Vitaliy Deynega: "We are striving to keep the enemy far from our borders."
In the Vovchansk direction of the Kharkiv region, our military continues its intensive efforts to contain the enemy and restrain its forces. In a new video from Ukrainian Witness, Oleksandr Shcherbina, commander of the 154th Separate Mechanized Brigade, shared how his brigade operates behind enemy lines and manages to keep Russian troops away from our border.
“The main task is to shift the combat operations onto enemy territory. We must not allow them to use reserves in Donbas,” Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Shcherbina begins. “If we observe enemy movements or activity, we immediately strike with fire. We must not allow them to construct new fortifications. We destroy any existing fortifications. We prevent their supply lines. And we try to keep them far from our borders. We will have to fight for a long time, to defend ourselves and to protect Europe. For centuries to come. And it's better to do this on their territory.”
The 154th Separate Mechanized Brigade has provided numerous videos showcasing its operations against enemy rear positions – destroying fortifications and buildings where enemy drone crews and equipment are hiding.
The brigade commander also discusses the advantages of the Kursk operation: “They claimed they would not withdraw reserves. But they did pull back their reserves and redirected them to the Kursk region. They intended to create a sanitary zone deep within Ukraine, but it turned out that we established the sanitary zone.” Although, according to Shcherbina, the situation there is complex and the enemy's superior forces are constantly maneuvering, our troops are successfully leveraging their defensive position.
The 154th Separate Mechanized Brigade has created conditions in the Vovchansk direction such that the enemy believes a strike group is forming near the border. Thus, the brigade has drawn a certain number of enemy forces and resources towards itself. It manages to hold back the onslaught from the Belgorod region using minefields and artillery, while drones conduct reconnaissance and simultaneous drops. “Where we stop the enemy, we dismantle them completely. The objective is to prevent them from approaching the line of combat engagement,” says Oleksandr Shcherbina. However, he notes that the enemy is also evolving: they have started using more drones, FPV drones are flying quite far, and there is increased involvement of military aviation and Shahed drones, along with remote mining operations.
The 154th Separate Mechanized Brigade was established in September 2023 and has since conducted significant work in selecting personnel from reserve units, consisting of soldiers who left their units without permission (AWOL). The brigade takes a compassionate approach towards such soldiers, considering various circumstances surrounding their offenses. There are also mobilized individuals in the brigade who were detained while attempting to cross the border illegally.
“We have a training area where we instruct our servicemen. The brigade has a group of instructors, servicemen with experience in various fields. We train our sappers, mechanized units, and motorized infantry units. We conduct drills at the training ground. We pay a lot of attention to this,” shares the brigade commander.
“When people join a unit with a positive atmosphere and motivation, they integrate into this organism.” The brigade's fighters readily confirm this and share their stories in videos.
Reference
Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Shcherbina is a colonel in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the commander of the 154th Separate Mechanized Brigade. He has risen through the ranks from platoon commander to brigade commander. In 2022, he returned to the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as part of the 57th Mechanized Brigade, was wounded, and after recovery in 2023, took command of the newly formed 154th Mechanized Brigade. He has been awarded several state honors, including the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky III class and the Order of Daniel of Galicia.
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