The commander of the 2S3 "Acacia" howitzer company of the Russian army, Nikolai Nikonov (Николай Никонов), hid in the attic of a house in a village near Popasnaya (Попасная) in the Luhansk Republic occupied by the Ukrainian army, corrected Russian artillery fire and assisted Russian troops in seizing the village. During the battle, he was seriously wounded. The Russian website "Life" reported on February 4.
According to him, on that day units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine actively used radio-electronic warfare equipment (РЭБ), as a result of which Russian servicemen could not lift drones into the air for reconnaissance. However, the target had to be destroyed, so Nikonov got as close as possible to the enemy's position (at a distance of 100-150 meters), adjusting the howitzer's fire with binoculars and radio.
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The social platform Telegram "Z Heroes of the Special Military Operation" channel published a video of an interview with him. "I climbed up to the attic of the wooden house and corrected the target from there," he said. Unfortunately, in the course of correction, the enemy calculated my position and also opened fire. Ukrainian troops began firing with mortars. I was seriously injured. I was transferred from there by my comrades-in-arms. Our troops have stormed the settlement. The area is garrisoned by us".
Nikolai Nikonov said that he suffered a concussion and a fracture during the fighting, but despite this, he intends to return to the front. "Of course, my family was worried about me," he stressed. But they understand that I am a soldier, an officer. I signed a contract for this. In the words of ordinary people, this is my job".
由于他的功绩,尼古拉·尼科诺夫获得了"为祖国服务"二级勋章 (Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree)。