Podol, Kyiv, Ukraine, 2019 Feb. 8
It's been a year and only because of the snow does our city look the same as it did a year ago. Under the snow there are the remnants of our capital, our economic center, but most importantly our homes. In the scraps of war machines and rubble lay our fallen comrades and family members that decided to ignore the first call for evacuation. My family lies somewhere under this mess. All I have now is my rifle and my cry for vengeance. This is the final stand; our fate is in the hands of the Russian bridging engineers - many of which we've killed, but now ammo is too scarce. Now we wait for the fresh Russian tanks to flood into Kyiv. We are but an insurgency struggling to keep our homeland. A year to this date Kyiv was a beautiful city and no one saw that Belarus, which Russia annexed two months ago, and Russia would pour into our homeland like a pack of wolves into a herd of sheep. And, so I write to future generations the story of how the Ukrainian people defended their motherland to the last breath just as our ancestors fought off the Ottomans.
Kyiv, Ukraine, 2018 Feb. 8
Irina: "Good morning Katyusha!"
Katyusha: "Ugh...good morning."
Igor: "I told you not to stay up so late!"
Katyusha: "Yeah I know, but I was talking to a friend."
Igor: "So, your friends need to sleep too!"
Irina: "Igor! Don't be so tough on her! Ah, the water is boiling, tea? Coffee?"
Katyusha: "Tea! It's so cold out!"
Igor: "I'll have coffee. Turn up the news, would ya Irina?"
The news went through the usual routine. First, the weather, which was clear and predicted to stay cold yet calm for the next week or so. Then there was the economic news. The stock and the economy as a whole was back on a positive trend and now there was more trade with the west. No longer did the Ukrainian people have to rely on Russian oil. Then there was world news where nothing unusual was happening. The global War on Terror was going well for the US and Russia made formal pact with Belarus it was expected that one day the two finally combine, but it was no threat. Russia was also continuing her threats on the west for meddling in her sphere of influence referring specifically to Ukraine, which was seen only as empty threats. Then there was a commercial break; just in time for breakfast to be cooked.
Katyusha: "Oh great! Eggs my favorite!"
Irina: "Don't be cocky!"
Igor: "Yes your mother makes great eggs!"
Katyusha: "Is that why you drink a shot of vodka with every three bites?"
Irina looked at Igor with a serious questioning look.
Igor: "It's cold out and the vodka keeps me warm."
Katyusha: "Uh-huh"
Igor slipped her a card for more minutes on her phone and whispered to her.
Igor: "Keep quiet about the eggs and I'll keep buying you minutes. Deal?"
She snatched them with great pleasure and smiled. The news was back on their attention shifted. It was news from around the nation. Kharkiv was first, the news team in Kharkiv was alway very serious, the family turned away for a second to get a bite, when they looked up there was only static.
Kharkiv, Ukraine, 2018 Feb. 8
A news anchor, bloody and deaf from the explosion, leaned out the window and saw mass chaos. Cars were in heaps all along the street below the building. He looked East and saw what looked like a Su-34 fighter/bomber and it was painted blue with red stars on the rudders and wings. He thought maybe there was an accident and maybe a jet crashed into the news building. Suddenly, the jet mad a sharp turn and dove toward the police station down the street. Before pulling up sharply it dropped two cluster bombs leveling the station and everything within 100 meters. It then hit the afterburner and headed east. He heard the sound of rocket to the west and sure enough a missile streaked pass. The Russian Sukhoi was now dropping flares and evading hard with intense maneuvers. The missile skimmed the top of an apartment building knocking concrete chunks down into the streets below. It was than the news anchor realized it wasn't an accident. The realization came late along with the drone of Tu-95 Bears flying over the city. People were running and screaming, to busy looking for help or family members to notice the bombers.
As the bombers opened their doors the news anchor dropped to his knees and screamed a prayer skyward. Just as he cried, "Amen", the bombers exploded! He heard the explosion wondering if he was still alive and looked upward. Ukrainian Su-27's boomed overhead twisting through victory rolls flying low over the city rooftops. The excitement died down with only the sound of Ukrainian jets patrolling overhead. Tunguska anti-aircraft tanks broke up pieces of concrete and asphalt as they watched the skies from the streets.
23 September 2008
22 September 2008
Flood Gates Open; Ch.2
Kursk, Russia Feb. 14
General Vladimir Bakin: "Colonel!"
4th Armored Division Commander: "Sir!"
Gen Bakin: "The ground is hard, the air still, and the men are ready, yes?"
4th ADC: "Sir, at your command our equipment will roar to life!"
Gen Bakin: "Thursday, February fourteenth, 2019, will be remembered as the day Russia's territory was restored! Begin the invasion leave nothing alive! Leave nothing standing!"
4th ADC: "Very well, battalion commanders, You know what to do!"
