A Ukrainian soldier has told the dramatic story of how he evaded Russian soldiers in a night raid before gunning them down, all while wearing a wetsuit.
He described how he made the “split second” decision grab his machine gun before he and his colleagues opened fire on the Russian troops.
During a clandestine operation, the soldier unmasked himself to investigate a noise, only armed with a pistol at the time.
Nicknamed ‘Frog’, he and his team regularly undertake ambitious missions including raids and reconnaissance.
His most dramatic mission came at an undisclosed location in the south of Ukraine where he and his comrades were trying to take out an enemy facility.
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Speaking to Metro.co.uk, ‘Frog’ recalled: “When we landed on the shore, we saw traces of the enemy’s activity, but the enemy himself was not there.
“Before dawn, we were forced to return to the boat, disguise ourselves, arrange security and watch the facility and its approaches as well as the main road. There were not many of us and the group was near the road.
“Suddenly we heard a roar. To find out what was making this sound, I had to unmask myself and change my position and go out on the road.
“It is difficult not to see a person in a wetsuit in the middle of the road. In the forest on sand such an extraneous object immediately catches the eye.”
Initially, he couldn’t see what was making the noise. But then, two cars started moving towards him.
He continued: “They were between 150 to 170 metres away and inside were people with white armbands, which is the sign of the Russian army.
“I only had a pistol with me, so in a split second I made the decision to grab my machine gun at the reconnaissance [hidden] position nearby, before turning back onto the road and opening fire on the targets.
“We destroyed almost everyone who was in the two cars.
“After that, we made a quick departure by boat.”
‘Frog’ and his fellow Ukrainian troops have taken on other dangerous missions.
They once ventured behind enemy lines on the Kinburn Spit, a slim piece of land stretching into the Black Sea from the southern Mykolaiv region.
Missions included small boat raids where ‘Frog’ felt his life could be at risk.
He said: “There were tasks when I thought it was the end.
“During one of the special operations on the Kinburn Spit, when we began to go deeper into the enemy’s rear, the Russians drew more people to this section of the front and began to approach their own defence more thoroughly, trying to destroy us.
“Each of our operations is very dangerous.”
