Ukrainian forces are still trying to retake Bakhmut in the east of the country, and a British broadcaster was given the opportunity to meet with an elite sniper unit carrying out night raids near the ruined city, the BBC reports.
Sniper commander Ghost takes the reporters to a base near the city. He tells that Ghost is his nickname – when the team started to terrorize the Russian occupiers, they called it Ghosts of Bakhmut. The sniper base is within range of the Russian artillery.
Ghost’s team consists of about 20 soldiers who have been operating around Bakhmut for the past six months,
often looking for high-profile targets. Asked how many Russians his team has killed, Ghost says the confirmed number is 524. Every shot is electronically logged.
Not everyone counts the occupiers killed. Kuzya, the shooter of that evening’s mission, says that there is nothing to be proud of. Kuzya worked in a factory before the war and says that he never liked weapons, but after the Russian invasion, he felt obliged to take them up.
Kuzya tests the US-made sniper rifle Barrett for the last time. “Each mission is dangerous, when we make a mistake the enemy can hit you.
Of course, I’m scared – only a fool wouldn’t be,” adds Kuzya.
Taras will accompany Kuzya on the mission. Driver Kusch will bring them as close to the front line as possible. From there, the two-man team will cover almost two kilometers on foot to reach the target. Ghost will remain at the base along with a newbie known as Brit. The youngest member of the team got his nickname after training in Great Britain.
As dusk descends, the team and journalists climb into an armored Humvee, and soldiers are taken to a location where they will continue on foot. Kusch says that part of the road is still under fire from Russian artillery. Crashes can be heard nearby.
The road leads by dozens of wrecked Ukrainian vehicles, which are less fortunate.
Kusch points out the minefields on both sides of the dirt road.
Twenty minutes later, the car stops at a ruined house. A two-man sniper team opens the door and quickly moves away behind the trees. On the way back, a louder explosion is heard and a flare is seen. The Humvee begins to shake even more. Kusch opens the door to look back and curses. When the destination is finally reached, the driver shows the BBC reporters a large piece of metal that has ripped through the tire.
It is dark and the shooting has stopped. At the base, the rest of the team anxiously watches the transmitters, waiting for news from the snipers. Kusch and Brit walk nervously. Ghost calls his seven-year-old daughter, and all can hear her telling her dad she loves him on speaker.
It’s a moment of normality, but Ghost tells that he’s taught his daughter how to strip a gun.
After seven hours, it’s time to go after the snipers. It’s still dark, but Kusch tries to drive by memory and doesn’t turn on the lights to avoid drawing attention. Returning to base, the relief is palpable.
During half a year, several of the team have been injured, including Commander Ghost. However, no one died. Ghost points out that one small team of snipers won’t win the war, and won’t bring Bakhmut back. However, they believe that their work matters.
Kusch says that psychological pressure is put on the enemy – every time a Russian soldier falls, they don’t hear their bullet and don’t know where it comes from.
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