This Week's Story
click here to play audioGrisha, a Russian soldier on a stalled convoy, awaits orders for attacking Kyiv, capitol of Ukraine.
This Week’s Story relives American history and the Bible through brief inspiring stories presented on mp3 audio recordings and text for reading.
I am a Russian draftee with cousins in Kyiv. part one
I was told, “Soldier, you are going to Crimea.” That was a lie. Disinformation. The giant military convoy that I am now on is a secret mission. I had no choice to come! The Russian military drafted me. I am required to do one year of active duty
I overheard an officer say, “Most of the soldiers do not know that we are going to attack Kyiv.” Apparently, only a few officers know our trip’s purpose.
Our northern route in Ukraine has been miserable. I have been cold, hungry, bored, and angry about attacking Kyiv. Why would I want to fight Ukrainians? I have cousins in Ukraine that I love. Every summer we go hiking in the Carpathian Mountains. I do not want anything to do with fighting them.
The national news claims that Ukraine is a threat to Russian security. That is hard to believe considering that Russia hugely outnumbers the Ukraine in financial resources, population, military, weapons, and cyber technology. I guess my thinking is getting risky. It is dangerous to question the Russian government.
The convoy was moving slowly, but now it has been stalled for many hours. It is a bad time of the year to be travelling here. The ground is soft, spongy, flooded with mud, and filled with potholes. We also have supply shortages. We need gas for our vehicles and food for our troops.
The practical planning for this huge military movement of troops, weapons, armored vehicles, and tanks is embarrassingly stupid. It forces regrouping.
Ukrainian attacks on the convoy have taken out some of our weaponry. Their javelin anti-tank missiles are precision weapons, shoulder fired, and super effective for destroying tanks.
My hours pass with nothing to do except talk about little, smoke, play cards, and wish for hot food. That’s fine with me. As I said I am not excited about fighting Ukrainians. I listen for blips of information about why and how we are going to attack Kyiv. We lowly grunts follow orders. No explanations are given.
I talk to a guy here.
“Hey, Boris, how long is this military convoy?”
“It is gigantic. 40 miles long! I remember when it was three miles long. I came with tank troops. How about you, Grisha?”
“I came the same time with the motorized rifle troops.”
“How was your boot camp training?”
“Training with the AK12 assault rifle was good. It’s comfortable in short and long use. Training with a bayonet was different. I know we Russians are supposed to have bayonet use in our DNA.”
“Grisha, have you been in Ukraine before?”
“Many times, with cousins. They live near Kyiv.”
“Do you hope to see them while we are near Kyiv?”
“That depends on our orders and what the convoy is doing.”
This is Barbara Steiner with two hypothetical Russian soldiers in a 2022 accurate historical setting. I wait to see what the convoy will do, and pray that Russian grunts and Ukrainians will seek God’s wisdom.
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