"Phew, it seems to have passed": RF Armed Forces expected an attack on 17 February - Land Forces

"Phew, it seems to have passed": RF Armed Forces expected an attack on 17 February - Land Forces

The speaker said that on the night of February 24, 2022, he could not sleep. However, in fact, the military believed that a full-scale invasion of the Russian Armed Forces would occur earlier - on February 17. The soldiers even managed to rejoice that their suspicions were not justified.

“I remember the words of the commander of the Ground Forces at the morning meeting: “Phew, it’s like it’s gone!” As if nothing had happened, and we even breathed a sigh of relief,” recalled Fitio.

However, the feeling of relief turned out to be premature, and already on February 24, a full-scale war began.

“I called (subordinates - ed.), I said: “Guys, get up! We can’t sleep through the war.” They were just then getting to our command in whatever way they could,” the speaker said.

He noted that that time “will never be forgotten,” because it forced him to quickly make decisions and take responsibility. The military understood that a “very big enemy” was fighting against Ukraine, and it was important to provide people with truthful information.

“We made a decision and moved from the Command to the Institute of Journalism. We needed, first of all, a stable Internet in order to communicate with society,” Fitio explained.

According to him, the work then went “non-stop”. The Institute of Journalism has allocated an auditorium with the Internet for the Ground Forces. Press service workers lived, ate and worked there.

“It was in this audience that the “Ghost of Kyiv” was invented. We have nothing, as they say, to hide, so I’ll even brag a little. Yes, this is a product of our imagination,” Fitio added.