1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:05,240 This programme contains scenes which some viewers may find upsetting 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 3 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:06,760 and very strong language 4 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 5 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:20,520 Six miles from the front line in southern Ukraine, 6 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:23,160 I've been invited to watch this artillery unit 7 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:25,320 as they try and destroy a Russian tank. 8 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:36,680 Even closer to the front line, 9 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:39,440 this drone operator's watching from the air, 10 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:41,840 helping the gunners hit their target. 11 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:57,280 When Russia first invaded Ukraine, many - including the Russians - 12 00:00:57,280 --> 00:00:59,840 thought that this war would be over in days. 13 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:04,000 But we're now five months in, 14 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,880 and the Ukrainians are still fighting back. 15 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:10,040 Some say they're actually winning. 16 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:19,400 There's no doubt that foreign weapons, 17 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:21,240 like these American howitzers, 18 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:22,880 are making a big difference... 19 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:30,840 ..but they alone don't explain how this young country is holding off 20 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:33,320 one of the biggest armies in the world. 21 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:49,120 Some bastards are dead today. 22 00:02:50,920 --> 00:02:55,480 Mykolaiv sits right on the edge of Ukraine's southern front. 23 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:05,800 A few miles down this road is the front line 24 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:08,880 and a battle that could decide the fate of the war. 25 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:13,760 Russia's invasion reached as far as Mykolaiv's 26 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:16,240 neighbouring city, Kherson, 27 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:18,720 but Mykolaiv stopped the advance. 28 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:24,360 Now, every day, Russian forces pound Mykolaiv 29 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:26,400 with artillery and rocket fire... 30 00:03:29,080 --> 00:03:31,840 ..hitting both military and civilian targets... 31 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:39,400 ..and sowing fear in the residents that remain. 32 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:49,080 If Russian forces succeed in capturing Mykolaiv, 33 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:52,120 the fear is they could then sweep west, 34 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:54,320 cut Ukraine off from the sea 35 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:58,240 and take control of the ports that support the national economy. 36 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:04,000 It'd be the beginning of the end for Ukraine. 37 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:13,080 But despite months of this punishment, 38 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:16,960 Mykolaiv - like the country - is still fighting back. 39 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:22,160 And the question remains, how is this possible? 40 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:29,160 I've been offered a trip to the front line, to see for myself 41 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:33,640 how the Ukrainians are holding off this Russian advance. 42 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:37,280 But before I leave, I meet Mykolaiv's regional governor, 43 00:04:37,280 --> 00:04:39,200 Vitaliy Kim. 44 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:42,960 He says there's something I should see before I go. 45 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:46,280 He told me to turn my phone off so it couldn't be tracked 46 00:04:46,280 --> 00:04:49,680 and invited me to join him on a trip across town. 47 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:51,280 You can stop filming. 48 00:04:59,280 --> 00:05:01,800 Down an anonymous, unmarked street, 49 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:04,920 Kim leads me into an old derelict factory. 