"We turned them into 200s". "Wyborcza" reports from the Ukrainian Border Guards fighting on the frontline

The exercise is conducted from a training position, but the conditions are real. We are behind Kostyantynivka, close to the front line, which is why full camouflage is necessary. The vehicles that brought us here immediately pull back to a safe distance to avoid detection by Russian reconnaissance drones.

In fact, it’s hard to say whether this isn’t an actual combat position on the second line of defense. From afar, the constant sound of explosions echoes from the front.

Border Guards at War with Russia: "A Sign of the Times"

It’s almost unbelievable, but the American-made 105mm M101A1 howitzer, which the Ukrainians just fired, dates back to World War II. After various modernizations, it was used in the Korean War and Vietnam, and to this day remains in service with multiple armies worldwide.

Ukrainian soldiers say its greatest strength is accuracy:

"The Russians initially had no idea what was hitting them. Sometimes they mistook it for mortars," one soldier explains. Other advantages include the barrel’s durability and the widespread availability of ammunition for this caliber.

What may come as a surprise is that the soldiers operating the gun belong to Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service (DPSU) – though they serve in its wartime units. The unit we’re visiting is part of the Luhansk Border Guard detachment, known as the Pomsta (eng. Revenge) Brigade.

Why do border guards perform tasks with artillery?

"It’s a sign of the times. The State Border Guard Service is also forced to respond to the aggression Russia has unleashed on Ukraine. Our soldiers are an integral part of the country’s defense forces," explains DPSU spokesperson Andriy Demchenko.

Ukrainian Border Guards Have Been Fighting Since 2014

This makes sense, as despite the Kremlin’s rhetoric of "we are not there," Russia has been funneling troops and weapons across the border into Donbas for years.

Border guards were also among the first to resist Russian forces during the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.

"The first casualties of the war included Border Guard soldiers in Milove, Luhansk Oblast. They were killed on the very first day," Demchenko recounts.

"The Border Guard now has artillery, but at the start of the full-scale invasion, we had no such resources. We are constantly expanding our capabilities so our troops can carry out their missions and destroy the enemy," he adds.

The combat abilities of the Border Guard units continue to grow. In addition to conventional artillery, they now have rocket artillery as well. Some fighting DPSU units have been equipped with Croatian-made RAK-SA-12 towed 128mm rocket launchers. These systems can also be mounted on military off-road vehicles, significantly boosting their mobility.

The soldiers interviewed by Wyborcza emphasize that the combat readiness of border guard units is possible thanks to cooperation with the Poles. While they cannot disclose details, it is known that [Polish company] PHU Lechmar is responsible for part of the deliveries of equipment and ammunition.

17,000 Civilians Under Constant Shelling – Border Guards Defend Kostyantynivka

Kostyantynivka, which we pass through on our way to the border guards, looks like a ghost town. A few stores remain open, and there are some cars parked under apartment blocks, but the streets are nearly deserted. It’s no surprise – the front line is not far away. The city is regularly shelled, and many buildings bear the scars of war. Over the past year, the aggressors have turned large parts of the city into ruins. One of the largest frontline markets, where soldiers used to stock up before heading to their positions, now stands empty.

Military vehicles dominate the streets. Apartment windows are boarded up with OSB panels.

Despite the deadly threat, about 17,000 residents still remain – or rather, hide – in Kostyantynivka. Before what locals call the "big war", over 78,000 people lived here, and major businesses operated in the area. A comfortable Intercity train used to connect it to Kyiv. But the train station is now practically gone – Russia destroyed it a year ago with S-300 missile strikes. Today, the city is within range of Russian artillery and under threat from KAB aerial bombs.

The proximity to the front and the constant danger have forced authorities to impose strict restrictions. A curfew is in place from 3 PM to 11 AM. Residents can only go outside, shop, withdraw cash, or visit a pharmacy during a four-hour window each day. Officials and municipal services struggle to maintain electricity, gas, and water supplies, but in some areas, these services are nonexistent due to relentless shelling.

Just under ten kilometers northeast of Kostyantynivka lies Chasiv Yar, where fierce battles are ongoing. Ukrainian forces control roughly 30% of the city. If the Russian army manages to take Chasiv Yar, Kostyantynivka could be its next target.