With those orders in minutes the full power of the revitalized Russian Army thundered to life. The first ground shots of the ground war could be heard for miles as the 152mm artillery shells flew over the boarder into Ukraine.
Kharkiv, Ukraine Feb.14
AA tank crewman: "Nothing has happened in almost a week...I'm getting sick of sitting around waiting here and freezing my ass of in this tank!"
AA tank commander: "Calm down and look at it this way. All we do is sit here, no drilling! We don't have to do anything but sit here and watch this radar and even with that the Air Force has got it covered anyway! In fact I don't think we'll hear another bomb hit a building the rest of our lives!"
Just then the store right next to the tank collapsed. The shock wave threw the crewmen and five other people across the street.
AA tank crewman: "No more bombs huh?"
AA tank commander: "Shut up, get in the tank, and start shooting!"
The tank rolled down the street away from the crowd that was gathering and emptied hundreds of shells into the air. Soon other tanks followed trying to send up a wall of lead. They were knowledgeable of the Russian stealthy T-50's and didn't want to take any chances. Another building exploded and explosions could be heard all over the city.
AA tank commander: "Shit! It's artillery! Get out of here! Drive out of the city!"
AA tank crewman: "What about the people?!"
AA tank commander: "Screw them! They should have joined the Army! Now, worry about our asses!"
AA tank crewman: "Yes, sir!"
The tank whipped around hard and jumped as each gear changed and it screamed through the streets, covered in debris. more shells rained down and fires lit the gray sky. The tank stopped hard as a shell hit in front of it cratering the street. Water sprayed upward out of the crater. They turned left, to the south, and there were two blasts. A shell slammed into a street intersection and split a gas line which resulted in an even larger explosion. They turned around grinding the pavement with their treads. They headed north onto the highway that leads into Russia, but in the excitement didn't realize the consequences.
North of Kharkiv, Ukraine Feb. 14
As they moved north on the highway they noticed BMP-2s and BTR-4s speeding past them. They didn't realize the APCs were heading straight for the front. A few miles north the war had its first true ground to ground engagements. A Ukrainian Su-25 flew out of the fire lit gray sky over their tank and toward the front. Heading South, a military truck containing several screaming wounded sped past with its roof missing and drivers among the wounded. They came upon a bridge and stopped. The tank commander looked out and saw an Mi-17 helicopter trying to recover the passengers from a hospital truck that dove into the crater. When the gas tank exploded the helicopter reluctantly turned and flew back to base. The thunderous front could now be heard the reflection of the explosions could be seen in the overcast sky and the snow on the ground was a mix of orange reflected from the sky and black from debris.
Meanwhile the newsman from the station in Kharkiv was stuffed in an APC with a camera waiting to unload with the troops on front. The men inside were quiet, some praying, and some holding back tears holding pictures of loved ones. He would have interviewed them, if he wasn't scared himself. The APC came to sudden halt, jerking him forward out of the life pondering trance. The driver yelled something, which he couldn't make out with the mix of squealing tracks, powerful diesel engines, and thunderous explosions. The doors flung open in the back and all hell broke loose. There were wrecked vehicles everywhere and smoke filled the air. Another APC drove up and opened its doors, while it fired round after round and an anti-tank missile hopped off the top of the turret. He watched as the men unloaded from behind the APC and ducked with every explosion that fell around them. One man finished off his clip, got behind the APC dropped the clip, loaded a new one, prayed, and was about to turn when he suddenly burst into flame! The APC's turret flew into the air and the gas lit, setting the entire squad on fire. The newsman blasted back as his APC met the same fate. He saw men sling there weapons over their shoulders and run run as half of them were gunned down. He decided to do the same and jumped from wreck to wreck trying to stay in cover. A plane flew over and a deafening roar followed as Russian vehicles buckled from the detonation. He got up and ran faster than he had ever in his life, he had to get the tape back so his country could show it to the UN, NATO, or even the US.
The Russian tanks finally arrived to join the fight with the APCs that were already causing trouble. The Black Eagles fired their 152mm guns and blew the APCs away one by one. The AA crewmen heard a sonic boom and saw the flash from their position as they finally crossed the bottle necked bridge. A moment after the explosion they saw the same plane as earlier flying quickly in the opposite direction. Tracers followed in the air and a missile that lit up the sky as it maneuvered through the clouds smacked into the plane like a free bird flying up and out only to get smacked by a pellet from a shot gun. They moved closer now. More vehicles were driving past them along with men and a man with a camera.
AA tank crewman: "Even the reporters are bugging out, maybe we should too!"
AA tank commander: "Nonsense we have an obligation to defend our nation!"
AA tank crewman: "Ok , whatever. Oh shit! Helicopters coming in!"
