The General Staff showcased the excellent work of snipers in the Kursk region

The General Staff showcased the excellent work of snipers in the Kursk region

Ukrainian snipers are successfully reducing the number of Russian troops in the Kursk region. During a recent combat operation in this Russian region, a sniper team from the 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade destroyed eight Russian servicemen.

In addition, three Ukrainian snipers incapacitated at least 12 invaders, wounding them. The video of the combat work was presented in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"Eight eliminated and twelve wounded. That was the result of one of the sniper teams during a recent mission in the Kursk region. Snipers ’Dryahlyi’, ’Fin’, and ’Zholud’, performing their observation and covering duties, unexpectedly found themselves on the frontline of an enemy assault by Russian and North Korean units. As a result of several days of fighting, the enemy was stopped," the General Staff noted.

In the video released on the pages of the General Staff, the snipers talked about how they repelled the enemy attack that lasted several days. Notably, the Russians pressured Ukrainian positions the most on the last day of the sniper team’s operation.

"We were assigned a responsibility zone and we worked there. We had to prevent enemy breakthroughs. One day we neutralized a bit, another day... Did some thirties and two hundreds. And on the critical day, they began their advance at night. At 5 a.m. I remember it because it surprised me. One group, second, third... And we heard on the radio that mass movements were starting from other sides as well," recalled ’Dryahlyi’.

His comrade ’Fin’ also added that each wave of attack by Russian forces ended in losses.

"Immediately got up, took a rifle. Noticed movement through the plantation and started working on them. Instantly, with their first push, there were minus two, and one ’300’," he describes the final day of enemy attack.

Ukrainian fighters were surprised that the invaders advanced in tight groups without trying to secure themselves.

"What I remember is that they say: they walk here like they’re looking for mushrooms. That’s what stuck with me... They thought they would move tactically, crouching... And they were walking full height," remembers ’Dryahlyi’.

A machine gunner came to the aid of the snipers: while he was firing at the plantation where the enemy assault troops were, they stopped, allowing the snipers to aim and take an accurate shot.

"I heard them talking on the radio, but at that moment, I didn’t even pay attention. I see they’re all coming together and I think: omg, what are you doing? Where are you heading?.. And they keep coming... I think: we need to end this... No emotions, nothing like that. I felt cold. And I understood: if we can’t do it – then who will? We had to work the best we could," recalls sniper ’Zholud’.

Ukrainian soldiers note: among the attackers on those days, both Russian and North Korean military personnel were spotted. The latter, according to ’Dryahlyi’, are sent forward by Russian command as "meat". North Korean troops "probe the ground", suffer losses, and then the Russians follow.

Meanwhile, ’Fin’ emphasizes: there is a significant difference in how North Korean soldiers and Russian invaders fight (who, unlike the former, seemed to fight for their land in the Kursk region).

"Koreans are more coordinated among each other than Russians. They go more as a group, they have cover, and they are either better prepared or more determined. Russians, if you thirtieth or two of them – they run. And those try to pull their own out, they are more like... If Russians go unprepared for battle, Koreans are already ready for an assault," says ’Fin’.

Summing up the several days of combat work in the Kursk region, ’Dryahlyi’ notes: eight eliminated and 12 wounded invaders are minimal results.

"In reality, we didn’t count the ’300s’ much. We made a lot of ’three hundred’. And eight ’200’ – these are confirmed, as we observed them for several days," he explained.

The sniper group fighters also recall particularly dangerous moments of that mission.

"There was the very last contact – they tried to hit us with an RPG, but it didn’t work out for them. ’Dryahlyi’ reacted in time to the fact that the enemy appeared out of nowhere, saw where we were, started aiming with an RPG, but ’Dryahlyi’ preemptively ’laid him down’," recounted one such moment ’Fin’.

And ’Zholud’ recalled how he was saved by running out of ammo.

"We had a case when a group of people came out on us and I ran out of ammo. I just started reloading, reached for the next box, lifted my head – and see a hole in the handle. Whether it was a 120 or an RPG, I didn’t understand. But the shot happened. Luck was that at that moment, I was in the process of reloading," he says.

The defenders admit that they do not consider themselves occupiers in the Kursk region because they came there not to seize others’ land, but to defend their own.

"On their territory, on our territory – I don’t care where to eliminate them. I have great respect for being a paratrooper, that I was accepted here, and that I chose this profession. A sniper – it’s a very responsible role, as you don’t only keep your observation line but also help the boys so that they can’t come close. I really want them not to come to our home, so we will do it both on their territory and on ours. We will knock them out as hard as possible," says ’Fin’.

"I do this to ensure peace for my family. Whether in the Kursk region or Donetsk region... It doesn’t matter where. The main thing is that they don’t climb to us. And that’s all, I do everything just to ensure this," adds ’Dryahlyi’.