Gun pointers of the Special Operations Forces search for the occupiersʼ equipment in Mykolayiv oblast and help the artillerymen to destroy it. This is how they work with drones on the front line — a photo report
- Authors:
- Yuriy Palyvoda, Serhii Pyvovarov
- Date:
Yuriy Palyvoda / Babel
A team of gun pointers from the Special Operations Forces of the Ukrainian Army regularly conducts reconnaissance on the front line in Mykolaiv Oblast. They move to positions within three kilometers of the enemy in order to identify enemy targets with the help of drones. And they also check information about the enemyʼs equipment that entered villages or fields. The team then communicates with the Ukrainian artillery via “Starlink” and transmits accurate data for precision fire. The gunners went to war as volunteers, got their first knowledge in the field at the training ground, and gained experience on the front lines. Now they operate so successfully that the Russians are afraid to bring in new equipment. How a team of SOF gun pointers works on the front lines is in a photo report by Yuriy Palyvoda exclusively for "Babel”.
According to intercepted conversations of the occupiers, the Russians call this team "Fashionable Pencils". "Perhaps they know our style of work, our transport, or they see that we have better equipment," says a volunteer with the call sign Balu.
Yuriy Palyvoda / Babel
Yuriy Palyvoda / Babel
They used to go on field trips almost every day and discover new targets, but now this happens less often. According to the gun pointers, the Russians are now simply afraid to bring in new equipment.
Yuriy Palyvoda / Babel
Yuriy Palyvoda / Babel
The gunners themselves also often come under fire, about 60% of the time. "When the Russians see that we are attacking their positions and equipment, they start shelling all the fields within seven kilometers," says Balu.
Yuriy Palyvoda / Babel
Yuriy Palyvoda / Babel
Yuriy Palyvoda / Babel
“Russian warship, go fuck yourself!” is written on the patch.
Yuriy Palyvoda / Babel
Yuriy Palyvoda / Babel
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