50 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:13,480 Inside is an improvised war room, 51 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:17,160 with about a dozen intelligence officers watching the war play out 52 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:19,760 on their screens in real time. 53 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:26,680 Kim introduced me to the centre's manager, Yaroslav. 54 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:26,920 And there's more going on here than just intelligence work. 55 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:32,200 So, what is this thing? 56 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:33,960 It's a strike drone... 57 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:39,040 ..which can... which can burn things, 58 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:40,400 which can kill things. 59 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:42,600 We have three bombs. 60 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:47,320 This drone is really loud and really big, 61 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:50,280 so we can work only in night. 62 00:06:50,280 --> 00:06:54,960 We are trying to use it three or four times per week. 63 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:56,920 Yeah. 64 00:06:56,920 --> 00:06:59,200 But you need to sleep, 65 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:01,360 so it's comparison - 66 00:07:01,360 --> 00:07:03,560 to kill somebody or to sleep a little. 67 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:08,960 As well as working in intelligence, 68 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:11,720 the people here are using 3D printers 69 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:14,400 to make plastic noses and fins 70 00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:17,680 and fitting them to old Soviet grenades and mortars. 71 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:23,320 Then they adapt drones and use them to drop these improvised bombs 72 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:25,480 on Russian tanks and soldiers. 73 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:32,520 But the most striking thing about this place 74 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:35,440 is not what these people are doing. 75 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:36,760 It's who they are. 76 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:40,160 Olexiy isn't a soldier. 77 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:45,720 He's actually an architect with his own business in Kyiv. 78 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:50,440 And this whole centre is staffed and run entirely by people like him - 79 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:54,160 non-military volunteers with little or no training. 80 00:07:55,920 --> 00:07:59,840 Russians started to kill my nation. 81 00:07:59,840 --> 00:08:04,720 I have a possibility to protect them, 82 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:09,560 and the only way to protect them is to kill an enemy, 83 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:11,200 is to kill Russian. 84 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:16,200 That's why I'm doing this. 85 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:24,960 I have good education, some mechanics, cartography, 86 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:29,080 computer technology, and I'm a patriot. 87 00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:36,520 The interests of my country and of my nation 88 00:08:36,520 --> 00:08:41,240 are higher than my personal interests. 89 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,200 That's why I'm not an architect now. 90 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:49,000 I'm a soldier now. 91 00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:55,360 In conflicts I've covered in the past, 92 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:58,760 there's normally a clear distinction between the civilian population 93 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:00,200 and the armed forces. 94 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:04,480 But here, the lines are being blurred... 95 00:09:05,560 --> 00:09:08,200 ..and not just in this intelligence centre. 96 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:20,560 Roman Kostenko used to be a commander 97 00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:22,640 in Ukraine's special forces. 98 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:29,800 But in 2019, he was elected as an MP in the Ukrainian parliament. 99 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:38,600 When Russia invaded his home city of Kherson, 100 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:42,720 he immediately hung up his suit in Kyiv and set up this base 101 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:46,480 to recruit volunteers to go to the front line and fight. 