Ten kilometers north of Kostyantynivka is Druzhkivka. While slightly calmer, the city still pulses with life – for now, at least, until the front line creeps closer. It’s a familiar pattern across Donbas. For example, in the spring of last year, you could still sip a coffee in downtown Pokrovsk, sitting in a café garden. By early autumn, as the Russians advanced and shelling intensified, the city began to empty. Yet even there, many civilians remain.

Russia’s Nightmare on the Frontline: "Drones That Bring Death"

When discussing the armament of DPSU, Andriy Demchenko laughs and says they don’t have tanks – at least not yet. Instead, combat units are expanding their fleets of reconnaissance and attack drones. And according to them, the results speak for themselves. In many cases, drones are instrumental in stopping the enemy.

From the howitzer position, we drive to a field where young soldiers are unloading a large drone from an off-road vehicle. Suddenly, in the distance, massive plumes of smoke and glowing projectiles appear in the sky. Several streaks are visible – most likely a salvo of rockets fired from a HIMARS launcher.

"We help protect our troops. We conduct round-the-clock reconnaissance near our positions to detect enemy movements," explains Senior Lieutenant codenamed ‘Ryś’ (eng. Lynx).

The young officer serves in the Phoenix Strike UAV Company – RUBpAK for short. In Ukrainian, the abbreviation sounds similar to rubaty, meaning ‘to chop’ or ‘strike’, but rubaka also refers to a fearless, skilled warrior.

RUBpAK Phoenix is a relatively new unit, established in the summer of last year. But its track record is already impressive. By early February, Phoenix had racked up:

- 1,205 Russian soldiers killed,

- 962 wounded,

- 75 tanks destroyed,

- 47 infantry fighting vehicles eliminated,

- 40 armored personnel carriers taken out,

- 200 artillery pieces obliterated,

- 7 self-propelled guns neutralized,

- 305 drones shot down,

- 4 radar stations destroyed.

The company is one of the most effective units of its kind in the Ukrainian army.

Phoenix is equipped with a variety of reconnaissance and attack drones. Standing next to Senior Lieutenant ‘Ryś’ on the ground is ‘Baba Yaga’ – a nickname Russian soldiers gave to Ukraine’s heavy multirotor bombing drones, such as ‘Vampires’ and ‘Kazhans’, which are primarily used in nighttime operations.

"They’re terrified of them. These drones are their worst nightmare, bringing death from above," ‘Ryś’ says with a smirk.

The ‘Vampire’ drones can be equipped with various munitions, including 82mm and even 120mm mortar shells, as well as anti-tank mines. The primary limitation is the payload capacity, which can reach up to 15 kg.

An operator, codenamed ‘Genie’, formerly a Lviv administrative official before the war, mentions that the farthest flight achieved was 22 km with a 3 kg explosive payload. "Currently, we focus primarily on deploying charges on roads and laying mines. Thanks to the ‘Vampires’, we can maintain defensive positions for extended periods," he explains.

The 26-year-old from Lviv reports having destroyed tanks, infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), and, more recently, a radar station near Toretsk. Initially, he kept count of the targets hit, but over time, he lost track.

"At night, the ‘Vampire’ is hard to detect. It could be overhead, yet the sound seems to come from elsewhere. I enjoy how we take them out," he says with a slight smile.

The drones are continually being upgraded by the crews themselves. Although the ‘Baba Yaga’ drones are primarily used for night missions, Ukrainian drone operators also utilize them during the day to repel attacking Russian forces.

Ukraine’s Devastating Eyes in the Sky: "I Grew to Like Reconnaissance"

We travel a few kilometers further to where operators of reconnaissance and FPV (first-person view) drones are training.

‘Little One’ is 24 years old and hails from Chernihiv. He signed a military contract back in 2020. Initially, he served close to home, then decided to move to the area where the Joint Forces Operation was ongoing, namely Donbas. Three weeks before the Russian invasion in 2022, he was stationed in the town of Zolote in the Luhansk region. That's where, as he says, his combat path began.

