(Image by NEIVANMADE)
It’s been a long day, part of a long week, that has been part of a long and exhausting month. So just a brief update tonight.
Before we get to President Zelenskyy’s daily address, I want to highlight this NY Times‘ video reporting. Their reporters – Masha Froliak and Yousur Al-Hlou – embedded with this Ukrainian Soldier in Dontesk. I WILL WARN YOU, WHILE NOT OVERLY GRAPHIC, THIS IS NOT THE MOST EMOTIONALLY PLEASANT SUBJECT!!!!
Here is their – the reporters – description of the video reporting from the summary description that would be below the video on YouTube’s own site:
I Cry Quietly’: A Soldier Describes the Toll of Russia’s War
For Valentyn, a Ukrainian soldier in the Donetsk region, the war’s death toll is more than a statistic. He is tasked with moving wounded troops — and dead bodies — away from the front lines, often under Russian fire.
And here’s the video:
And an excerpt from their reporting:
NEAR KREMINNA, Ukraine — The sound of artillery launching and landing along the front line punctures the stillness of the forest just a few miles away, where combat medics are waiting to receive the wounded.
On the horizon, a military vehicle moves along a dusty road and screeches to a halt when it reaches the trees. A soldier named Valentyn parks it there for natural camouflage from Russian drones scouting for Ukrainian military positions.
A group of soldiers, visibly shaken, quickly unloads three bodies that have just been recovered from the front line, placing each one into a plastic body bag and zipping it closed. Their position was shelled and then attacked by a drone, they say.
“They’re shooting at you from all sides. You turn, you run, they hit you, and it’s impossible to get away,” said Maksym, who survived the attack. “This is a big tragedy for us.”
“One more body is left behind with the Russian soldiers,” he added.
While much of the world’s attention has fixated on the bloody urban battle taking place in Bakhmut, Russia’s campaign in eastern Ukraine is also raging in forests and fields about 50 miles north of the city, near Kreminna. Here, soldiers take positions in trenches surrounded by tall, slim trees, crouching to avoid the direct line of sight of their Russian enemies.
“People say it’s harsh in Bakhmut,” said Valentyn, who joined the army seven months ago. “But it’s harsh here, too.”
For the past month, Valentyn has been stationed at this evacuation point, traveling back and forth to the front line almost daily to rescue wounded soldiers and recover the dead. His job requires him to drive directly toward Russian forces, and he has come under fire at times.
“There is nothing good about it,” Valentyn said. “What is this war for?”
Ukrainian and Russian military officials have been reluctant to release data on casualties within their ranks, though the U.S. government and military experts estimate that both sides have suffered significant losses in the tens or hundreds of thousands.
For Valentyn, the work of responding to the casualties has been both grim and relentless.
“There is blood everywhere,” he said, while cleaning it from his vehicle. “It has a smell. Especially fresh blood.”
Bright red liquid trickled through his fingers as he rinsed out a bloodied cloth. He drained the cloth and used it again to wipe off the back seat.
“It’s difficult to see young boys die,” Valentyn said. “Sometimes I cry quietly.”
There is, sadly, more at the link.
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump:
War for Ukraine Day 428: A Brief Thursday Night UpdatePost + Comments (43)