102 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:52,040 Russian soldiers are right now occupying his family home, 103 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:53,440 just 50 miles away. 104 00:09:59,680 --> 00:10:02,720 Is it where you keep cold drinks? 105 00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:03,760 Yes. 106 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:14,520 Javelin. 107 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:21,120 Roman's a bit of a celebrity in Ukraine. 108 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:25,560 He's won medals for bravery and is often on TV speaking on behalf 109 00:10:25,560 --> 00:10:27,480 of the Ukrainian military. 110 00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:35,200 But in this war, his relationship with the army is more complicated. 111 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:38,560 He may be back working with Ukraine's special forces, 112 00:10:38,560 --> 00:10:42,000 but he runs his own missions with his own units... 113 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:50,240 ..and he's offered to sneak me past the checkpoints 114 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:52,720 to meet one of these groups on the front line. 115 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:48,880 Approaching the front line, 116 00:11:48,880 --> 00:11:52,640 the biggest threat now is being spotted by Russian drones. 117 00:11:56,560 --> 00:12:02,000 Their Orlan drone is noisy, but it can spend up to 16 hours in the air 118 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:03,960 hunting for enemy targets. 119 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:08,640 The drone pilot can then communicate the target's location 120 00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:13,680 to nearby Russian artillery, who are standing by to fire. 121 00:12:23,280 --> 00:12:27,760 We're now the only car on this road and close to the front. 122 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:29,640 We make an obvious target. 123 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:34,600 Then we get a radio call from up ahead, 124 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:36,600 from the commander we're going to meet. 125 00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:19,280 This drone, Orlan, it was in the air. 126 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:20,800 You can hear it immediately. 127 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:23,640 We were moving and the shelling was chasing us. 128 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:26,560 Therefore, we decided to come here, to meet you, 129 00:13:26,560 --> 00:13:29,120 to not endanger you from the first minute. 130 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:32,920 We will have 24 hours for that, so you will get your portion. 131 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:34,400 Don't worry. 132 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:38,960 We spend about 20 minutes in the village. 133 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:45,200 The drone that was chasing Hummer is almost certainly still in the air, 134 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:48,040 but Roman decides to make a run for the base. 135 00:15:02,920 --> 00:15:06,000 This group of seven men has been living in this abandoned village 136 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:07,360 for six weeks... 137 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:11,600 ..and Hummer is responsible for their safety. 138 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:17,680 He grew up in an army camp and has 15 years' military experience. 139 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:20,880 But most of the others are rookies 140 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:23,240 who've never served in the army before. 141 00:15:24,360 --> 00:15:27,240 One just quit his job in advertising. 142 00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:30,840 Another sold rugs for luxury cars. 143 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:32,280 Until a few months ago, 144 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:35,440 Lys was working as a sailor on container ships 145 00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:38,040 before he fled his home city of Kherson. 146 00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:48,040 I don't like all what's happened, 147 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:53,360 and that is why I tell you I hope we will finish this war soon 148 00:15:53,360 --> 00:15:58,360 and the whole world will know what is the real Russian... 149 00:15:58,360 --> 00:16:02,200 ..what is the Russian Federation. This is killers... 