Reconnaissance troopers “Made in Polissya”
September 18, 2010 // “Narodna Armiya”
Battalion Commander’s green SUV was hopping the forest road. He wished the vehicle could move faster, but the rugged terrain and sharp turns did not allow that happen… In his head, LTC of the Guards Valentyn Tkach was designing a plan to test his scouts.
The units of his battalion were out in the field. The guards assembled their 15-kilogram kits and moved to the assigned areas – each unit’s own. The only thing they had in common was the distance from their permanent base in Novograd-Volynsky: approximately 35 kilometers.
Once there, the scouts set up a small camp. The work began humming. Aside of organizing places for rest, food, and weapons storage, the most important task is proper guards mounting and installing of the alarm system. Given the peacetime nature of the exercise, the scouts have to hide from the local population and from… the battalion Commander on his inspection raid…
The Commander looked at the odometer. Right! It’s 30 kilometers from the permanent base. The Commander smiled: “Like I didn’t know my boys! No doubt, the vehicle had been spotted… Let’s see how unit leaders trained their soldiers!”
The vehicle slows down to 20kmh anticipating a sharp curve ahead. That’s when the SUV was attacked by “raiders” - camouflage cloaks, faces painted, and weapons ready. It took them just a few seconds to capture the vehicle. The battalion Commander feels happy: their training is superb. Their predecessors from the Guards motorcycle battalion have been acting with the same speed and teamwork when they crossed the Prut, fought for Pomerania, Berlin…
Created in 1943, the 87 separate motorcycle battalion was tried by fire in the Kursk battle. In less than a year – on 24 April, 1944 – the battalion was bestowed the title of Prut Battalion for bravery and heroism demonstrated by its soldiers during border-crossing and crossing of the Prut river. The unit became Guards battalion after the Lublin operation. The battalion was awarder the Order of Alexander Nevsky for its participation in the liberation of Warsaw. Finally, it received the title of Pomeranian Battalion following its successful operations in the German Pomerania.
Today, the unit’s full name is 54 separate Prut-Pomeranian, Orders of Alexander Nevsky, Mikhail Kutizov, Bohdan Khmelnitsky battalion. The unit is part of the Joint Rapid Response Force.
The unit’s personnel take active part in various exercises within both the Army Corps and the entire Ground Forces. A group of eight most experienced scouts headed by long-range reconnaissance company commander Capt. Ruslan Kosinsky took part in the best reconnaissance party challenge held in Belarus this June. Both Ukraine and Russia were represented by a single team for each country, whereas Belarus - as the host nation – presented nine teams. The Ukrainian long-range reconnaissance troopers performed more than decently even in such unfair conditions.
And that is natural, given the glorious combat traditions now maintained by the Guards. During the USSR era, hundreds of battalion’s personnel served in Afghanistan and other countries; a number of soldiers distinguished themselves in various peacekeeping operations of our time.
The unit has advanced physical training program, allowing the servicemen to stay in good shape. Hand to hand combat shows staged on regular basis in Novagrad-Volynsky, other towns of Zhytomyr region make a good campaign for service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
… At dawn, faces swollen from mosquito stings and no traces left, the reconnaissance parties clear the area and move through swamps and woods. Avoiding the field roads, they move to the indicated zone. The hard part was yet to come. Ten kilometers short of the target area, deputy battalion commander Major of the Guards Ignat Talko ordered a battle march. There was no time to rest and prepare.
The most important attribute of this exercise is time, which is stopped when the last soldier completes it. This is how the scouts develop their teamwork and combat fraternity, when the stronger man helps the weaker one.
However, it wasn’t only running that the scouts were busy with at the end of the field exercise. The beautiful scenery of the Slouch River and its rocky banks inspired some mountain training, whereas the river’s rapid stream invited to cross it…
Among the soldiers who showed best results in the tactical exercise were: First Lieutenant of the Guards Artur Zaluzhby, First Sergeant Vitaly Hrodsky, Sergeant Serhiy Halash, Private Bohdan Cherpyt, and conscription soldiers Serhiy Sneider, Artur Bondarenko, and Yuri Levchenko.
