"We do not need a sharp victory." A sincere interview with the Hero of Ukraine Sergey Ponomarenko about the war with the "superfluous and the pound" of the Russian Federation

In an interview with Radio NV, Ponomarenko said that after meeting with his unit, few of the enemies remain alive, as well as the destruction of the technique of "superfluent and pre -free state" and the capture of their tanks on "borders of arrogance and courage". - The battle for which you were awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. It was in Kharkiv region and then your unit burned at least nine enemy tanks.

- Yes, but I think there was much more equipment damaged, just in the heat of battle it is not always possible to calculate everything. Often the technique is damaged, disrupted over time is delayed, repaired and returned. We are talking about those that have been disabled completely and completely, without the opportunity to return to the system.

- How many enemy armored vehicles generally destroyed your unit? Do you count? - Now it is difficult to calculate, because constant departures, work, now use such a technique as shooting from closed fire positions. This is when you do not see the enemy directly, but the pilots raise the drone, watch, adjust the fire and say whether they are destroyed.

It is often the case that goals are affected in the forest, where it is impossible to clearly determine what is the technique, but in the presence of specific fire, you understand that you have hit that the technique is burning. - Tank troops have already been combined with unmanned aviation? - With aeronautics. -Not so long ago did your unit capture T-80 trophy tanks, I'm not mistaken? - So.

And recently, another enemy tank has been pulled out with the 95 brigade, which was something damaged, but, sure, it will be easily repaired and it will be in order. - Such trophies are armed in the unit that has taken them? -It happens differently. For example, the two T-80 cars that we captured the enemy handed over to the 93rd brigade, because this unit uses the T-80 tanks. And this, which was pulled out, T-72 went to the 95th brigade, because they needed them now.

- Share the trophies? - Of course, we do one thing. It doesn't matter who will work on this technique. The main thing is that the technique worked, benefits and approaches victory. - How effective are our tanks in the day of new technologies, high -precision weapons? - It is a fairly powerful fire power. First, you feel safe because it is protected by armor. If artillery shells are much calmer and easier in the tank. Secondly, it is a fairly precision weapon.

Often, I compare the tanks with a large caliber rifle. The tank shoots very well. And when you need to hit, for example, in some fortifications, where small inspection cracks, then the tank can be thrown, you can joke, in the window window. Specificity of the tank: you do not hear a shot when he shoots you. Immediately arrives, explodes, and then only catchs up with the shot. Therefore, tank shots usually become a very big surprise for the infantry.

And when they are caught by surprise, they cause maximum damage. - If you compare Russian and Ukrainian technique for you to say? What are the differences? -In Ukraine there is both T-80, T-64, and T-72, and T-84 wholesale. It cannot be said that all Russian tanks are better than Ukrainian. The fact that our enemy of these tanks is more. - But now it has become smaller as I understand. - At least three diminished and we have added with these squeezed, stolen (laughs - ed. ).

Or admire - I do not even know how to say properly, because the hobby happened on the verge of fiction - a mixture of courage and despair. Definitely, they [became] less and the amount of enemy equipment decreases rapidly. I hope that soon we are equal to [the number of] equipment and there will be no questions about the offensive on our part. - How was hostile tanks admiring? - One of the striking examples when we drove to the enemy's extreme positions to capture the tank.

They captured one that was somewhat damaged. As soon as they were attracted to his base, as we were informed that they were watching another tank standing on the road, almost in the enemy's positions, but for some reason left. Everyone said that it was not necessary to pick it up because it is a trap. And I hesitated for a long time. We planned about a day how to do it properly. Attracted our friends from the air intelligence.

When the battle began, the enemy tried to capture the neighboring settlement, we realized that they were somewhat distracted; They raised three quadcopters to find an ambush if it suddenly is; And on the verge of arrogance and courage, they jumped two tanks into their positions and until one car curtained an enemy tank and pulled it out, another made a cover, threw away smoke. By the way, even quadcopter videos kept the boys. Pretty beautiful.

We joke that watching this video, you can write techniques as it is done. The smokes were thrown, covered with departure. Two cars went forward, another way back, covering. When they realized that everything was safe, then another car turned around, and the front swing at full speed jumped. When we had already left two kilometers, the enemy shy that they pulled their combat car from under their nose and began to catch up with artillery fire. During the shelling, cables were cut off.

Two of our tanks, leaving hostile, left: "Everything, we will not go, we are covered, it is unrealistic. " To which I replied: "Well, guys, stop. We pulled it out of hell, and we will throw it halfway? Can not". He bent on the tank from above with a fourth crew member, spread the car, went to the tank again, again picked up on new ropes. And they pulled out. - Have you been on your armor? From the outside? - So. - But it is twice as dangerous? - But the work is done.

