171 days in position: how Symovyniuk, soldier of 107th Brigade of Territorial Defence Forces, repelled Russian assaults in Luhansk region. VIDEO
Valentyn Simovinyuk, a 30-year-old resident of Bukovina and soldier in the 107th Brigade of the Territorial Defence Forces, spent 171 days at his post in the Luhansk region.
This was reported in a story by Suspilne, according to Censor.NET.
Details
Valentyn's next combat mission was supposed to last a week or two, and he planned to work with a grenade launcher 800 metres from the line of contact.
However, in the first few days, the occupiers launched an offensive, and close combat began.
For almost six months, Valentin did not suffer a single injury. However, during the evacuation, he stepped on a mine, injuring his legs and arm.
In civilian life, Valentin worked in the service sector in Bukovel. He wanted to enlist at the beginning of the invasion, but was refused.
The soldier serves in the 93rd Battalion of the 107th Separate Brigade of the Territorial Defence Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
171 days at the position
There were 4-5 fortified Ukrainian positions near Makiyivka in the Luhansk region, each with several soldiers. Valentyn was supposed to be at one of them.
A Russian unit was positioned across the field. After six months of fighting, only Valentin's position remained unconquered. Close combat occurred several times a day in some places. The closest was only two metres away.
In the third month of his stay at the position, the Russians entered the rear, so there was nowhere to retreat.
"Because there was a lot of contact (fighting with the occupiers. - Ed.), I asked over the radio: 'Guys, get me out of here. That's it. I can't take it anymore. Get me out of here.' And then, when we lost our positions nearby, we were left alone in the forest.
The enemy was almost everywhere. When that happened, I realised that there was no way to retreat — we would fight to the end, to the last soldier," says Valentyn.
Assaults
In addition to assaults, the Russians also attacked the position with drones, dropped gas, and fired artillery.
To survive, they had to dig. Valentyn says that his "apartment" was 5 metres deep. Mining the surrounding area helped to withstand the assaults.
Parcels from his mother delivered by drones
According to the soldier, ammunition was regularly dropped from drones, but there was no need for it because there were enough captured weapons that the Russians had brought with them.
"I collected over 150 loaded magazines and almost a hundred grenades in my trench," says Valentin.
His comrades at the permanent deployment point roasted and smoked meat, vacuum-packed it, and sent it by drone. Valentyn, the "vampire" also received a parcel from his mother in Vyzhnytsia, who sent it to the battalion.
However, there was a shortage of water, so they had to conserve it.
Leaving the position
To leave, they had to wait for good weather. Good weather, according to him, means rain, because then there are no enemy drones in the sky.
Together with two comrades, Valentin had to run across the field. The nearest position was 1,200 metres away. When they got there, they waited for the next command, which came a week later. They had to cross one more field — 600 metres. They walked at night in the rain, but due to poor visibility, they stumbled upon the Russians. One of Valentyn's comrades died there.
The two of them continued on and almost simultaneously stepped on mines, sustaining injuries.
The defender says he could no longer walk or crawl. He only had enough strength to move 5 metres before losing consciousness. He came to when he felt a knock on his leg - it was a ground robot.
"I thought, 'Oh, this is my taxi home'. But I only had my left arm working, and the sides were very high, so I didn't have the strength to climb in. Somehow, little by little, I managed to do it with one hand, fell into the cabin, and the NRK started moving again, towards my wounded comrade," says Valentyn.
His comrade was much more seriously wounded and could not climb into the NRK. Valentyn recalls that the rain made the situation more difficult — both of their hands were slippery, and they had little strength left.
After several unsuccessful attempts, Valentyn told the camera that he could not pull him onto the robot, and the NRK drove to the nearest position. When he was pulled out, his comrade returned to the field to pick up the wounded man. That is how he survived.
Treatment
After being rescued, Valentyn was taken to the hospital, where he received a blood transfusion and was transferred to another hospital for surgery.
Valentyn is currently finishing his treatment in Bukovina. He says that the wounds on his legs have healed, but it is still difficult for him to walk. Therefore, he mostly gets around by bicycle.
Valentin says he plans to return to the front and go back to his position — the main thing is to have proper logistics and the ability to retreat to prepared positions.
