Survived four FAB-500 and repelled occupiers’ assault near Lyptsi: interview with "Khartiia" fighter

Author: Yurii Butusov

On May 26, the enemy launched a powerful strike on one of the key positions near the village of Lyptsi, dropping four FAB-500 bombs on a small, narrow tree line. It was there that the positions of the soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the 13th Brigade "Khartiia" were located, and it seemed impossible to survive such an attack. However, the soldiers accomplished a true feat—just three of them managed to dig themselves out, repel the Russian assault, and eliminate an enemy storm group of ten troops.

On May 10, Russia launched a massive offensive in the northern Kharkiv region. One of the main directions of the enemy's assault is the village of Lyptsi, which shields Kharkiv’s northern outskirts. This is where the soldiers of the National Guard’s 'Khartiia' (Charter) Brigade are holding the line.

On May 26, the enemy carried out a devastating strike on one of the key positions near Lyptsi, an attack that quickly went viral. The Russians dropped four FAB-500 bombs, each weighing 500 kg, directly onto a small tree line just 250 meters from the village. The positions of the 1st Battalion of the 13th Brigade 'Khartiia' were located in that tree line. It seemed impossible to survive such a strike. But this video tells the story of an extraordinary feat of heroism. After enduring four air-dropped bombs, our soldiers managed to dig themselves out from their trenches and held their ground, successfully repelling the Russian assault. The enemy storm group, which attacked immediately after the airstrike, was completely eliminated.

One of the heroes of this battle, a true hero of a real feat, was this young soldier, a soldier of the 1st Battalion of the 13th Brigade " Khartiia" Oleksandr.

Friend, tell us about this battle. Everyone has seen the footage— a narrow tree line and four 500-kilogram bombs hitting it directly. The Russians didn’t show what happened next. I’d like you to tell the whole story in your own words—how it all unfolded. First of all, when you entered the position, why was it so important, why did it have to be held?

Well, first of all, this position is crucial because it is an advanced zero line position. If we surrender it, if we lose it, the b#stards can push deeper into the village of Lyptsi and expand their foothold. If we lose this position, our neighboring units behind us will start taking a heavy hit, because there is a key road nearby that leads directly to the village of Lyptsi.

Can you tell us how you arrived at this position when you first received the order? Were there any trenches, fortifications, or dugouts?

We took the position with sheer determination. We stormed in on a pickup truck, quickly dismounted to avoid drawing too much attention and to prevent being immediately spotted, since drone activity in this area is extremely high. And not just drones—enemy scouts, tactical UAVs, Orlans—they can see everything, track our every move. At first, we got lucky—we broke in, reached the position, set up, and immediately started digging in, reinforcing our positions as much as possible, and preparing to work further. 

Please tell us about the battle on May 26—how did the day start, and what happened during the airstrikes and the subsequent enemy assault?

Well, in general, the day didn’t seem out of the ordinary at first. After our position was spotted, the enemy repeatedly tried to wipe it off the face of the earth. Airstrikes, mortars, and FPV drones were hitting us in overwhelming numbers. Our movements were extremely restricted—if we stepped into an area visible to enemy reconnaissance, that zone would gradually shrink, and before long, we’d have one, two, maybe even three FPV drones heading our way. The mortar fire was nearly constant. The only time it would stop was either when they ran out of ammunition or when they shifted fire to another tree line—probably because they had to hit there as well. They were hitting us relentlessly.

Tell us about the airstrike. Where were you at the moment of airstrike? What did you feel?

At that moment, all we heard over the radio was our standard warning code indicating an incoming air threat. That code goes off quite often, since airstrikes in our sector happen regularly. I was just digging a hole for myself—I had some time, so I was working on a side foxhole, a place to take cover and sleep whenever I had time. And then, literally two seconds later, there was a strike, I was thrown back inside the trench and buried under the debris. At that moment, I had no idea how many strikes were, I could only hear a deafening noise in my head, and I had no clue what was happening. I completely blacked out—definitely for about ten minutes. When I started coming out of my state of unconsciousness, I realized I had to check on the guys who were with me—I had no idea where exactly there were strikes, what had been hit. I managed to dig myself out little by little, and as soon as I fully regained my senses, I went to check on guys. They were also all contused, very serious contusions. We started pulling ourselves together, helping the others regain consciousness. And then, after a while, our radio set finally came back online, and the commander’s voice came through: 'The assault is starting.

