Lugansk (Donbass). The T72s chase each other like scaly dragons that streak the plane’s mists. Every now and then one of the two tanks will stop, swing its gun carriage and belch out a thunderous puff of smoke and flames. The shells explode a kilometer away, igniting the hilltop bushes on the horizon. The infantrymen are swarming six hundred yards from us. “Vni shut,” “everything down,” the officer yells as the row of bulletproof vests and helmets rolls to the ground and Kalashnikov magazines spit into imaginary enemies. We are about thirty kilometers from Lugansk in a place that we are not allowed to write on for security reasons. In the hilly plain in front of us the so-called “mobilized” train. A small part of the 300,000 recalled that the Kremlin is preparing to accept him into its staff. “From here we go straight to the front, so we have to do our best. These soldiers – explains the masked instructor who coordinates the maneuvers – have already served in our armed forces, but we must get them used to fighting again as soon as possible, because they will soon end up in our midst. That’s why we try to train them for all kinds of fights, from those in the bush and snow to those in the city and in trenches. But above all, we try to get them to regain their confidence with all the weapons at their disposal, from simple Kalashnikovs to anti-tank grenade launchers ».
It is not difficult to find out which front these recruits are destined for. A few dozen kilometers from here the Lysychansk and Kremenoy lines pass. There the Russians, their Chechen allies and those of the independent republics of Lugansk and Donetsk established a new line of defense after withdrawing from Lyman in late September. From there, further retreat is impossible, otherwise the areas captured during the early summer offensive would be lost. In truth, General Sergei Surovkin, the new supreme commander of Russia’s forces in Ukraine, expects these men to push back the Ukrainians and take the 40 percent of Donetsk lands that are still under Kiev’s control. Success would mean allowing Vladimir Putin to complete the first hand of the game, demanding the achievement of the goals stated at the start of the special operation, granting a ceasefire, and proposing negotiations. But one wonders if these soldiers represent a real breakthrough force. None of them are very young anymore, round curves can be guessed under their uniforms and bulletproof vests. Weapons, equipment and protection are also more than twenty years old and contrast not only with the equipment of the NATO-supplied Ukrainian units, but also with the much more modern Russian units stationed at the front. It is therefore very likely that mobilized and reservists will serve primarily to re-consolidate the second and third lines or to provide a partial replacement for combat units hardened by the losses of recent months. Worse than the mobilized Russians, however, are those of the Republic of Lugansk, who are training in another sector of the camp. Here, many of the vehicles and armored vehicles are the same that saw service in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Unlike the mobilized Russians, those from the Lugansk Republic are all volunteers, although the average age is between 35 and 40. The real difference is the pay. The latest increases decided by the independent republics have brought the salary from 74,000 rubles (just over 1,000 euros) at the beginning of the war to 200,000 rubles today, which is almost 3,000 euros. «I worked in a coal mine – says 36-year-old Iuri – but I have to think of my parents, my wife and our two children. That way I can guarantee them some money while defending them and my homeland».