Ukrainian military medics treat injured fighters of Azov Brigade near frontline

(25 Sep 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

++PLEASE NOTE EDIT CONTAINS EXPLETIVE LANGUAGE IN SECOND SOUNDBITE++

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Toretsk area, Donetsk region, Ukraine - 24 September 2024
1. Injured Ukrainian soldiers from Azov Brigade arriving at stabilization point ++NIGHT SHOT++
2. Servicemen of Azov Brigade, including injured, taking off ammunition at stabilization point
3. Close of soldier known by call sign “Johnson” telling injured servicemen in which order they will receive medical help
4. Various of servicemen of Azov Brigade, including injured, taking off ammunition at stabilization point
5. Mid of soldiers, some injured, waiting at stabilization point
6. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) “Bumble Bee”, Ukrainian soldier from the Azov Brigade:
“Today it was from 7am until the moment when we were completely destroyed, approximately at 5pm, it was constant. The drones are working, drops (of explosives) from the drones, FPVs (first person view drones), and if they have a break or a change of personnel, then it’s 120mm mortar that is firing at us or something similar to it.”
7. Wide of medics helping injured soldier known by call sign “Filah”
8. Various of medical worker cleaning face of injured soldier known by call sign “Skips”
9. Various of injured serviceman known by call sign “Filah” being given and putting on T-shirt
10. Azov Brigade soldier helping injured soldier
11. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) “Filah”, 18-year-old Ukrainian soldier from the Azov Brigade:
“Two armored vehicles drove behind a tree line, two armored vehicles. So we were sitting there, holding the defense. We got water, ammunition and grenades passed to us with a big drone, I thought it was Baba Yaga (folklore character). I killed one f***** (homophobic slur commonly used by Ukrainian soldiers when referring to their Russian opponents), who was crawling at a dugout.”
12. Mid of soldiers laughing together
13. Wide of soldiers posing for photo after they received medical help
13. Various of soldiers moving to evacuation ambulance and leaving stabilization point ++NIGHT SHOTS++
14. Mid of medical ambulance leaving stabilization point ++NIGHT SHOTS++

STORYLINE:
Soldiers from the Azov Brigade have been fighting hard to slow the advance of Russian troops in the Toretsk area in Ukraine's Donetsk region.

The fighters have spent 11 days on the frontline, and a number of them sustained injuries during battle.

The intensity of the battle forced one group of soldiers to move to a nearby stabilization point, where their injured were triaged and treated by army medics.

The Azov Brigade is among Ukraine’s most effective and popular fighting units.

But it has been dogged by its origins as a volunteer battalion that drew fighters from far-right circles and criticism for some of its tactics.

Toretsk is a strategic city - if the Russians were to take control, it would allow them to continue their advance towards Kostyantynivka and Pokrovsk.

For now, Ukrainian forces are holding their ground, despite coming under intense assault.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday urged global leaders to stand with his country and not seek “a lull” instead of a “real, just peace" more than two years into the war with Russia.

He told the United Nations General Assembly that there was no alternative to the peace formula he presented two years ago.

It seeks the expulsion of all Russian forces from Ukraine, accountability for war crimes, release of prisoners of war and deportees, nuclear safety, energy and food security and more.

AP video by Alex Babenko

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