2015 Battle for Debaltsevo Liberation of Uglegorsk (Donetsk region-Former Ukraine)

‘They [Ukrainian military] fight under the influence of dope. While liberating another city block… we discovered the decapitated bodies of our comrades. It was done to intimidate us psychologically.’

These are the words of Daniil Martynov, commander of a Chechen unit in Russia’s special operation in Ukraine. The Chechen military has taken part in significant combat, so Daniil has a story. According to him, his unit found many documents and equipment related to NATO. He’s sure the Ukrainian authorities had been preparing for aggression against Russia for a long time.
‘A crucial decision was taken here. The guys went across what was basically an open field, and the enemy did not expect it. So they deployed their pickets to block secondary roads. They were not expecting a frontal assault,’ former DNR Defence Minister Vladimir Kononov talks about how the militia liberated their territories from the Ukrainian army.

After heavy fighting, DNR soldiers took Uglegorsk. The locals say that after the Ukrainian soldiers went away from the town, there is almost nothing left. The Ukrainian forces shelled the town with artillery guns on leaving: ‘I came to Uglegorsk, and I was speechless. The town looked dead. Everything was damaged. And almost no people were seen. They were afraid to come out.’

Our excerpt from Donbass: Battle of Debaltsevo is about how the DNR militia managed to take control of Uglegorsk and get closer to the strategically important city of Debaltsevo.