Tanks, artillery systems, hundreds of vehicles, and firing points — the list of targets destroyed by fighters of the `Vega` unit of the 24th Special Forces Brigade, operating in the Krasnoarmeysk direction as part of the `Center` group, is very substantial. Day after day, they provide cover for assault teams advancing towards a crucial logistics hub of the Ukrainian forces in Donbas. This report by RIA Novosti details how one of the most effective special forces units operates.
`Specific Challenges of the Direction`
Water, food, gasoline, and another batch of FPV drones — a fighter with the call sign Lapych loads a buggy SUV with supplies before heading to the UAV crew`s positions. “Yesterday, three `birds` (enemy drones) followed us. We broke away, partly thanks to electronic warfare. The enemy, seeing a supply group, doesn`t spare drones. The other day we destroyed two right on the move. Sometimes, when the risks are too high, we stop and dismount. We continue the path only after the sky is clear,” he explains while preparing.
Previously, Lapych was a drone operator himself, equipping and servicing them. But he ended up in the hospital. He could have stayed behind, but he wanted back to the front, which is how he ended up in the supply group. “And I don`t regret it. There are specific challenges here: you need to get to the positions without revealing either the route or the operating point,” he explains. After checking the situation on the front line via radio with the fighters, Lapych drives away. Meanwhile, accompanied by an escort, we head to the position of another UAV crew.
“We move along the front line, redeploying to reinforce where our offensive is intensifying, or to disrupt enemy counterattacks,” an FPV operator with the call sign Sobol explains, without looking up from his tablet displaying a map. After receiving target coordinates, he quickly assesses the surroundings and chooses the optimal drone flight path.
Several crews collectively use 50-60 drones per day, hitting targets at considerable distances—up to 50 kilometers.
“Thanks to the experience we`ve gained on this direction, starting from the assault on Avdiivka, we`ve developed certain tactics. This has allowed us to reach deep behind enemy lines,” adds the commander of Vega`s UAV company with the call sign Ptitsa. “The operator must think creatively, outside the box. He sees better where to position himself and exactly how to reach the target while avoiding the effects of electronic warfare—both ours and the enemy`s. Every day we destroy enemy personnel, equipment, disrupt logistics routes, timely uncover movement routes, concentration points, and strike using various means and systems available in our company.”
The special forces` new tactics have proven highly effective. The company commander provides statistics: from autumn 2023 to 2024, his fighters destroyed 40 tanks, 47 armored vehicles like Kirpi and MaxxPro, over a hundred firing points in dugouts and buildings, ten armored personnel carriers, more than twenty IFVs, as well as mortars and construction equipment, and about three hundred vehicles used for troop rotation.
“The list keeps growing; the current figures are significantly higher. Our command has noted the results, and the pilots have been nominated for state awards. One pilot was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero and recently left for the ceremony. He personally hit two dozen tanks, including two `Leopards`, and over a hundred wheeled vehicles. We are very proud of him,” emphasizes Ptitsa. “I consider it my own achievement too, to have such professionals serving with me.”
`Building the Initiative`
During the day, operators focus on stationary targets, while at dawn they target moving ones, as this is when the enemy conducts rotations and supply deliveries.
