Chasiv Yar - Thoughts from a Ukraine standing strong

The mud, the cold, and the vantage points from our perch – these memories from my first experiences in Chasiv Yar still resonate.

In late December 2022, a Finnish NGO, Ambulances for Ukraine, donated an ambulance to the 209th Battalion of the Territorial Defense Force's 113 Brigade, the battalion I served in battle. Tasked with bringing the vehicle from Poland to our position near what was then the war's hottest fighting, the final stretch of the journey to our company's command post allowed me to appreciate the geographical importance of Chasiv Yar, along with the imposing terrain of which the fortress town is situated.

Just a day after arriving back with the 209, the call came. A move to the Lyman direction was imminent. Captain Oleksii, the company commander, a nuclear physicist by trade, and the man who led us in many victorious battles against the Russian invaders, had overseen the construction of an impenetrable fortification built into the side of one of the area's many imposing peaks. This fortification turned over to others during rotation, was the scene of my lasting image from that period. The indomitable Captain Oleksii climbs out from protection and walks to the plateau's edge, looking out at the horizon, towards Bakhmut, and toward Ukraine's eventual victory.

Until the last several weeks, that visage of Captain Oleksii epitomized Chasiv Yar for me. Then, the Moscow regime made capturing the town a priority of its campaign of genocide, and the world became aware of this strategic enclave in Donbas.

As explained in my first column from near the Donbas' eastern lines of contact, the war has seemingly metamorphosed since I last took part in active combat for the Ukrainian Defense Forces. The modernization of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as envisioned and ordered by President Zelensky and overseen by Colonel-General Syrskyi, includes the creation of ingenious weaponry, training of elite drone pilots, and deploying world-class recon and assault units. The Kremlin has attempted to meet Ukraine's evident prowess in the fields of tech and a clear advantage in the areas of strength, intellect, and courage of the Ukrainian military by stitching together a terror cabal including the likes of Iran and North Korea to try and overwhelm our superior tactical and technical supremacy.

From moving east past Chasiv Yar and its much-talked-about canal with a recon unit belonging to the 56th Brigade's 21st Battalion to working with medical professionals from the 5th Assault Brigade at their frontline stabilization point, and eventually going building to building in the city with a recon commander from the 41st Brigade, I once more looked directly into war and recognized a familiar site: a world which basks in the values of freedom, free of Russian tyranny and oppression.

The call came early. Very early. During the heart of the witching hour. On a deserted street, brake lights appeared, the vehicle stopped, and we got in. Rolling through checkpoints and past the outline of an occasional village homestead, we eventually rendezvoused with our team as the light began mixing with the still-darkened sky. Traveling to the front in a pickup truck draped in the now ubiquitous olive drab paint of the cobbled-together fleet belonging to the Ukrainian Army, eight of us, along with our gear, sped along bumpy, scarred roads, racing to beat the dawn and eyes of the enemy. Passing the hollowed earthworks of freshly dug trenches, which spliced and split the land around us, it was no longer night when we parked under a foggy, foliage-laded canopy. Grabbing our gear, we began our trek.

Lush and green, with rolling hills leading to steep ravines, the sprawling forested landscape offered an entrance to a small pathway that revealed itself as a well-worn trail. Carrying all needed supplies, we moved quickly. Up and down we went. The fog lifted. Booms and explosions became louder and more frequent. War was at hand.

They were a typical infantry recon group at the start of the full-scale invasion. With rifles, scopes, and cunning mixed with stealth planning and nonexistent nerves, these men of the 21st were the tip and the spear in early 2022. In 2024, in addition to those still abundant qualities and tools from the first days of the Russian attack, they had heeded the calls of their officers and the nation's needs by learning to mix in new technologies to their quests. Everything needed, they carried. Fuel, a Starlink, various FPV and quad-style drones, tablets and screens to find and approach their targets, and munitions were among the items hauled into the forest to create a temporary outpost used to destroy and liquidate enemy forces.

Jets flew over our position from both directions as the small but brave Ukrainian Air Force made its presence known. In contrast to the fighters streaking across the sky, the combination of small arms fire and various rocket and grenade systems created a never-ending cascade of hell around us. However, the team largely ignored this symphony, plying their trade and fulfilling their mission with unrelenting efficiency.

Due to the professionalism of those in the squad, the decisions of who and what to target were left mainly to operators in the field. This freedom, a sign of trust by the Ukrainian high command for soldiers at every level, presented a drastic difference from the feudal approach found in the Russian system of military hierarchy. It also allowed for rapid, fluid decision-making, a necessary component of today's fast-paced battlefield and a strategy that Colonel-General Syrskyi, in his forward-thinking understanding of victory, encourages.

Moving among different take-off zones, the talent of the drone pilots displayed itself with each flight, as even windy conditions and occasional rain failed to hinder their work. The take-off and landing percentage was a flawless 100 percent at the end of the shift. In addition to their success, the most straightforward takeaway from my time with those in the 56th was their growth and adaptability. Coming to symbolize Ukraine's future today, the reality that hardened infantry warriors became aces of the air left little doubt that everything the Armed Forces of Ukraine looks to accomplish is not just plausible but highly likely.