"At first, I served in a mortar unit. I was a loader, meaning when the order ‘fire’ was given, I'd run up and drop the shell into the barrel," the young soldier recounts.

Later, he was offered a transfer to drone reconnaissance. After a week of training at the range, he was told he was ready to work on the front lines.

"I grew to like reconnaissance. In the past 24 hours, we managed to locate and destroy an ammunition depot for mortars; later, we found their pilots and turned them into ‘200s’ [military slang for killed; the term originates from Cargo 200 – unofficially used to refer to bodies of the dead being transported from the battlefield – translator’s note]. Then a vehicle arrived; we destroyed it along with the crew. In a forest clearing, we spotted enemy infantry and turned them into ‘200s’ as well. It was a very productive shift for me," the operator says with a touch of irony.

For reconnaissance, they use Mavic and Autel drones. Everything happens quickly – once his team locates an enemy position, they immediately relay the coordinates, and the targets are eliminated by artillery or strike drones.

"The faster, the better. If artillery misses on the first shot, the enemy starts running. That’s when the drones come in, dropping explosives on them. In the end, none of them make it out. What does that mean? It means they all go down".

As we talk, a group of young operators – some even younger than him – are training nearby. It’s the youngest unit we’ve seen in the Ukrainian military so far.

One of the scouts demonstrates how they practice dropping explosives. A drone hovers over a designated point and releases a smoke grenade.

"This is where we train new pilots, and we also come here ourselves to improve our skills. We do this almost every day," adds ‘Little One’.

"More Confident with a Console than a Steering Wheel": How Ukraine’s Border Guards Have Evolved

Meanwhile, on the other side of Ukraine, a high-tech Torsus border surveillance vehicle comes to a stop near the Medyka-Shehyni border crossing. Junior Lieutenant Svitlana Savchuk, from the 7th Carpathian Border Guard Detachment, is responsible for securing a 16-kilometer stretch of the border. This area is one of the most strategically important sections of the Ukrainian-Polish border due to its critical infrastructure, making it a prime target for sabotage. However, unlike other areas, illegal crossings here are relatively rare.

On the Polish side, there are no organized smuggling gangs like those operating in Transnistria, where they help deserters flee Ukraine. The border with Poland, packed with motion-triggered cameras, surveillance systems, and barbed-wire fences, is much harder to breach – but that doesn’t stop people from trying. In January alone, Ukrainian border guards in the Shehyni sector thwarted two such attempts.

"We're fighting a war on distant fronts," Savchuk tells us later. "Border guards are present not only in seemingly calmer locations but also on the front lines. We've been fighting, just like the military, since 2014".

She can't disclose exactly where border guards are deployed in combat, but she emphasizes one thing: "In my ten years of service, the Border Guard’s equipment has been completely transformed. We now have cutting-edge technology, and we know how to use it. We sometimes joke that the guys in the drone units are part of a generation that feels more confident with a console than a steering wheel".

"It Was Fun Listening to That Conversation": Ukraine’s Border Guard Corps Defends the Country Against Russia

As we drive back from the training grounds to Kramatorsk, Colonel Demchenko reminisces about his time patrolling the Russian border in the 2000s and the tricks oil smugglers used to get past security. He once found $3 million hidden in a car or uncovered several underground pipelines used for fuel smuggling. Back then, he was stationed at a place where the border was literally a street – Russia on one side, Ukraine on the other.

Now, those stories feel like tales from a different era. In the distance, artillery rumbles. As we talk with drone operators, explosions strike the center of nearby Kramatorsk. It reminds us of something ‘Genie’ had mentioned earlier about their ‘Vampire’ drones flying missions even in daylight.

"The Russians were shocked when we started using them during the day," he recalled. "One time, we intercepted their radio communications. Their soldiers were panicking, telling their commander over the walkie-talkie:

– We're retreating, the ‘Baba Yagas’ are in the air!

– Advance, advance, attack! – their commander shouted back.

– We can't, they're coming for us!

His final response? "Move forward, or I’ll zero you out [kill you]".

‘Genie’ grinned and summed it up: "Not gonna lie, it was fun listening to that conversation".

Translation: Patrycja Eiduka