The guns swung in the direction of the formation and fired hundreds of rounds at the choppers. Two were shot down, smacking into the pavement and men below. The rest spread out in panic. One, a KA-52, came around and fired an anti-tank round at the AA tank. The threat warning screamed and the crew jumped out and ran as their tank jumped from the explosion and erupted in an inferno. The crew was scratched up from shrapnel and helped each other get to cover.
AA tank crewman: "You alright sir?!"
AA tank commander: "I've had better days. You know the ones where ya don't have a foot long piece of shrapnel in ya! Give me some ammo for my pistol and get the hell out of here!"
AA tank crewman: "But...yes, sir...it was a pleasure serving with you. I'll remember you sir!"
AA tank commander: "Yeah yeah, Dmitry, quit the bullshit and get out of here, so you can get back in the fight!"
AA tank crewman: " Yes, sir"
It was starting to snow as night fell and fires lit the highway. Ash and smoke mixed in with the snow and gray sky. Artillery was still going off in Kharkiv to the south. To him it was silent and tranquil with the snow softly falling. A gas tank from a destroy APC blew off and he was snapped out of his trance. Dmitry turned and ran as his commander unloaded his pistol and screamed insults. Freeway E 40, into Kharkiv was taken and fight would move to ruthless urban warfare in what was left of Kharkiv.
General Vladimir Bakin: "Colonel!"
4th Armored Division Commander: "Sir!"
Gen Bakin: "The ground is hard, the air still, and the men are ready, yes?"
4th ADC: "Sir, at your command our equipment will roar to life!"
Gen Bakin: "Thursday, February fourteenth, 2019, will be remembered as the day Russia's territory was restored! Begin the invasion leave nothing alive! Leave nothing standing!"
4th ADC: "Very well, battalion commanders, You know what to do!"
With those orders in minutes the full power of the revitalized Russian Army thundered to life. The first ground shots of the ground war could be heard for miles as the 152mm artillery shells flew over the boarder into Ukraine.
Kharkiv, Ukraine Feb.14
AA tank crewman: "Nothing has happened in almost a week...I'm getting sick of sitting around waiting here and freezing my ass of in this tank!"
AA tank commander: "Calm down and look at it this way. All we do is sit here, no drilling! We don't have to do anything but sit here and watch this radar and even with that the Air Force has got it covered anyway! In fact I don't think we'll hear another bomb hit a building the rest of our lives!"
Just then the store right next to the tank collapsed. The shock wave threw the crewmen and five other people across the street.
AA tank crewman: "No more bombs huh?"
AA tank commander: "Shut up, get in the tank, and start shooting!"
The tank rolled down the street away from the crowd that was gathering and emptied hundreds of shells into the air. Soon other tanks followed trying to send up a wall of lead. They were knowledgeable of the Russian stealthy T-50's and didn't want to take any chances. Another building exploded and explosions could be heard all over the city.
AA tank commander: "Shit! It's artillery! Get out of here! Drive out of the city!"
AA tank crewman: "What about the people?!"
AA tank commander: "Screw them! They should have joined the Army! Now, worry about our asses!"
AA tank crewman: "Yes, sir!"
The tank whipped around hard and jumped as each gear changed and it screamed through the streets, covered in debris. more shells rained down and fires lit the gray sky. The tank stopped hard as a shell hit in front of it cratering the street. Water sprayed upward out of the crater. They turned left, to the south, and there were two blasts. A shell slammed into a street intersection and split a gas line which resulted in an even larger explosion. They turned around grinding the pavement with their treads. They headed north onto the highway that leads into Russia, but in the excitement didn't realize the consequences.
North of Kharkiv, Ukraine Feb. 14
As they moved north on the highway they noticed BMP-2s and BTR-4s speeding past them. They didn't realize the APCs were heading straight for the front. A few miles north the war had its first true ground to ground engagements. A Ukrainian Su-25 flew out of the fire lit gray sky over their tank and toward the front. Heading South, a military truck containing several screaming wounded sped past with its roof missing and drivers among the wounded. They came upon a bridge and stopped. The tank commander looked out and saw an Mi-17 helicopter trying to recover the passengers from a hospital truck that dove into the crater. When the gas tank exploded the helicopter reluctantly turned and flew back to base. The thunderous front could now be heard the reflection of the explosions could be seen in the overcast sky and the snow on the ground was a mix of orange reflected from the sky and black from debris.
