Inside Ukraine’s frontline assault as mobile mortar squad blasts Russians ahead of counter-offensive

The mobile mortar lightning squad scrambled at a moment’s notice for a “shoot-and-scoot” mission to target Russian defences ahead of a looming counter-offensive.

Using off-the-shelf Chinese drones and Czech-made 82mm mortars, Ukraine’s Special Forces Unit raced from their base to the front line hoping to take out a lookout that could spy on troops.

The team is part of a coordinated effort to soften up Vladimir Putin’s thugs as thousands of newly-trained troops and battle-hardened commanders wait for the order to advance.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has hit pause for further preparations to limit the death toll as the mortar squads keep probing Russian defences to spot cracks and keep their troops stretched.

We joined the unit as, acting on intelligence, it raced from its Zaporizhzhia base to the Yanchekrak River — the limit of the enemy’s advance in eastern Ukraine. A two-man drone team, codenamed Sasha and Rose, combined to pinpoint its location for the police SWAT unit who fired the mortar, which fits in their 4x4.

They chose scrubland away from friendly positions to reduce the risk of casualties should Russia fire back.