"Sooner we kill them, sooner I will return to my family": Story of military on Marinka front
The Marinka front in Donetsk Oblast is one of the hottest fronts along the entire contact zone.
The Russian military is assaulting Ukrainian positions, but Ukrainian artillery successfully repels the attacks.
One of the advantages over the Russians is motivation, said a fighter from the artillery unit of the 79th Air Assault Brigade, who serves on the Marinka front. He told his story to the Ukrainian Witness project.
The serviceman is part of the crew of Soviet-made 2S9 Nona artillery system, designed for fire support of airborne units.
Ivan, the commander of the unit, who goes by the alias of Rubicon says that the weapon is used for its intended purpose: Nonas cover the Ukrainian infantry during the offensive and help them repel Russian assaults.
They are effective against Russian armoured vehicles and infantry.
"There is enough ammunition. This is an important advantage. When the target is shot, there is practically no spread of shells. Thanks to this, we complete all tasks", says Rubicon.
Everyone in the crew has their role: the driver takes a firing position and keeps the crew away from Russian attacks, and the gunner points the gun and shoots.
Gunner Yurii gave his Nona a nickname, Tooth Fairy.
"When we were loading ammunition, a particle flew off and knocked off half of my tooth," says Yurii.
He repeats a well-known proverb: "A gunner's sweat saves an infantryman's blood".
Immediately after the shots are fired, the radio reports a hit, says gun commander Artem with the alias of Matvii. Remembering the latest hits, he says that 4 out of 9 shells hit the target, 3 fell nearby, and 2 were fired so as to adjust the fire.
The men's motivation to fight is ironclad.
"When you find out that you hit your target, you want more. I understand that the sooner we kill them, the sooner it will all end, and I will return to my family, my son and my wife. That's my motivation", says Serhii who loads the cannon.
Previously, we posted stories about the life of Kherson residents in the occupation.
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