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this war has become a game of drones. Sorry, what's in the sky? Just a second. Oh, a drone. A reconnaissance drone looking for us. The gun team have been told there's a ZA Russian Zite reconnaissance drone now over the wood. No doubt looking for the uh the Hoitzer that's just fired three shells into the Russian lines. But deep in the forests of north central Ukraine, a monster lurks. An old-fashioned heavy weapon which is still punching its weight. One which can trace its origins back to Cumbria in the northwest of England. The M7 Hoitza.
Gunners from the Kraken Regiment, a special forces element of Ukraine's military intelligence, are using it here on the Sunumi front line. Winter ended months ago. You wouldn't think so in this trench. And they face a Russian offensive which began in the spring of 2025. Crossfire was given exclusive access to one of their batteries as they engaged enemy infantry with high explosives. This is what we saw.
It's another beautiful summer's day, but we're on an exposed road approaching the Sunumi front, which means we're driving fast. On both sides of the highway is a living, breathing Ukrainian flag. Yet, this brief stretch of tree cover is preferable when so close to the kill zone. There was heavy rain last night. The military tracks have turned to mud. Finally, we reach the forested hill country for which Sunumi is famous and where the war is being fought. We pass a stalk, taking an early morning stroll along this woodland lake. In Ukraine, the presence of these birds is said to be a sign of good fortune. We
hope so. Beside a logging track deep in the forest, the first signs of military occupation. We've reached our destination, it seems. These men are gunners from a Kraken artillery battery. So well hidden, they're easy to hear rather than see. Their position is in the humid heart of an ancient forest. The dense tree canopy gives good protection against being spotted and attacked by Russian drones. But there is a drawback to being surrounded by all this nature, particularly at this time of year. By way of welcome, we're sprayed by our hosts with insect repellent. We soon find out why.
We're in the middle of the forest in Sunumi um with about 3 billion mosquitoes, but we're at a artillery position which is manned by the famous Kraken who are the special forces of the defense intelligence. You can hear the artillery, defense intelligence of Ukraine. Obviously quite a uni unique unit um carrying out um unique missions. But these guys are artillery men and we will be going up to their gun uh in a little while at the uh entrance to their dugout. There's a lot of artillery all around the forest. Um and the Russians are pushing really hard. I said that he's several of the battery including calls sign Anthony speak excellent English.
I mean it sounds like American English but still it's I don't know where are you from Anthony? I'm from here soon. Uh not from Ukraine. I mean he's Ukrainian citizen here. What city? I can talk about my native city cuz we are solder soldiers. It's prohibited to slow the but this is Kraken a special unit. We must interact with them under certain restrictions. He has been learning those phrases the whole night to impress you. These gunners feel gratitude towards Britain for all its help and support since the full-scale invasion. caliber, my friend.
The same as aside from their gun, most of them are wearing new British Army battle dress. It's still early, but the artillery on both sides is already working. Of course, the safest place to be anywhere in Ukraine, but particularly in frontline areas like this, is underground. The artillery men have a large and well-appointed bunker. There's provision for eight soldiers to sleep here at any one time. A kitchen area today serving salah and kimchi. It's also where the gunner's fire missions are directed. And at the far end from the stairs is another entrance which leads by way of a deep zigzag trench to what we've really come to see, the Cumbrian monster. Yeah. So, Anthony is saying it's very like all
quiet on the western front because the it has been raining and now it is very muddy. As you can see, it's a deep trench. I mean, it must be seven or 8 ft from the floor of the trench to the parapet. It's our place for this. This is your office. Yeah. Okay. So, this is a 155 mm Hitza. Um, this is where the Kraken team do their work. Um, obviously the Russians are that direction and the t as the crew said, all the normal people are in the other direction, but they've got they're not the you can hear the artillery, but they're not the only artillery team in the forest. There is another unit close by which has been firing deafeningly over the last 20 minutes. My ears are ringing slightly.
And that's not even this uh imp placement, but this is uh this is a gun. You can see it's hidden from above and from the front. It's got anti- drone netting. It is very well camouflaged. It has to be because we're in a very um hostile uh drone field environment here, as most places are along the front line. But in Sunumi um it the fighting is particularly intense at the moment. The Russians have p pushed across the border following the um the end really of the Kursk offensive and um the Ukrainians have now dug in and are pushing back. And here she is the M7 Hoitza. All four tons of her. Designed by Vicers of Barrow and Furnace back in the Cold War.