150 00:16:04,760 --> 00:16:06,840 ..and...motherfuckers. 151 00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:08,640 Excuse me. 152 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:17,920 This unit has been attacking Russian soldiers using small mortars, 153 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:22,800 but they've never had the firepower to destroy their heavy weapons. 154 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:25,360 Today's delivery could change that. 155 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:29,760 These heavy shells from the Czech Republic 156 00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:33,240 are three times more powerful, enough to destroy a tank. 157 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:38,920 The hunt is now on for new, bigger targets. 158 00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:10,360 The next morning, two mortar teams and Lys - the drone pilot - 159 00:17:10,360 --> 00:17:14,120 are heading to different locations to launch a large joint attack 160 00:17:14,120 --> 00:17:16,800 on a nearby Russian position. 161 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:29,880 Let's go. 162 00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:48,920 OK, guys, jump in. 163 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:52,800 Huh? 164 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:00,360 Now we are going to... 165 00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:05,600 ..use our firing forces, all our firing means, 166 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:10,360 against the enemy's position - to push them back as much as we can. 167 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:45,040 The enemy has unlimited amount of the ammunition, 168 00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:49,320 so they can afford to shoot just randomly, everywhere, 169 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:50,960 once in several minutes. 170 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:52,880 We cannot do that. We... 171 00:18:52,880 --> 00:18:55,480 Every round, every mortar should go to the target. 172 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:59,400 And in order to do that, we need to have presence in the sky. 173 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:04,640 This is a present for our friends from England. 174 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:12,160 We show them how we work and how we protect our home. 175 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:16,800 For the last few weeks, Hummer's group has been attacking 176 00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:20,160 this position just across the fields. 177 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:23,080 It's manned by about 60 Russian paratroopers 178 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:27,160 who've dug themselves into a network of trenches and foxholes. 179 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:31,680 It's one of hundreds of outposts that stretch for miles, 180 00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:34,400 forming Russia's first line of defence. 181 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:41,720 Before today, the group could only target the soldiers. 182 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:45,440 But now, armed with heavy mortars, they're aiming to destroy 183 00:19:45,440 --> 00:19:49,640 the Russian weapon that Hummer and the group fear most - 184 00:19:49,640 --> 00:19:52,080 the tank that's hidden in these trees. 185 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:04,040 From the moment the first shell is fired, Hummer's got six minutes 186 00:20:04,040 --> 00:20:07,120 before the Russians can start locating this position 187 00:20:07,120 --> 00:20:08,600 and fire back. 188 00:20:22,120 --> 00:20:25,160 The first shell lands 300 metres long, 189 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:28,160 and Lys radios in the coordinates 190 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:30,000 to try and get the next one on target. 191 00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:55,200 The second shell lands closer, just 30 metres from the tank. 192 00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:12,160 They've now used up more than half their time. 193 00:21:20,440 --> 00:21:24,080 The third shell lands further away and in the other direction. 194 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:56,080 It looks like something's wrong with the mortar tube itself... 195 00:21:56,080 --> 00:21:57,280 Let's go. 196 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:00,480 ..but six minutes is up and Hummer's out of time. 197 00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:06,160 Now, we're the target. 198 00:22:10,360 --> 00:22:14,400 The fear is that the Russians can now pinpoint this position. 