Injuries during combat are an unavoidable by-product of fighting a war for liberation against Putin's imperialistic terror cabal. For those wearing the patch of Ukraine's Fifth Assault Brigade, being among the most active and bold of Ukraine's defenders along and beyond the line of contact means the risk is higher than most. With their high exposure to danger, those women and men serving in the Fifth need the highest quality emergency care. In the Brigade's case, this meant fitting out and equipping a self-contained stabilization point near the most intense clashes. While under the administration of the 5th, soldiers from other area brigades were welcomed and provided the same top-tier care when brought in. At the most sobering of moments, the esprit de corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was fully apparent.

We arrived at the facility in the late evening, during a quiet period; despite the lack of patients, an entire crew of medical professionals stood by, alert and prepared. Inside the structure were two rooms dedicated to patient care, each containing several beds along with various medicines, diagnostic machines, and surgical instruments at the ready. Several other spaces showed the level of care and thought extended to would-be patients. A table of snacks and drinks was available for those coming through, along with some personal hygiene supplies. For the staff, a sleep space and kitchen allowed for rapid rest and recovery between shifts.

A piercing bell chimed, wailing throughout the hallways and spreading into every room. The high-pitched ringing indicated the arrival of a patient. Doctors and nurses sprang into action while paramedics waited for a potential evacuation to a full military hospital.

The first soldier brought in from Chasiv Yar suffered injuries sustained in a suicidal FPV drone attack. While the enemy failed in its attempt to kill or maim this Ukrainian hero, a battery of tests backed up the doctor's assessment to transport him to another facility.

There were several more casualties due to FPV attacks throughout our visit, although none resulted in serious injuries. Statistics shared with us that evening showed a clear upward trend during this calendar year from physical trauma originating from individual drone attacks, as compared to the previous year. The healthcare numbers prove, yet again, that the war we are fighting fundamentally changed since it began in full just under 800 days before.

A Humvee and a truck with a personal EW defense system protruding from its roof comprised our caravan provided by a recon squad from the 41st Brigade into Chasiv Yar. The famed fighters, tasked with holding the city's center, are a resolute force. As a veteran of close contact trench warfare, and despite my assault action training, I didn't understand the intensity of urban warfare until arriving at the shell of a formerly bustling edifice. There, looking through blown-out windows, with doors swinging idly under gray skies, a cacophony emanating from Hades played an unrelenting refrain. Angled building edges and crumbling walls provided us with illusionary protection as we sprinted to and fro, looking for cover and looking for the enemy.

Crouched among overgrown weeds littered with industrial garbage, along with pieces of concrete, glass, and twisted metal, the hardened recon commander, carrying out his duties sans helmet, informed us that Russian troops had begun attempting to infiltrate the city proper by wearing Ukrainian uniforms and offered that every day numerous Ukrainian cars were being destroyed through drone attack. With explosive blasts from overlapping sources dancing across the sky, the feeling of being exposed never left. Hunter and hunted at the same time.

Professional and resilient, the soldiers and officers of the 41st Brigade whom we dashed through the wrecked Chasiv Yar neighborhood offered no indication, verbal or through their bold actions, that they would allow the city to fall. These defenders, the current backbone of the Donbas, epitomize the selfless military service that crosses epochs and eras and is the perfect antidote to Russian evil no matter the style of warfare they encounter.

I returned to Kramatorsk with mixed feelings after spending quality time working alongside the men and women above. It didn't take long at the front to recognize the changes the war against Russian aggression had undergone. In addition to engaging in in-depth conversations with multiple members of the three brigades, seeing life through their eyes gave me an understanding of the current status along the line of contact that would have been impossible to duplicate had I stayed in Kyiv. My view of battle is no longer staid in the conventional warfare days of 2022 and 2023.

My other observation is bittersweet. All of us who are part of Ukraine's defense forces now inhabit an eerie, tantalizing, albeit brutally painful reality. While the evolving circumstances, bookended by a future rapidly racing toward our present and a century-old past stubbornly reinserting itself into modern times, are unique to any previous war, the attention being given to this evolution by scholars, analysts, and the military-industrial complex has made Ukraine a petri dish in the laboratory between tyranny and democracy. Despite being placed under the proverbial microscope by third parties, for those of us in Ukraine, two constants have existed since February 24, 2022, and remain unchanged: Ukraine will be victorious, and Ukraine will be free.

This vision of inevitable success by the Armed Forces of Ukraine also included a visit to training grounds belonging to the Army's 24th Brigade. There, I witnessed focused officers, dedicated NCOs, and motivated soldiers engaging in intense mock battle scenarios alongside first aid drills and injury evacuation scenarios. This type of constant training drives home the point that President Zelensky and Colonel-General Syrskyi have made clear that even more than technology, human beings are the most valued and precious asset in Ukraine's march toward liberation.

Sergeant Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, Armed Forces of Ukraine

Photo and video credit: Sergeant Sarah Ashton-Cirillo

The author's opinions do not necessarily reflect those of Ukrinform's editorial board.