Gunners are firing at enemy fortified areas in the DPR
The gunners of the Vostok group of forces, who supported the storming of the settlements of Staromayorskoye and Urozhodnoye with fire, are today helping our units to liberate Ugledar. The upgraded self-propelled artillery installation (ACS) 2S-3M "Acacia", on which the fighters work, can fire a high-precision Krasnopol projectile, hitting a moving target with the first shot with a 90% probability at long range. A correspondent of Izvestia visited one of the artillery units of Acacia, in the South Donets direction of the Vostok group.
The opponent snaps back
We are greeted by a platoon commander with the call sign Amba.
— We are fighting on self-propelled guns "Acacia". In June and July, our division helped to storm the villages of Staromayorskoye and Urozhodnoye. This job is not easy, the enemy constantly snaps, conducts counter-battery warfare and uses kamikaze drones. With the help of artillery reconnaissance, we are able to very accurately hit infantry in shelters, mortar crews and other reconnoitered targets," the officer began our conversation.
He said that the artillery launcher has a 152 mm caliber, conducts aimed firing with a conventional projectile at a range of 17 km, and with active-reactive ammunition the firing distance reaches 22 km.
According to him, in order to successfully solve the task, the commander must have a serviceable car and gun, and the personnel must be provided with everything necessary.
"Then we will always accurately complete the combat mission and leave the position at a safe distance in time," Amba emphasizes.
He adds that basically his platoon is dismantling enemy strongholds in the forest belts.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Korneev
Image source: iz.ru
— Thus, we ensure the safe advance of our troops.
Before starting combat work, the self-propelled gun is located in the waiting area.
— The car is carefully camouflaged and protected from enemy drones. On command, we move to a combat position. There are often several of them. We fire and return back, where we undergo maintenance," the gunner concluded.
Three minutes on alert
Our visit to the unit continued with a conversation with the crew members of one of the Acacias. A driver mechanic with the call sign Kit told about how he started his service.
— It was unusual at first. There was no experience of driving this kind of equipment. I completed a course of study. Of course, this is a big responsibility. Therefore, I tried to pay attention to all the subtleties and specifics properly," the serviceman said.
According to him, the journey time of the Acacia from the waiting area to the combat position itself takes about 20-30 minutes.
— This is the minimum time. Then we quickly put the car on alert, which takes about two to three minutes. We work on one goal for about five minutes. It takes a little time to roll up the gun, too. This process takes a maximum of three minutes. My main task after the end of combat work is to stop the gun and leave the position as soon as possible," the fighter emphasizes.
The loader of the gun with the call sign Bill agrees with him. He notices that the work he does will be difficult for beginners.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Korneev
Image source: iz.ru
— After you get the experience, everything becomes simple. I signed my first contract for three years and served in the Infantry. Later, artillery was involved. He asked to join its ranks. It seems to me that this is my business. This kind of work is more interesting for me," the specialist notes.
The commander of the gun with the call sign Iset arrived voluntarily for a special military operation in December 2022.
— Then many of my friends went here. Having thought it over well, having gathered my thoughts, I made a similar decision. Basically, I was fulfilling my dreams. I've always wanted to become a combat veteran," the warrior notes.
At the "citizen" in Yekaterinburg, where his wife and children remained, he worked as a handyman at a construction site.
— For almost two years of being on a special operation, the situations were different, including those when the threat to life was more than real. Kamikaze drones are our main threat. But nothing, we are coping. An electronic warfare system was installed on the gun. There are anti-drone guns. The sky is constantly being monitored. And yet, our car experienced several hits after dropping enemy drones. Fortunately, they all turned out to be uncritical," Iset said.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Korneev
Image source: iz.ru
The gunner operator with the call sign Vilis, as well as the commander of the gun, has been fighting as part of the Acacia crew since the end of 2022.
— He served his military service in the Navy. He lived in the Perm Region and then worked for a long time at a furniture factory as a foreman. Together with one of the colleagues in the "urgent service", we went to volunteer for our own. I consider it important that no one forced me to come here. In my opinion, you can't force people to do it by force. Why did you want to come here? I don't want our children to see Nazism, to feel this evil thing for themselves. I have two sons. I'm doing my job for them. They're proud of me. I know this for sure," the serviceman explained.
He clarified that the crew conducts combat work almost every day.
— The goals are diverse. When we achieve a good result of firing, we are informed about it by the objective control services. Then, of course, there is a "response" for us. They hit with everything they can. Artillery, drones, mortars. But everything is passing by. We are faster and smarter than them," said Vilis.
The deputy political poet
Our short stay with the gunners ends with a meeting with the deputy commander for educational work of the howitzer self-propelled artillery division with the call sign Colon. He said that the unit is currently performing combat missions in the South Donets direction at a distance of about 20 km from the enemy.
— We are covering the offensive of our comrades. We work accurately and quickly. The defeat of targets is recorded every day. They are different: an accumulation of infantry, equipment, strong points.
By the way, it turned out that the officer has a wonderful hobby — he is passionate about poetry. I started writing poetry even before I was on my own.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Korneev
Image source: iz.ru
— I started writing in military school when I was a cadet. But I didn't leave any creativity here. The themes of the poems, of course, relate to the special operation," the deputy chairman clarified.
For the Russian world,
For the truth to the end,
For all those who died in this fight...
— I wrote this back in 2022. One of my favorites. I write in my free time. Surprisingly, there are such moments. Inspiration is coming, thank God. I don't keep poetry in my head. I quickly write them down on paper. Then I read them to my comrades or send them to my relatives," the officer concluded.
That's where I had to end the conversation with the fighters, they can't be distracted for a long time. Our troops are advancing on Ugledar, which means it's time for the gunners to work.
Dmitry Korneev