199 00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:34,200 I don't like movement during this time. 200 00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:03,280 For Hummer, this return fire from a tank is getting too close. 201 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:08,600 He decides we have to break cover 202 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:11,240 and get across the road to a deeper ditch. 203 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:25,840 Guys, have a seat here. 204 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:34,480 As deep as poss-... 205 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:40,840 This is the most dangerous thing in this war... 206 00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:46,000 ..to cut your ass with the bushes! 207 00:23:49,320 --> 00:23:52,320 Hummer's been fighting for five months. 208 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:53,840 The day the war started, 209 00:23:53,840 --> 00:23:57,760 he sent his wife and three young children abroad for safety. 210 00:23:57,760 --> 00:23:59,760 He hasn't seen them since. 211 00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:05,200 I'm fighting for my country, for my family, for my identity. 212 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:11,360 I grew up in Soviet Union, and it was like, kind of a shame in Ukraine 213 00:24:11,360 --> 00:24:13,640 to be Ukrainian. 214 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:17,000 Ukrainian language, it wasn't forbidden, you could speak, 215 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:20,680 but people will treat you not equal person to the Russian 216 00:24:20,680 --> 00:24:23,000 if you speak Ukrainian. 217 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:27,360 They were trying to convince us that it was not such a nation, Ukraine, 218 00:24:27,360 --> 00:24:31,880 it was invented by the West against Russia, blah, blah, blah. 219 00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:33,560 It was all bullshit, 220 00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:39,200 that only Russia is the real...kind of historical nation in this region, 221 00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:43,960 blah, blah, blah. You know, we are fake, all this bullshit. 222 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:46,120 And they are still trying to do it, to continue. 223 00:24:46,120 --> 00:24:48,680 Nevertheless, we have like, 30 years of independence, 224 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:53,240 we have still a lot of Russian influence in Ukraine, you know? 225 00:24:56,360 --> 00:24:58,320 We will win this war, definitely, 226 00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:02,160 but the problem is, how many lives will it take more, this war, 227 00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:04,040 to get, to reach our goal? 228 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:09,200 And everybody understands that we will win, but nobody wants to be 229 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:11,800 this person who will not see the victory, you know? 230 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:15,000 Even me. 231 00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:26,320 Hummer's got enough shells for one more attempt to destroy the tank. 232 00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:44,440 The heavy mortar may have missed the tank, 233 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:48,160 but the other unit - using smaller shells - got a lot closer. 234 00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:35,040 These smaller mortars could only have disabled the tank. 235 00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:37,640 If they want to destroy these kind of big weapons, 236 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:39,760 they'll need the larger mortar. 237 00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:42,920 And that's now broken. 238 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:46,840 As this is a volunteer unit, no-one here knows how to fix it. 239 00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:28,480 I could feel Hummer's frustration. 240 00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:31,640 In the regular army, he could have just given this to engineers 241 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:33,760 and told them to fix it. 242 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:36,720 His new group of volunteers might be committed, 243 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:38,840 but they're not used to obeying orders. 244 00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:54,880 The broken mortar may be holding Hummer's team back, 245 00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:58,800 but in Mykolaiv, the war is tilting in a new direction. 