Specifically, I learned about the Kursk operation five days before it began. The command informed about the whole plan, and I shared the information further. At first it was a very narrow circle — only two or three people. The number increased every day. The fighters knew that there would be some movement, they were preparing, but they did not know where, what and how [it would be done]. That is, the staff found out only the day before, half a day before the start of the operation.
The moods were different: some accepted the order to enter the Kursk region normally, and some refused to do it. They began to say that "this is not our territory", "we will not go there", "we took an oath to protect our own borders, but not to encroach on the borders of others". I went to the position to talk [with them] in person. There was a [alcohol] drinking problem there, so I moved them out of the houses and into the trenches and dugouts. The main thing in such a movement is to determine the instigator, who is inciting the people. Usually it is two or three people. You see them immediately — they behave provocatively, sometimes they are a little bit drunk. I came [there], told [them] what awaits us, and emphasized that the war on someone elseʼs territory is morally even easier in some ways. It is not our houses being destroyed, bombs not flying into our fields. I said that we are not the first to come, the paratroopers take on the hardest work. We just need to help them. All of this will be controlled, with the cover of drones, artillery, and I said that they will have commanders, that no one will just leave them — they were afraid of that mostly.
Yevgeny Titov / "Babel"
I always use the "sandwich method", I was taught this in Lithuania. First you say something good, you praise [them]. Then you give a bit of reprimands — you tell them that we need to take matters into our own hands, that if we all lay down our arms, we will look for an easier place, we will lose what we have. And at the end of the conversation, you give a piece of goodness again — you say that you believe in them, you thank them. But it should be done without too much pathos, because not young mobilized people quickly understand when they are fucking lied.
Immediately before the operation, when the battle order was given, they leaned against again and all of them refused. And when the first group left them, and they saw that everything was not so terrible, then they also pulled up. Even one instigator also done well then. Even the "limited fit" [soldiers], for whom I did not even expect, fought. Most of them entered the war zone in the initial phase. The unit that should has potentially had the most dropouts ended up being one of the best.
The Russians understood that we were preparing an offensive at least four days in advance. But their management did not even try to stop us. The paratroopers were the first to go, and we had to follow them. They went out along the routes, but did not clear the settlements — that fell on our shoulders. On the 1st day, the battalion did not make any movements.
I understood that there would be major communication problems in the Kursk region: Starlinks and the mobile network did not work [there]. So, the first thing I did was take the signalman, and we went to the enemy territory, found a place to deploy the repeater. It was a tower previously used by the Russians — there was their communication hub. Even before my units crossed the border, we already had established communication.
Andriy Pidlisny together with the signalman of the 409th battalion are holding the trophy equipment. The first day of the Kursk operation.
Архів Андрія Підлісного / «Бабель»
On the 2nd day, we entered the forest strips near the Russian villages of Novoivanivka and Leonidovo. On the 3rd day, we already were in Leonidovo and occupied the forest strips near Kremyane. On the 4th day, we attacked him. About a week later, we went on the defensive, replacing units of our allies in the Olgivka, Zhabolovka, Durovka, and Vitryane areas. Personally, I mostly did not take part in assault actions. I managed the battle from the checkpoint of the company or battalion, and moved between positions. But on the 2nd or 3rd day, my boys and I went to Leonidovo. On the way, we were pelted with cluster munitions. The driver who was sitting in my car was killed. All others were either not affected at all or injured. We were very lucky. Russian Telegram channels posted a video of this shelling and said that the Russian army had destroyed 20 or 30 people and seven armored vehicles there, but in fact there were four pickup trucks.
Cars of the 409th battalion in the Kursk region were fired upon with cluster munitions and guided aerial bombs.
Архів Андрія Підлісного / «Бабель»
Our clashes were mainly in the area of Kremyane. There stood "Akhmat", "Wagnerians" and marines. My rifle battalion consists of oldsters, so we advanced as carefully as possible — exclusively under the cover of a tank or artillery. At the beginning — only in the dark, to minimize risks. Infantry or aerial reconnaissance detected the enemy, and mortars or drones inflicted fire damage. Russians often hid in civilian homes and even changed into civilian clothes. We destroyed the position, entered it and advanced step by step.
In the first days of the operation, the enemy aircraft caused a lot of trouble. The infantry did not put up much resistance. This lasted for about a week, then the Russians ran out of conscripts, and our progress became slower. The enemy pulled up reserves, normally went on the defensive. Qualified fighters who were not going to run away came against us. It was an enemy that manoeuvred, had good artillery and air support. Guided aerial bombs worked very hard — there could be several dozen of them in a day.
«Babel'»
During the month, we somehow advanced forward, and then went on the defensive. The Russians have pulled up a lot of UAV calculations, in particular FPV with fiber optics, which WEB does not take. Drones became a big problem, they had them in unlimited numbers.
In our last three weeks, there were mass assaults in the Kursk region, mainly by Russian infantry. Sometimes there were small groups, sometimes they went 15-20 people at a time, with armored vehicles. We captured the commander of the assault company in Olgivka. It was broken, he was left alone, hid in some house, and sat there quietly until we found him. At first he tried to pass himself off as a civilian, but we realized who he was.
The interesting point is that we captured a Russian satellite communication station in Kremyane. This is something kind of our Starlink, but a huge sockdolager, up to 120 kg. [It was] stolen from under the nose of the Russian marines. We fired a mortar, ran in and took it away. Then the oldsters carried this station over five km through swamps and pits.
409 separate rifle battalion fought in the Kursk region for almost two months.
Архів Андрія Підлісного / «Бабель»
We sometimes faced to civilians during the clearing of populated areas. We did not touch them, because we do not have the right to export them to the territory of Ukraine. The wounded were given help. There was a funny incident: I was walking along the village in Novoivanivka, and saw a grandmother and said mechanically: "Good afternoon." She looked at me so strangely, and I think why [sheʼs] not welcome? And then it dawned on me —Iʼm in Russia. When you are constantly moving to and from Ukraine, the understanding of people and places blurred.
The landscape in the Kursk region of Russia is reminiscent of the Donbas — it is a steppe and fields. What surprised me was cultivated fields, normal villages, infrastructure. It can be seen that people did not suffer. We are told that only in Moscow people live well, but no, they lived normally there, and itʼs not understandable for what reasons they are interested in this war. It looks like they are the same people, but something else is in their heads.
The same trophy Russian satellite communication station. Kursk region, Russia.
Архів Андрія Підлісного / «Бабель»
In order for the 409th battalion to continue to successfully carry out its tasks, and combatant Andriy Pidlisny knew for sure that "not only he needs all this", please support with donation the car for his unit.
But at this link you can also donate to another batalion — for drones for the 82nd brigade, which is currently continuing to fight in the Kursk region.