Garkavenko outlines how well-informed Ukrainian forces seemed to be, moving swiftly through forests and dirt roads. He underscores the unprotected state of the borders, where “mine” signs were mere decoys without actual mines. He recounts a personal experience confirming this facade when he hit such a sign during a fire emergency, only to be assured it was safe to proceed. “It was all a sham,” Garkavenko declares.

Highlighting the desperation of Russian conscripts, Garkavenko mentions they had only two magazines of ammunition each, lacked communication tools, and wandered in the forest for three days before evacuating with civilians. He realized the full extent of the breakdown when documents were evacuated from the FSB and police buildings. Authority was nonexistent in Sudzha, with officials stationed in Bolshoye Soldatskoye, while acting governor Alexey Smirnov claimed on television that “everything is under control.”

“Today we arrive in Plekhovo—tomorrow the Ukrainians are there. We reach Ulanok—by the next day, they are present there. We get to Vorobzha—same story,” Garkavenko narrates, noting the rapid progress of Ukrainian forces. He mentions Russian troops were unable to recover the bodies of 14 soldiers at a gas station in Cherkasskaya Konopelka, just 2 km from Sudzha, because the area was under Ukrainian control.

(C)UAWIRE 2024