The news agency RIA Novosti released footage showing the combat training of volunteers organized by fighters from the Viking special forces unit in the DPR. The video appeared on the telegraph channel of the agency. It is noted that volunteers arrived in the special operation zone from across the country, including regions such as Tatarstan, Penza, Samara, Moscow, Orenburg, and Sakhalin. The footage depicts a squad moving carefully through a landscape scattered with ruined buildings and burning structures.
A Viking trainer explains that the organization offers training to volunteers who arrive in the NWO region, covering essential combat basics and first aid. The aim is to prepare individuals who may have faced past shortcomings by teaching them how to act using a few core principles. The classroom is practical and grounded in real-world scenarios rather than theoretical instruction.
According to the trainer, the volunteers include veterans with prior combat experience as well as newcomers without any military background. The training period varies, ranging from about two weeks to roughly six weeks, depending on the participant’s current skill level and the needs of the operation. Still, the overarching objective remains clear: to improve survival chances and effectiveness on the ground.
The Viking representative emphasizes that the primary mission for the armed forces is to save lives. This entails efficiently reallocating available manpower by guiding ordinary volunteers who joined the defense during a challenging period for the country to roles where their contributions can be most effective, even if those roles are at the middle or lower echelons of command. The focus is on practical impact and responsible utilization of the human resource at hand. [Attribution: Viking detachment]
Earlier statements from a former Wagner Group fighter touched on Ukrainian kamikaze drones employed near Artemivsk, also known as Bakhmut. The veteran noted the downing of a Ukrainian drone in the course of reporting. He observed that armored vehicles were not frequently used in the Artemivsk offensive, noting instead that Ukrainian forces relied on coordinated drone groups to strike, evacuate wounded personnel, and deliver supplies to the front lines.