Noteworthy is the fact that two female medics went through the hardship of the tactical exercise alongside with the men. Sergeant of the Guards Natalia Inter and Junior Sergeant of the Guards Natalia Cherednichenko have walked tens of kilometers on reconnaissance trails. The battalion’s policy says there’s no privilege to men, women, soldiers or senior officers.
The units of his battalion were out in the field. The guards assembled their 15-kilogram kits and moved to the assigned areas – each unit’s own. The only thing they had in common was the distance from their permanent base in Novograd-Volynsky: approximately 35 kilometers.
Once there, the scouts set up a small camp. The work began humming. Aside of organizing places for rest, food, and weapons storage, the most important task is proper guards mounting and installing of the alarm system. Given the peacetime nature of the exercise, the scouts have to hide from the local population and from… the battalion Commander on his inspection raid…
The Commander looked at the odometer. Right! It’s 30 kilometers from the permanent base. The Commander smiled: “Like I didn’t know my boys! No doubt, the vehicle had been spotted… Let’s see how unit leaders trained their soldiers!”
The vehicle slows down to 20kmh anticipating a sharp curve ahead. That’s when the SUV was attacked by “raiders” - camouflage cloaks, faces painted, and weapons ready. It took them just a few seconds to capture the vehicle. The battalion Commander feels happy: their training is superb. Their predecessors from the Guards motorcycle battalion have been acting with the same speed and teamwork when they crossed the Prut, fought for Pomerania, Berlin…
Created in 1943, the 87 separate motorcycle battalion was tried by fire in the Kursk battle. In less than a year – on 24 April, 1944 – the battalion was bestowed the title of Prut Battalion for bravery and heroism demonstrated by its soldiers during border-crossing and crossing of the Prut river. The unit became Guards battalion after the Lublin operation. The battalion was awarder the Order of Alexander Nevsky for its participation in the liberation of Warsaw. Finally, it received the title of Pomeranian Battalion following its successful operations in the German Pomerania.
Today, the unit’s full name is 54 separate Prut-Pomeranian, Orders of Alexander Nevsky, Mikhail Kutizov, Bohdan Khmelnitsky battalion. The unit is part of the Joint Rapid Response Force.
The unit’s personnel take active part in various exercises within both the Army Corps and the entire Ground Forces. A group of eight most experienced scouts headed by long-range reconnaissance company commander Capt. Ruslan Kosinsky took part in the best reconnaissance party challenge held in Belarus this June. Both Ukraine and Russia were represented by a single team for each country, whereas Belarus - as the host nation – presented nine teams. The Ukrainian long-range reconnaissance troopers performed more than decently even in such unfair conditions.
And that is natural, given the glorious combat traditions now maintained by the Guards. During the USSR era, hundreds of battalion’s personnel served in Afghanistan and other countries; a number of soldiers distinguished themselves in various peacekeeping operations of our time.
The unit has advanced physical training program, allowing the servicemen to stay in good shape. Hand to hand combat shows staged on regular basis in Novagrad-Volynsky, other towns of Zhytomyr region make a good campaign for service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
… At dawn, faces swollen from mosquito stings and no traces left, the reconnaissance parties clear the area and move through swamps and woods. Avoiding the field roads, they move to the indicated zone. The hard part was yet to come. Ten kilometers short of the target area, deputy battalion commander Major of the Guards Ignat Talko ordered a battle march. There was no time to rest and prepare.
The most important attribute of this exercise is time, which is stopped when the last soldier completes it. This is how the scouts develop their teamwork and combat fraternity, when the stronger man helps the weaker one.
However, it wasn’t only running that the scouts were busy with at the end of the field exercise. The beautiful scenery of the Slouch River and its rocky banks inspired some mountain training, whereas the river’s rapid stream invited to cross it…
Among the soldiers who showed best results in the tactical exercise were: First Lieutenant of the Guards Artur Zaluzhby, First Sergeant Vitaly Hrodsky, Sergeant Serhiy Halash, Private Bohdan Cherpyt, and conscription soldiers Serhiy Sneider, Artur Bondarenko, and Yuri Levchenko.
Noteworthy is the fact that two female medics went through the hardship of the tactical exercise alongside with the men. Sergeant of the Guards Natalia Inter and Junior Sergeant of the Guards Natalia Cherednichenko have walked tens of kilometers on reconnaissance trails. The battalion’s policy says there’s no privilege to men, women, soldiers or senior officers.
