"Lower yourselves!" Azov commander Lemko discusses collaboration with generals and challenges on the front lines.
60-70% of drones in the battalion are from volunteers
The situation on the front lines is currently very complicated. The Russians are advancing almost along the entire line of demarcation: from the Kursk region to Zaporizhzhia. Why? Why have the Russians succeeded in 2024?
Right now, the entire front line is indeed under significant pressure, and the enemy is maximizing their reserves and manpower. However, it's also important to note that their reserves are running out, as they are not asking for Korean troops' help out of a comfortable situation. One nuance for the enemy is that they don't care about their personnel and don’t even attempt to retrieve “three-hundred” and “two-hundred” casualties. For them, it’s simple — to send 100 people to slaughter in one direction.
In contrast, we try to protect every individual. Most importantly, we focus on evacuating the injured. It's currently problematic even to retrieve bodies, but we do our best. To be honest, even when we retrieve the bodies of our guys, we still face losses. The Russians don't experience this. They treat their personnel like cattle, and then they bring in new ones.
Yes, they have drones and artillery, but we are also developing in this area. Not on such a large scale as we would like, that’s true, but the main issue is the people, the personnel; we value them, while they do not value theirs. And they gain an advantage from this, as it is the reality of war.
What can we counter against this endless Russian infantry?
Reason, creativity, and technology. That’s all we can do. We strive to ensure that the enemy’s infantry doesn’t even reach our positions, that their drones don’t reach our guys, enabling us to carry out evacuations, rotations, and so on.
In my opinion, a technological boom occurs when we knock down their wings with FPV drones. But the enemy is also adapting, using remote mining and various FPV drones on fiber optics that can carry a significant payload. FPV drones are making a significant difference right now.
What percentage of drones in your battalion come from volunteers?
About 60-70%. The government provides us with drones, but not in the quantities we desire.
“This is war: there will be victories, there will be defeats”
“Azov” is currently holding a section of the front between New York and Toretsk. What is the situation there?
It’s tough, but the guys are holding strong. The enemy conducts daily assaults and at least once a week tries to break through with their equipment. In 2.5 months, we have inflicted over a thousand personnel losses on the enemy and nearly dozens of equipment losses.
Opposite us stands our long-time “friends” — the 9th Regiment of the “DPR,” now a motorized infantry brigade, which was directly across from us in Shyrokyne. They stood from Shyrokyne to Chermalyk, and from Chermalyk towards New York stood the First Slavyansk. And now we are fighting against them again. They were the first to attack in 2022, suffered greatly, but we had already been fighting them for several years. We had many artillery duels with their artillery brigade “Kalmius,” another long-time acquaintance of ours, and we are currently fighting against them again. They believe they need to take bloody revenge on us, but it seems to be quite a struggle for them.
Our military says that we taught them how to fight. Especially in the early months of the invasion, many of these units were better prepared than the Russian regular army.
Yes, of course, they had practical experience; I won’t hide that. We made a significant contribution to their training. The enemy is learning, and they are learning very well. Their new tactic is: they do not take cities; they bypass them.
0Yes, we recently saw this in Selydove.
In Toretsk, they came in from above. And why are they targeting high-rise buildings? Because, based on the terrain, it’s the highest point — if they control it, they will hold all logistics in Toretsk from there.
I am simply afraid to look at DeepState after the situation in the Pokrovsk direction and these rapid advances.
I talk to many about this. Indeed, in some places, there is a sense of depression, with many feeling disappointed because they do not know what comes next. I tell everyone: this is war; there will be victories, and there will be defeats. But we need to draw the right conclusions and ensure this does not happen again.
But are we making those conclusions?
For the most part, yes. I’m not talking about global ones, but we are making them at a tactical level. Currently, there are many healthy brigades with which it is very pleasant to work; we understand each other with half a word, and most importantly — we help each other.
Now, when you arrive at most brigades, they will help you with ammunition and provide new technologies and ideas. This interaction and mutual assistance are precisely what keeps us going; it’s our backbone.
How long can the military maintain this backbone? Fighting for so long in such a war is incredibly challenging, especially with a lack of proper rotations and full vacations.
I am an optimist: my glass is half full. When we went in 2014, I didn’t think it would drag on for 10 years. We thought it would be for a year or two. When everything started in 2022, we all thought it would end within a year or two.
We have been fighting for three years now. How? I don’t know. It’s magic. The miracle is our guys, our infantry, our volunteers, our rear support; it must be acknowledged.
I love history. Even if we read our history in Ukraine, how many times have we almost lost our nation? Many times, even in the last 100 years. How did we survive? By miracle. And I hope that this miracle is once again on our side.
“As a commander, I am not ashamed to go to a company commander from the Territorial Defense and ask for help”
I wanted to return to the beginning of our conversation — about the fact that the Russians prevail in personnel. Could it be that the mobilization law was passed too late?
This is one of the factors because there were many problems. I don’t want to criticize anyone, but it frustrates me that when we in “Azov” opened recruitment centers back in 2016-2017 and started advertising, everyone told us that we were a media unit, that we just made it up.
Guys, we didn’t invent anything new — we took what works abroad, studied it, adapted it to our society and our laws, and started implementing it here. So take something that is already ready; there’s no need to be shy, ask for help.
As a commander, I am not ashamed to go to a company commander of some Territorial Defense and ask for help or for a good idea because they genuinely have valid and good insights. Even for “Azov,” going to another brigade to ask for help or advice is normal.
We are ready to help everyone, ready to show how everything works; there is nothing secret about it. If all of our ideas could be scaled at the national level, can you imagine? And if this had been done on time, we wouldn’t be in such a predicament now, you understand? People can still be returned; we can bring back the SOCH personnel.
Will you take back the SOCH personnel?
We are working on that, but there’s a nuance: we are part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, while most of the SOCH personnel are from the Armed Forces.
1So you would be willing to accept someone who left for SOCH?
Yes.
An “Azov” member?
An “Azov” member — no.
Explain, this is interesting.
We have our own values.
“We have many problems because we do not communicate with the personnel”
Today, we see a huge problem with the motivation of recruits. “Azov” is, of course, an exception in this context. You are probably the only brigade where all military personnel are volunteers. I think many units would envy you. How is all this still possible at this stage of the war?
Our recruitment is a separate philosophical issue. A year ago, in an interview, I mentioned that we would soon be running around with tambourines to encourage people. But on the other hand, remember the billboards from two years