246 00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:04,160 For the first time since the invasion, 247 00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:08,040 Ukraine is going on the offensive, launching a counterattack 248 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:11,640 to retake Mykolaiv's neighbouring city, Kherson. 249 00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:21,200 Kherson is the only regional capital to be captured and held by Russia, 250 00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:24,320 and retaking it could change the course of the war. 251 00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:53,720 This offensive is being made possible by the arrival 252 00:29:53,720 --> 00:29:58,040 of powerful new missiles from America known as HIMARS. 253 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:04,520 These weapons are so accurate, they can fire 200 pounds of explosives 254 00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:06,560 through a window 50 miles away... 255 00:30:07,640 --> 00:30:09,960 ..and Russia has nothing to match it. 256 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:18,080 And they've already begun destroying key bridges, supply routes 257 00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:21,840 and ammunition stores far behind Russian lines 258 00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:25,880 to prepare the ground for the Ukrainian attack on Kherson. 259 00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:41,000 At Mykolaiv's intelligence HQ, 260 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:44,200 the hunt is now on for fresh Russian targets. 261 00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:02,800 In the hunt for HIMARS targets, some of the most valuable intelligence 262 00:31:02,800 --> 00:31:05,720 doesn't come from drones but from spies - 263 00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:08,840 civilian informants behind Russian lines 264 00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:12,080 who secretly communicate with people like Daryna. 265 00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:18,760 Until a few months ago, she was a secondary school teacher in Kherson. 266 00:34:14,800 --> 00:34:18,960 News of the counteroffensive has reached Hummer and his men. 267 00:34:18,960 --> 00:34:22,960 Their morale is high, but the routine's the same. 268 00:34:22,960 --> 00:34:25,360 Every day, they're out in the fields, 269 00:34:25,360 --> 00:34:27,400 attacking the Russian paratroopers. 270 00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:34,560 But they're tired. And it's starting to show. 271 00:35:56,040 --> 00:35:58,360 Lys's adjustments aren't helping. 272 00:35:58,360 --> 00:36:01,120 Every round is landing further from the target. 273 00:37:01,480 --> 00:37:05,640 Every shell was off target and no-one seems to know why. 274 00:40:06,720 --> 00:40:10,760 By the next morning, no-one's thinking about the argument. 275 00:40:10,760 --> 00:40:13,160 The unit has received new orders. 276 00:40:38,920 --> 00:40:43,320 The whole group is being redeployed to one of the main launching points 277 00:40:43,320 --> 00:40:45,920 for the Ukrainian attack on Kherson. 278 00:40:49,880 --> 00:40:55,640 It's like, no, we cannot imagine south of Ukraine without Kherson. 279 00:40:55,640 --> 00:40:59,040 Kherson, for us, it's primary goal. 280 00:40:59,040 --> 00:41:00,840 Strategically, it's very important. 281 00:41:00,840 --> 00:41:03,320 And as soon as we get Kherson, 282 00:41:03,320 --> 00:41:07,320 we understand that all south of Ukraine is liberated. 283 00:41:13,760 --> 00:41:18,240 We're going to the place where another team is operating. 284 00:41:18,240 --> 00:41:21,920 And guys are hearing that there is some kind of advances ongoing there. 285 00:41:21,920 --> 00:41:25,160 Maybe we will be more useful there. 286 00:41:25,160 --> 00:41:28,360 This is a kind of first step to see the new area of operation, 287 00:41:28,360 --> 00:41:32,240 and maybe we will get more results there and we will be more useful. 288 00:41:35,360 --> 00:41:37,800 Do you feel you're in the right place, doing the right thing? 289 00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:40,520 I believe so, yes. I really believe so. 290 00:41:40,520 --> 00:41:43,600 I was 11 years, like, civilian. It's still in my blood. 291 00:41:43,600 --> 00:41:45,680 It's still in my mind. 292 00:41:45,680 --> 00:41:49,440 I was quite good at it back in the time, 293 00:41:49,440 --> 00:41:50,840 and I know that... 294 00:41:54,600 --> 00:41:57,560 ..I can do it better than others. And... 295 00:41:58,960 --> 00:42:02,200 ..me being here gives a chance to the guy who doesn't know 296 00:42:02,200 --> 00:42:03,480 what he is doing. 297 00:42:05,400 --> 00:42:08,440 Hummer's unit has been tasked with supporting another group 298 00:42:08,440 --> 00:42:10,200 of inexperienced soldiers, 299 00:42:10,200 --> 00:42:14,320 one made up of volunteers from the police force. 