Commander Anton is part of an elite squad of Ukrainian soldiers who call themselves the 'Peaky Blinders' after the violent British television drama. Here's how they managed to stop Russia's advance after its surprise offensive in May.
The 33-year-old former builder is now a battle-hardened soldier who risks his life every day, just kilometres from the Russia n border.
Their operations are covert, so we are taken to a secret position just 3 kilometres from the Russian front line. But last month, Moscow staged a fresh incursion into the north and north-east, seizing the town of Vovchansk, which is roughly 5km from the Russian border. What's most unsettling though is the buzz of drones that frequent the skies above and the seconds of guesswork figuring out if it belongs to the Ukrainians or the Russians.
On May 10, Russia began an offensive across its border into the Kharkiv region and later claimed to have taken several villages in the region. Oleksandr, Commander Anton's younger brother, signed up to fight weeks after the war broke out and is now the commander of another Peaky Blinders unit further down the front line.
"Let's consider what we're going up against: outdated machine guns from the Soviet era, designed 40 years ago for a different war.
War Russia Kharkiv Brothers Team Fighting Peaky Blinders
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