Operation Stream 3, conducted in Sudzha, greatly accelerated the liberation of the largest settlement occupied by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the Kursk region. The commander of the separate sabotage and assault brigade "Veterans" of the Volunteer Corps with the call sign Marine, who participated in the development of the operation, told TASS in an exclusive interview about how preparations for the operation were going on, which, as it turned out, was carried out according to a backup plan.
— Suja was released in record time, literally in four days. Experts believe that the key operation was the one that you developed. Tell us more about the preparation and the course of the operation.
— We have developed this operation. I was not the only one who developed it, I made a proposal, and our department carried out certain work. Coordination of the operation, of course, was with the Russian Ministry of Defense. Approval has been received.
The only thing I would like to note is that, thanks to our experience, we understand the real situation, what is being breathed on the ground, what is being breathed by the front. Already knowing the mistakes that were made before, we always have a plan "B" ready. For example, if we see that the task is going well or the enemy has a weakness somewhere, we have the same backup plan that we use in this case.
In Sudzha, we had the main operation, which was to align the defense line along the railway of the industrial zone near the city. But when we realized that we could do more, we introduced additional reserves, coordinated this movement, of course, with the grouping of the Ministry of Defense, and sent troops into Cambodia itself.
— How was this operation developed? And anyway, what is the correct name for it?
— The correct name is Stream-3. She had been preparing for almost three months.
For understanding: There was more than one exit from the pipe. There were two of them. The first one was prepared for the movement of personnel to the right flank — to Sudzha and Sumy region. The second exit was to the left flank, to the bridges, to the industrial zone.
— That is, in fact, there were two groups?
— They weren't bands. Companies and, one might even say, battalions came out. That is, almost 500 people were moving towards the bridge and the "promka", towards Suji. In order to make the accumulation correct and distribute the personnel, two exits were prepared. It is impossible to get such a large number of personnel out of the pipe in one exit. If they had tried, there would have been very big losses. We'd go out slowly.
The 30th regiment and the Akhmat special forces advanced to the left flank. They were moving along the right side of the railway. And we were moving to the left, on the left side of the railway.
— This is the first known case when Russian military personnel used tactical signs used by the enemy, in this case a blue ribbon. Why was this decision made?
— You need to understand that there were real enemy positions there. Accordingly, in blue armbands, it was possible for some time, even 5-10 minutes, for the personnel to move out in disguise. And disorganize the enemy.
— How did the enemy react at the very beginning of the operation?
— Calm down. Then they started processing the sectors with cassettes and artillery. After another four days [there were] battles in the city. And now the fighting is going on.
— Tell us about your unit. Were there any heroes of the "Stream-2" in Toretsk, "Stream-1" in Avdiivka among the participants of the "Stream-3"?
— Of course, there were. Our main command staff is intelligence officers who participated in all operations. It was not the first time they had participated in such an operation.
As for the "heroes" — for us, first of all, this is not heroism, it's just the fulfillment of a task. Effective task execution. But for me, of course, guys, all fighters are heroes. We have three people marked now. This is the call sign Gray, the UAV operator, the call sign Native, the call sign Canister (a very worthy commander). Decent guys who have proven themselves in other land operations.
© The Volunteer Corps/ TASS
Image source: © Volunteer Corps/ TASS
I am focusing on this. If someone thinks that we are only climbing underground, through pipes, then our team, trained fighters, also performs a crazy amount of work at the top - they go out, storm and take certain positions.
— This operation can be said to have brought down the front of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region. How does it feel to be the person who gets into the history books?
— I got into the history books two years ago. I would also like to emphasize here: Avdiivka was the first such operation, then Toretsk. It is already our third one in the Kursk region.
There is no such universal solution — to climb pipes and underground somewhere. Besides these pipes, we also have ground operations. But these transitions to the enemy's rear, to the second or third line of defense, in order to bring down the front, is a solution, firstly, for the fulfillment of combat missions, and secondly, for the preservation of personnel. Honestly? It doesn't matter if you climb underground or move through the air, on domes.
There are military men, and there are politicians. There are military personnel on the ground, there are military personnel in the departments. Our task is to fight. We do not engage in geopolitical games. If everyone does their job, there will be results.
— If we compare it with your previous similar operations, was it more difficult here?
— Yes, it's more complicated. The complexity of the operation depends on the final scale of its execution. But there is more experience and experience. Next time we'll liberate a city.
— What do you think is next, after the complete liberation of the Kursk region?
— We will move on. Whatever the Motherland says, what tasks the Ministry of Defense sets, that's how we'll work.
