More than a month after his first assault operation near Bakhmut, 23-year-old soldier Oleksandr Mikulak still blames himself for not saving a comrade. Mikulak’s 15-man group, part of the 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, was able to clear the first Russian position thanks to powerful strikes by Ukrainian artillery. Underestimating the number of Russian troops positioned around the next target, Mikulak’s group nearly became encircled.