– It was small and the whole sky was colored red, but we sat inside the tank so we managed, says Maxim. He tells about one of several times he has been close to death in recent months, at the Kherson front in Ukraine. news meets the 24-year-old wagon commander outside the city of Mykolajiv. In a wooded area, huge tanks are hidden by camouflage nets and branches. It will be hammered and screwed. This is a mechanical workshop in the field, hidden to prevent Russian attacks from the air. A camouflaged tank at the makeshift workshop. Photo: Andras D.Hajdu / news From reckoning to war Maxim has suffered machine damage. It is urgent to repair his tanks, because now they will be transferred to the front section in Donbas in the east of the country. Kherson is in Ukrainian hands, but Russian forces attack fully on the eastern front. Maxim says that in civilian life he works as an accountant. But since the war broke out on 24 February this year, he has been responsible for a tank of the T-72 type. Maxim inspects a tank being serviced. Photo: Andras D.Hajdu / Andras D.Hajdu He would like to have the same tanks that the Norwegian defense uses. – The Leopard is much safer for the crew, says Maxim. – The problem with the Russian-made tanks is that the ammunition is stored in the turret, he says. A full hit there leads to a large explosion, and the tower can be thrown tens of meters into the air. Many such towers are to be seen at the front. The reason is that the ammunition is stored in the tower and can easily explode if you are hit there by the enemy. Photo: Andras D.Hajdu / news Young man, experienced soldier He himself has survived over 40 skirmishes. He assures that he is not afraid when he is in conflict, but afterwards he feels an enormous sense of relief. Then he calls his wife and parents to tell them that he is still alive. What is tough is losing good friends and colleagues, he says. – It is difficult to think that a man with whom you talked about everyday things yesterday is dead today. All those who die are young people with their lives ahead of them, says Maxim. The tank soldiers themselves have to load the machine gun cartridges onto their belts. A time-consuming job. Photo: Andras D.Hajdu / news Spoils of War In the forest there are quite a few tanks that will never be able to fight again. But the parts are valuable. One tank has the characteristic Russian “Z” symbol, which shows that it is from a division that took part in the failed attack on the capital Kyiv. Russian tank with the characteristic Z symbol on the side. Photo: Andras D.Hajdu / news Another tank has gone like a ping-pong ball between the Ukrainian and Russian forces. Taking the spoils of war is important to the Ukrainians. In particular, they have taken a lot of Russian ammunition, says chief mechanic Andrej. – We try to use what we get as best we can. In addition to Ukrainian and Russian, we have received Polish, Slovak and Romanian tanks, to name a few. Chief mechanic Andrej starts up a tank to check that the engine is running as it should. Photo: Andras D.Hajdu / news Lærer på net – If the tank is not completely burnt out, we can repair it, or use it for spare parts, says Andrej. The Ukrainian mechanics are volunteers. Many of them used to work for a mechanical workshop, or they repaired tractors for the large agricultural companies in the area. A quick smoke break. then it’s time to start screwing again. The mechanics try to learn as much as they can about servicing tanks. Photo: Andras D.Hajdu / news – The boys eagerly try to learn everything they can about tanks. They look for specifications online and try to modify the tanks as best they can to keep the soldiers safe, says Andrej. The mechanics live in fields and cook their own food. It is no longer safe to be in a military camp. Photo: Andras D.Hajdu / Andras D.Hajdu Killing comrades Maxim climbs in and sits in the carriage commander’s seat. It is crowded and claustrophobic. You are completely locked out. It is not a window to look out, rather just a kind of TV screen. It can be claustrophobic sitting inside a tank. Photo: Andras D.Hajdu / news And they are often in the minority when they clash with the Russian tanks. Maxim shows us a damaged tank where two good comrades died. – It was the shooter and the driver. They fought against two of the enemy’s tanks, he says seriously. – One shot and hit straight ahead, so it went well. But the second hit the vulnerable point between the body and the turret. The grenades inside the tower exploded killing the two inside the tower. Maxim must take a break from the interview. Sigrane on the battlefield has its price. Now new skirmishes await in Donbas.
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They won the battle for Kherson – now Donbas is waiting – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