We decided that we had to hold this tree line at all costs—not let them take this tree line. I started looking for my rifle, getting ready for battle. In the end, I only found it the next day, when we were searching for our belongings—after the strikes, a lot of things were either destroyed or simply thrown away by the blast wave. We got lucky because a PK machine gun remained intact, along with two rifles. When I ran back to my position, I realized that there was barely anything left of it. The fortifications were practically gone—just the remnants of the sandbags we had set up. We started scanning for where the assault group was likely coming from. After spotting two silhouettes, I positioned myself behind the PK machine gun, and the guys shouted out. It was tough to make out what they were saying because of the constant ringing in my ears.

The battle began, gunfire erupted, and I started firing short bursts toward the enemy. We put up a solid fight—there were about ten of them, but just the three of us held that tree line. We immediately killed about five of them—the first small group advancing on us got wiped out with concentrated fire. After that, they seemed to panic, they started moving frantically, unsure of what to do next

At what distance did this close combat take place?

We spotted the enemy at about 150 meters—we saw the first group and took them down immediately. Then we noticed one of them, who, I assume, was completely afraid—he just ran across the field. We didn’t hesitate—the PK machine gun caught up with him in no time. It wasn’t too difficult to repel them; they weren’t that strong. We’ve fought much tougher opponents—more skilled, experienced fighters who can shoot accurately while moving, who actually know what they’re doing. These guys weren’t nearly as competent. That’s why the fight went in our favor—we were lucky in that moment.

I think the enemy never expected that after such strikes—which seemed to have completely wiped out that tree line—you would still be alive, let alone manage to dig yourselves out and return fire. In general, I assume they were advancing as if it were just a mop-up operation.

Actually, yes. I think they rushed toward us so quickly simply because they believed nothing could have survived after those airstrikes. Because after this situation, I would probably also have rushed in with some enthusiasm, thinking that everything had been wiped out. In the end, that assumption worked in our favor. They ended up deceiving themselves.

The story of the feat of heroism. After being hit by a FAB-500, a soldier dug himself out while buried up to his chest, found a machine gun at his position, and, together with his comrades, repelled the assault. This is a true feat of heroism, in my opinion, worthy of the highest state honors. Truly impressive, my friend.

Tell us about this barrel. What is that firearm next to you?

This is my rifle.

The same rifle that you found it?

Yes. I eventually found it. I had to look for it because I couldn’t just leave it behind. I’ve been through a lot with it. I had to get it back, and in the end, I got it back in this condition.

Show me the damage. It’s simply torn in several places.

Unfortunately, it’s beyond repair. I’ll have to get a new rifle

Please tell us about the fighting for this position. From what I’ve seen, the density of FPV drones there is so high that our evacuation vehicles are constantly under attack

Yeah. They have heavily targeted our evacuation vehicles. They are actively hunting our drivers. In other words, conducting an evacuation requires a serious operation, because every driver's operation is extremely dangerous. FPV drones are targeting them, and right after that, Grads start firing. They hit the vehicles with Grad rockets, block the roads, and relentlessly hunt them down. This is a major problem. Our vehicles don’t last long out here.

Tell me, friend, what kind of support would help you, your unit, and your battalion? What do you need most?

The only real need is vehicles—pickup trucks for evacuation. Everything else is supplied by the brigade. The main issue is with transport because it gets replaced as often as a soldier changes socks. A vehicle might go out on a few successful runs, but due to the sheer number of FPV drones, they are quickly taken out of service. Some can be repaired and will return to duty, but others are completely lost—beyond repair, impossible to recover. So the biggest need is for pickup trucks and any kind of evacuation vehicles.

Thank you, my friend, for sharing your story and for your clear and precise account of these extremely difficult battles and the complex tactical situation

On my own behalf, I want to say that in the defensive sector near Lyptsi, where the 'Khartiia' Brigade and some other units are holding the line, the enemy has used more than 250 high-explosive guided aerial bombs in the past three weeks alone. And now they are not only striking the rear areas but, as we have seen, they failed to capture this critical position—attempting instead to obliterate the key tree line near Lyptsi with airstrikes. Yet, thanks to fighters like Oleksandr and his comrades, this position is still under our control, and the soldiers of the Khartiia Brigade continue to defend Kharkiv and the village of Lyptsi.

Thank you, my friend, for your undeniable feat of heroism, for the feat of heroism of your fighters, of your 1st Battalion of the 13th Brigade—glory to Ukraine!

Glory to the heroes!