Meanwhile the newsman from the station in Kharkiv was stuffed in an APC with a camera waiting to unload with the troops on front. The men inside were quiet, some praying, and some holding back tears holding pictures of loved ones. He would have interviewed them, if he wasn't scared himself. The APC came to sudden halt, jerking him forward out of the life pondering trance. The driver yelled something, which he couldn't make out with the mix of squealing tracks, powerful diesel engines, and thunderous explosions. The doors flung open in the back and all hell broke loose. There were wrecked vehicles everywhere and smoke filled the air. Another APC drove up and opened its doors, while it fired round after round and an anti-tank missile hopped off the top of the turret. He watched as the men unloaded from behind the APC and ducked with every explosion that fell around them. One man finished off his clip, got behind the APC dropped the clip, loaded a new one, prayed, and was about to turn when he suddenly burst into flame! The APC's turret flew into the air and the gas lit, setting the entire squad on fire. The newsman blasted back as his APC met the same fate. He saw men sling there weapons over their shoulders and run run as half of them were gunned down. He decided to do the same and jumped from wreck to wreck trying to stay in cover. A plane flew over and a deafening roar followed as Russian vehicles buckled from the detonation. He got up and ran faster than he had ever in his life, he had to get the tape back so his country could show it to the UN, NATO, or even the US.
The Russian tanks finally arrived to join the fight with the APCs that were already causing trouble. The Black Eagles fired their 152mm guns and blew the APCs away one by one. The AA crewmen heard a sonic boom and saw the flash from their position as they finally crossed the bottle necked bridge. A moment after the explosion they saw the same plane as earlier flying quickly in the opposite direction. Tracers followed in the air and a missile that lit up the sky as it maneuvered through the clouds smacked into the plane like a free bird flying up and out only to get smacked by a pellet from a shot gun. They moved closer now. More vehicles were driving past them along with men and a man with a camera.
AA tank crewman: "Even the reporters are bugging out, maybe we should too!"
AA tank commander: "Nonsense we have an obligation to defend our nation!"
AA tank crewman: "Ok , whatever. Oh shit! Helicopters coming in!"
The guns swung in the direction of the formation and fired hundreds of rounds at the choppers. Two were shot down, smacking into the pavement and men below. The rest spread out in panic. One, a KA-52, came around and fired an anti-tank round at the AA tank. The threat warning screamed and the crew jumped out and ran as their tank jumped from the explosion and erupted in an inferno. The crew was scratched up from shrapnel and helped each other get to cover.
AA tank crewman: "You alright sir?!"
AA tank commander: "I've had better days. You know the ones where ya don't have a foot long piece of shrapnel in ya! Give me some ammo for my pistol and get the hell out of here!"
AA tank crewman: "But...yes, sir...it was a pleasure serving with you. I'll remember you sir!"
AA tank commander: "Yeah yeah, Dmitry, quit the bullshit and get out of here, so you can get back in the fight!"
AA tank crewman: " Yes, sir"
It was starting to snow as night fell and fires lit the highway. Ash and smoke mixed in with the snow and gray sky. Artillery was still going off in Kharkiv to the south. To him it was silent and tranquil with the snow softly falling. A gas tank from a destroy APC blew off and he was snapped out of his trance. Dmitry turned and ran as his commander unloaded his pistol and screamed insults. Freeway E 40, into Kharkiv was taken and fight would move to ruthless urban warfare in what was left of Kharkiv.
21 September 2008
Shattered Peace; Ch. 3
The Office of the President, Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 14 2019
General Kovalenko:"Sir, Russian forces have control of Sevastopol and are approaching Kharkiv, Sumy, Shostka, and Konotop. Also, ..."
President Kushnir:"Hold on why didn't we see this coming?!"
General Kovalenko:"We thought they were moving there forces just for an exercise with Belarus, but yeah and that brings me to the next problem..."
President Kushnir:"And what do you think that exercise would be for?!"
General Kovalenko:"Sir, before you interrupt again, Belarus is also invading!"
President Kushnir:"What?! Where?!"
General Kovalenko:"Belorussian forces have been spotted north of Kovel, Korosten, and Cherniv. Though these forces are smaller we have to put most of our effort into the east against all of Russia...Sir, I request we either authorization to use nuclear weapons or see if NATO will help..."
President Kushnir:"No nukes! We use one and Russia empties on us! We'll try to get a hold of NATO, but I don't know how they'll react. They'll probably say we should have been nicer to Russia to prevent this."
General Kovalenko:"Sir, Russian forces have control of Sevastopol and are approaching Kharkiv, Sumy, Shostka, and Konotop. Also, ..."
President Kushnir:"Hold on why didn't we see this coming?!"
General Kovalenko:"We thought they were moving there forces just for an exercise with Belarus, but yeah and that brings me to the next problem..."
President Kushnir:"And what do you think that exercise would be for?!"
General Kovalenko:"Sir, before you interrupt again, Belarus is also invading!"
President Kushnir:"What?! Where?!"
General Kovalenko:"Belorussian forces have been spotted north of Kovel, Korosten, and Cherniv. Though these forces are smaller we have to put most of our effort into the east against all of Russia...Sir, I request we either authorization to use nuclear weapons or see if NATO will help..."
President Kushnir:"No nukes! We use one and Russia empties on us! We'll try to get a hold of NATO, but I don't know how they'll react. They'll probably say we should have been nicer to Russia to prevent this."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