300 00:42:14,320 --> 00:42:18,960 Just weeks ago, they were giving out speeding fines and parking tickets. 301 00:42:18,960 --> 00:42:22,560 Now, they're heading to the front line. 302 00:42:22,560 --> 00:42:25,960 The police chief decided to create among the police 303 00:42:25,960 --> 00:42:27,880 some kind of battle unit, you know, 304 00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:32,400 who will take part in the advanced and offensive operations. 305 00:42:33,440 --> 00:42:38,160 Few of these police volunteers have served in the army before, 306 00:42:38,160 --> 00:42:42,080 and one of them is Hummer's younger brother. 307 00:42:42,080 --> 00:42:43,760 My brother is part of this unit. 308 00:42:43,760 --> 00:42:48,440 And yesterday, they started to move from Odesa to this place. 309 00:42:48,440 --> 00:42:52,440 All of them police officers, they are volunteers. 310 00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:53,480 So... 311 00:42:54,640 --> 00:42:56,560 ..one of the purposes is to check... 312 00:42:58,000 --> 00:42:59,560 ..that they will be used... 313 00:43:01,120 --> 00:43:02,280 ..in proper way. 314 00:43:10,800 --> 00:43:14,160 The small town of Bereznehuvate 315 00:43:14,160 --> 00:43:18,080 sits on the edge of Mykolaiv's border with Kherson Region. 316 00:43:18,080 --> 00:43:20,720 It's from here that much of the counter-offensive 317 00:43:20,720 --> 00:43:22,040 is being launched. 318 00:43:35,480 --> 00:43:39,400 Roman's in town to help co-ordinate the operation. 319 00:43:39,400 --> 00:43:43,600 His units will all be supporting the police volunteers as they mount 320 00:43:43,600 --> 00:43:47,320 one of the first ground offensives in the battle for Kherson. 321 00:44:12,080 --> 00:44:15,000 Some of the police units have already begun an assault 322 00:44:15,000 --> 00:44:17,080 on the Russian front line. 323 00:44:17,080 --> 00:44:21,080 Their first objective is to retake the heavily defended village 324 00:44:21,080 --> 00:44:22,400 of Andriivka. 325 00:44:50,640 --> 00:44:53,200 This assault on Andriivka has already left 326 00:44:53,200 --> 00:44:56,840 one police volunteer dead and four others injured. 327 00:44:59,720 --> 00:45:05,720 They expect to start...offensive operation in two days again... 328 00:45:05,720 --> 00:45:06,760 Da. 329 00:45:08,200 --> 00:45:11,200 ..with my brother, to send my brother... 330 00:45:11,200 --> 00:45:16,040 ..to storm this fort and take over these villages, 331 00:45:16,040 --> 00:45:17,840 which is covered with, like... 332 00:45:19,240 --> 00:45:22,760 ..I don't know, hundreds of enemy troops. 333 00:45:25,360 --> 00:45:27,880 No. 334 00:45:35,960 --> 00:45:38,000 They all not experienced. 335 00:45:39,200 --> 00:45:41,320 They haven't been in combat yet. 336 00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:46,120 They've been trained in some range back in Odesa, 337 00:45:46,120 --> 00:45:48,600 and now they're sent here to assault. 338 00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:05,080 This unit's lack of basic weaponry and training 339 00:47:05,080 --> 00:47:08,040 is exactly what Hummer didn't want to hear. 340 00:47:24,360 --> 00:47:28,040 We're going to the position of a mortar, of patrol police. 341 00:47:30,800 --> 00:47:32,600 Hummer says he wants to show me 342 00:47:32,600 --> 00:47:36,360 one of the police's front line positions, but I'm pretty sure 343 00:47:36,360 --> 00:47:38,280 he just wants to see for himself 344 00:47:38,280 --> 00:47:41,080 what his brother was letting himself in for. 345 00:47:45,920 --> 00:47:50,040 We drive way out of town, and so we reach what I later realised 346 00:47:50,040 --> 00:47:54,880 was the zero line - the furthest point of any Ukrainian soldiers. 347 00:47:57,320 --> 00:48:00,000 This is the battle for Andriivka, 348 00:48:00,000 --> 00:48:03,440 part of the first ground offensive to retake Kherson. 349 00:48:38,080 --> 00:48:40,840 That was a tank firing on this position. 350 00:48:43,320 --> 00:48:45,720 As usual, they take two shots. 351 00:48:45,720 --> 00:48:48,960 We're waiting for a second shot. 352 00:49:15,680 --> 00:49:18,840 How many days have you been here? 353 00:49:18,840 --> 00:49:20,640 Mm-hm. 354 00:49:24,440 --> 00:49:25,840 About three weeks. 355 00:49:27,280 --> 00:49:28,680 Yeah. 356 00:49:28,680 --> 00:49:29,960 Sleeping here? 357 00:49:29,960 --> 00:49:31,960 Sleeping here, living here... 358 00:49:33,320 --> 00:49:34,520 ..fighting here. 359 00:49:46,280 --> 00:49:49,120 And all these guys are police, patrol police? 360 00:49:49,120 --> 00:49:51,480 Have they been trained? 361 00:49:51,480 --> 00:49:52,960 Er... 362 00:49:55,800 --> 00:49:57,240 Seven days. 363 00:49:57,240 --> 00:49:59,520 Seven days' training? Seven days' training, 364 00:49:59,520 --> 00:50:04,720 and now we use mortar... Mortar. 