DOCUMENT EUROPE 1 “It doesn’t stop!” Describes reporter Régis Le Sommier under fire in Ukraine

Romain Rouillard (comments collected by Pierre de Vilno) 6:16pm Jan 21, 2023, modified at 7:36pm Jan 21, 2023

Almost eleven months after the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, the military confrontation between Moscow and Kyiv is not easing. The great reporter Régis Le Sommier, editor-in-chief of the Omerta website, present on the front line near Bakhmout in Donbass (south-eastern Ukraine), has agreed to describe the reality of the fighting exclusively for Europe 1. For three days at the side of the Russian armed forces, he describes an “extremely stressful” situation.

“It hasn’t stopped for the three days we’ve been there, day or night,” begins the journalist interviewed by Pierre de Vilno. At the end of the line we can clearly hear the artillery fire, which alone testifies to the intensity of the duel between the two armies. Régis Le Sommier lives in a small village just 500 meters from the front line and shows “very intense” fighting that even shortened his last night. “This morning we were woken up by a grenade exploding right next to our house,” he says.

At 3:30 p.m. on January 20, 300mm Buratina missiles were fired at Ukrainian armored vehicles positioned 600 meters away on the other side of the front line. Constant fire all afternoon and even at night. @Omerta_officialpic.twitter.com/TakBju4TsH

— Régis Le Sommier (@LeSommierRgis) January 21, 2023

The Ukrainians, on the other hand, “take revenge enormously,” assures the reporter, who emphasizes the steepness of the terrain. “The Ukrainian positions are behind a ridge. And the Russians are on the other side. So we face hostilities from facilitating the region.” Not enough to dampen the resolve of the fighters fighting heavy artillery and mortar fire 24 hours a day.

Lots of Russian weapons

This Saturday, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pointed out the “indecisiveness” of Westerners on the delivery of heavy tanks to Kyiv. On the ground, according to Régis Le Sommier, these machines would be of great help to the Ukrainian army in the face of well-supplied Russian forces. “On the Russian side, the whole range of all weapons is deployed. There is also air support. They are not short of weapons, contrary to what we have heard. They really have many, many things, light weapons, less light weapons and heavy tanks,” he said.

According to him, the soldiers from Moscow are trying to take advantage of Ukraine’s supply difficulties to possibly launch an attack. “There hasn’t been a deployment yet, but preparations are still being made for what could be an offensive,” reports Régis Le Sommier.