help them get dressed and armed, and now volunteer battalion started to repair tanks and even trying to create new military technique. And this despite the huge warehouses of the Ministry of Defence, full of tanks, and large military plants that are able to produce these tanks for three shifts.
It is so difficult to show a good result without heavy machinery, it should be reminded that the "Azov" regiment didn't have own tanks before the battles in Shirokino.
"The Armed Forces of Ukraine have promised us full cooperation. At that time "Azov" didn't have any artillery or heavy armor. All we had is four APC few BRDM and six "Spartans", it should be noted that some of this technique were captured by our soldiers during the battles. General Staff have promised to support us by artillery and tanks. But in a few hours before the start of offensive operations generals have deprived us of any support. Even the units of the Armed Forces which are actively cooperating with us and eager to fight were brought behind the line of strengthening the receive a prohibition to participate in the offensive actions.
In result - 400-500 "Azov" soldiers overthrew the enemy without a tank support. But wit the help of artillery and tanks which the Armed Forces could give us, we would able to liberate Novoazovsk and reach the border."
Anyway, the "Azov" regiment started to receive a military technique only after the bloody fighting near Shirokino.
Now, step by step, from volunteer nationalist battalion "Azov" turns into a full-fledged military unit with recruiting centers, training camps, armored vehicles, repair facilities for its repair, and moreover trying to collect manually own tanks.
This is good example for the Ukrainian Armed forces. May of Ukrainian military personnel are afraid of nationalist-volunteers in the ranks of Ukrainian army but probably it is a natural way to create new armed forces of Ukraine.
Original by pravda.com.ua
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