365 00:51:13,600 --> 00:51:15,640 Is that you? 366 00:51:17,840 --> 00:51:20,080 It was pretty stunning to see - 367 00:51:20,080 --> 00:51:23,640 inexperienced soldiers, fresh from civilian life, 368 00:51:23,640 --> 00:51:27,480 living for weeks in ditches on the front line 369 00:51:27,480 --> 00:51:29,400 and clearly being highly effective. 370 00:51:40,880 --> 00:51:42,640 Only three seconds. 371 00:51:45,360 --> 00:51:47,280 It was a Russian tank. 372 00:51:47,280 --> 00:51:50,080 Five minutes ago. 373 00:51:51,480 --> 00:51:53,000 You were here. 374 00:51:55,560 --> 00:51:59,760 The tank tried to attack us when we hided. 375 00:51:59,760 --> 00:52:01,920 It was this tank. 376 00:52:01,920 --> 00:52:03,480 And you just got it? 377 00:52:07,160 --> 00:52:09,480 So you're lucky guys. Stay with us! 378 00:52:14,040 --> 00:52:16,760 I'd come to Ukraine with a question - 379 00:52:16,760 --> 00:52:18,760 how was this nation standing firm 380 00:52:18,760 --> 00:52:21,560 against the might of the Russian army? 381 00:52:21,560 --> 00:52:23,720 And perhaps one of the most surprising answers 382 00:52:23,720 --> 00:52:26,600 had been right in front of me from the start. 383 00:52:28,040 --> 00:52:30,800 As well as Ukraine's powerful foreign weapons 384 00:52:30,800 --> 00:52:33,640 and a regular army with smart tacticians, 385 00:52:33,640 --> 00:52:37,720 there was also this vast shadow army of volunteers. 386 00:52:37,720 --> 00:52:42,000 They were drawn from all walks of life but had one thing in common - 387 00:52:42,000 --> 00:52:47,160 they simply were not going to give up until they could say they'd won. 388 00:52:47,160 --> 00:52:50,240 And I think Hummer was realising that, too. 389 00:53:29,560 --> 00:53:33,760 Two days later, Hummer learns that his brother has returned safely 390 00:53:33,760 --> 00:53:35,920 from his first combat mission. 391 00:53:37,440 --> 00:53:38,680 I'm proud of him. 392 00:53:40,200 --> 00:53:41,520 I'm really upset. 393 00:53:43,680 --> 00:53:46,560 I was, "What are you thinking? Blah, blah, blah," 394 00:53:46,560 --> 00:53:48,720 and I was thinking, "OK, go there one time. 395 00:53:48,720 --> 00:53:51,520 "You will, you will... You will have enough, 396 00:53:51,520 --> 00:53:57,720 "and then you understand and go back to sign the tickets...from parking." 397 00:53:57,720 --> 00:54:00,480 After the first time, he said, "Yes, yes, it's all good. 398 00:54:00,480 --> 00:54:02,920 "I'm going a second time." I said... 399 00:54:02,920 --> 00:54:05,240 .."I cannot stop him." 400 00:54:05,240 --> 00:54:06,800 Cannot stop him. 401 00:54:06,800 --> 00:54:09,840 And really proud of him. Angry, but proud of him. 402 00:54:14,720 --> 00:54:17,720 How many experienced people who served in the army who were trained, 403 00:54:17,720 --> 00:54:19,480 how many we have? I don't know. 404 00:54:22,560 --> 00:54:24,280 Most of them are gone. 405 00:54:25,480 --> 00:54:28,800 Five months of war, and we need more and more and more. 406 00:54:28,800 --> 00:54:31,840 And they are fresh and unexperienced, untrained. 407 00:54:31,840 --> 00:54:36,840 What we can do? We just do whatever we can do to support them, 408 00:54:36,840 --> 00:54:39,880 to use our, I don't know, skills. 409 00:54:39,880 --> 00:54:42,640 That's what I said. I understand that my place is here. 410 00:54:42,640 --> 00:54:45,160 I can help those people who doesn't have experience. 411 00:54:45,160 --> 00:54:49,720 But we need to do the job as professional as other people 412 00:54:49,720 --> 00:54:52,880 who served years in such units. 413 00:54:56,120 --> 00:55:00,040 Hummer has decided to allow three of the most inexperienced members 414 00:55:00,040 --> 00:55:03,160 of his group to conduct a mortar mission on their own. 415 00:55:04,840 --> 00:55:08,000 They are fighting for their land, for their independence, 416 00:55:08,000 --> 00:55:10,200 for their freedom. 417 00:55:10,200 --> 00:55:13,480 People are not thinking and counting on our president. 418 00:55:13,480 --> 00:55:17,000 People are thinking and counting on each other, on the nation. 419 00:55:17,000 --> 00:55:19,680 And they know the purpose, they know the main goal, 420 00:55:19,680 --> 00:55:20,920 why they're here. 421 00:55:29,800 --> 00:55:32,160 I'll be back. 422 00:55:34,880 --> 00:55:37,760 If the president signed, for example, peaceful agreement 423 00:55:37,760 --> 00:55:40,680 with the Russians, it will never stop. We will fight. 424 00:55:43,280 --> 00:55:45,680 It's not about Zelensky and Putin, 425 00:55:45,680 --> 00:55:48,360 it's about our nation and our future. 426 00:55:50,560 --> 00:55:54,160 And if our troops will get to Kherson, 427 00:55:54,160 --> 00:55:57,880 I can say it's like Russians are done here. 428 00:55:57,880 --> 00:55:59,600 Yeah. 429 00:56:01,920 --> 00:56:03,280 Are you worried about them? 430 00:56:05,160 --> 00:56:09,560 Yes, because it's the first time they are going to shoot without me 431 00:56:09,560 --> 00:56:13,920 and attack Russians there. Yeah, because we trained them, 432 00:56:13,920 --> 00:56:16,720 I believe we trained them very well. But... 433 00:56:24,960 --> 00:56:26,000 Let's go.