In general, war is a dangerous thing. The situations are different. It is necessary to make a decision and an example to give boys. When you are afraid and say "you go, and I will wait here", then definitely no one will go - this operation you planned? - So. - Was the tank without a crew? - He was without a crew and absolutely whole. This is most likely the machine that was used on parades on Red Square. The tank gun in this tank did not make any shot.

I understand that it was incorrectly refilled because there were water remains in the fuel. He has the enemy. They dragged him to the safe, as they were given, where no one would get it. - Did you see prisoners of Russian tankers? - Our unit - no. Usually, prisoners do not take tankers, because during the tank battle, few remain alive after we work. In the immediate vicinity of the small -scale, tank units do not lead. - I wanted to ask about motivation.

What are the moods of our fighters on the front line? - Our fighters are very motivated. I often draw parallels since 2014, when the war has not affected every citizen of Ukraine. At that time, there were a lot of mobilized, those who were caught and sent to the military enlistment offices. Very often the guys asked the question: “What are we doing here? And do we really do everything right? Why should it be? ”. Now is the straight opposite.

All guys are clearly aware of their importance and their role in this war. And every day they want and try to live with benefit. -The technique we receive from our partners, for example, upgraded T-82, differ significantly from what we have in service? - I can't say anything about this, because this technique has not got into the unit. It is a pity that there are no thermal imaging sights on most of the equipment.

This would help us and would allow us to work not only during the daylight, but also in the dark. But in the end, the technique is not as important as motivation. Even if we give way to something, then we compensate for it with excess desires and perseverance of guys. It can be a state -of -the -art technique, but if a person does not care for it, does not serve and does not try to use the full potential in time, then it is worthless.

If the technology is serviced in a timely manner, it is prepared for departure, if the crew thoroughly studies all the possibilities of this technique, tries to use them, mostly successfully, then the preference will be on the side of the avid. - Did you see the most modern technique? Oplot tanks, for example. -T-84 is in the unit. - Is he really as effective as they write about him? - He is very cool.

Only an example will give you what is worth the sensors that stand around the perimeter of the machine. They allow you to fix when the enemy makes a laser measure. It is very cool - it is almost impossible to ambush. The example was. Under one of the settlements it was necessary to work out. Only the tank left for the forest strip, as the system immediately worked and indicated that it was noticed, and already aimed at it.

This made it possible, first, to find the ambush of the enemy, because visually the technique was not observed, and the system worked. And the second is to keep the crew. It is no wonder that the greatest value in the war is people, soldiers. And whatever the technique is cool, but if you do not use it, then it is childless. - There is a lot of talk about Ukraine to receive Western tanks - German or American Abrams. Are you ready for that? - Absolutely.

It would be cool for the technique to be of better quality and with more opportunities - it has accelerated and improved work. - How long does it take to train a qualified tank? - I do not think there will be great differences, so to master the specifics of the technique, I do not think that you need more than a month. A tank is a tank. All the plus minus is equally difference in the place of certain management tools or any additional capabilities. - The enemy tries to take the number.

The main battles occur in the east of Ukraine, but the south also intensified. Do you have ideas like the commander, how do you confront? - Now very cool tactics are used and it gives its results. With the help of long -range artillery, the enemy ammunition depots are destroyed. As a direct participant in this process, which feels the enemy shelling, I can say with a clear certainty that it is very effective.

After the destruction of a number of ammunition warehouses, the number of shelling has significantly reduced the enemy, as well as their activity. In certain sections of the Armed Forces, they begin to slowly move to the offensive. The enemy, realizing that he has much less, having low motivation, begins to leave his position and retreat. Therefore, it is a cool tactic that is dramatically changed at this time, because they are still quantitatively exceeding [us].

Therefore, you need to do so that their number is incapacitated. - We saw you a large -scale crime - the murder of Mariupol defenders in Olenivka. What feelings does it cause you like a soldier? - There are no feelings, feelings for the enemy. They cannot be treated as people. The word "man" cannot be applied to them. And this is not only about defenders and a terrorist attack in Olenivka. It is also a traffic in maternity hospitals, it is rocket strokes on clinics.

These are creatures that are not inherent in nothing human. Sooner or later all wars end. And someone will have to sit at the negotiation table with representatives of this intention. I can't imagine how it will happen. As someone can speak with such hypocritical and low creatures, not people. - What is the superior to be done by our country to win? - Everything happens very well. This scenario seems correct. We cannot [get] a sharp victory. First, the nuclear potential [Russia] is quite powerful.

And, as for me, we must do everything gradually, so that at the level of the subconscious our enemy has already lost this war. When they are aware of it, then they can physically press them. If there is a sharp offensive operation and a sharp victory, God knows that he has in his head. [Nuclear] danger really exists. Therefore, what is happening now is the constant, systematic destruction of absolutely all military potential, the destruction of the enemy's economy.