She remains one of the most effective artillery pieces on the battlefield. Indeed, BAA Systems opened a new M7 production line in Sheffield in June 2025. For the moment, she's resting in her gunpit, her barrel depressed, but not for long. Just behind the actual gunpit is uh another revant that's been dug out for the ammunition. These are the heaviest shells and they're, I'm told, somewhere between 50 and 60 kilos uh in weight. So, the uh weight of a I guess maybe a mediumsized grownup female. And this is a dump for use shell cases. And we're about to hear the monster roar. So, the Kraken artillery team have now got the order of for a fire mission and they're prepping their 155. We're in the gun pit with them.
The barrel has been raised. The shells are prepared for the first fire mission of the day. Here, gunners screw in the fuse caps. Different kinds of fuses, air burst, impact, or penetration are needed for different kinds of shoots. This is what the gunpit looks like beyond its camouflage. That is indistinguishable from the rest of the forest. Is that high-pitched wine the sound of a Russian drone hunting Ukrainian artillery? Or one of the many millions of mosquitoes and other insects which inhabit the wood with the gunners? One of the soldiers consults the unit's drone detector.
Nothing to worry about yet, it seems. All is still peaceful even until what may look to you at first glance like another piece of the forest begins to move. It's the barrel of the hoitzer and it's being ready to fire. Let's have a look from the other side of the netting. The assistant gunner, who has his back to the camera, is adjusting the barrel's elevation. The shell on the loading tray is rammed home into the brereech. The white propellant package follows, then the primer. Now the lanyard, a piece of rope which has been used to fire hoits for more than a century, is extended.
I'm pulled. Okay, that was the very loud first shot of the mission. Uh the team are now loading again. Um, there's a very distinctive, you can maybe hear the round impacting They're waiting for the correction from uh the drone pilot in the dugout. the uh one of the team is there in contact with the uh reconnaissance drone which will be over the target to say whether or not they hit first shot and if they didn't to correct the second shot and the subsequent shots if they need any are needed. It's out it's so loud. I'm just um 10 ft away from the barrel. The second shot of the mission isn't long coming.
Heat. I do have air defenders on, but my ears are now ringing. You can see smoke of the propellant all around the gun pit. Just have to think it's not as bad as being on the other end of it. Or maybe it's hard to tell. It's distant. It could be a counter battery fire, but um certainly some distance away. Other members of the gun crew are at work. More fuse caps are being fitted. A third shot has been called. The anticipation is worse than the reality.
Here we go again. Sure. Third shot. And here behind Alex, a gunner adjusts the trajectory before the lanyard is pulled to fire the adjusting aer like this is serious manual labor. Everyone in the frontline team is a little aed by the gun's firepower. It is loud, isn't it? Very loud, Alex. Very loud. Your impressions? Well, first of all, the noise extraordinary. Um, they fired three shells quick succession. Uh, absolutely uh stunning.
It must be definite. Yeah, it defin My ears are still ringing. I've got ear electric ear defenders on. My ears are still ringing. I hope they stop at some sometime in my life. Um, but they very smooth, very smooth. But what you're seeing here is some what you might have seen more than 100 years ago on the, you know, the front line in uh, western front in France, the western front or in Flanders. This is a big howitzer uh, firing doing an attack mission on an enemy position. Um, we'll find out a little bit more about the targets um, uh, later, but Wow. Really, really stunning. The monster is about to go back into hiding.
First, it snap depresses until it lies on the forest floor. Then, artillery men appear to complete its camouflage with camo netting and foliage. But now we have the Russians response. The gunner's drone detector is sounding the alarm. A Russian recon drone is hunting for the gun. We're told to leave the gunpit and get into the dugout. Sorry. What's in this guy? Just a second. Oh, a drone. A reconnaissance drone looking for us. A few minutes ago, it was a mastrom of noise and smoke.
Now, the gunpit is silent and empty of life. The monster slumbers. Even from closer, the position is hard to see. Meanwhile, while we shelter underground, I talked to the crew's fire direction controller about the shoot we've just witnessed. Okay, we're now back in the main dugout of the uh for the gun crew. I'm with Le who is uh is the liazison with the drone reconnaissance drone pilot which was spotting for the artillery shoot. Now the uh the guys in the gun pit, they shot three shells, fired three shells. The first shell, the target is Could you point to where the target is?
Target here. Target there. Not on square. Yeah. So, the first shell missed the target. Um, left. Could you point to where the uh target here? Target there. Not on square. So, the first shell missed the target. So as soon as uh left saw that um corrections will be called to the gun crew who are in the gun pit uh outside along the trench. Um they adjusted their aim and they fired a second shell at the target. The target by the way is a trench in the Russian very front line of the Russian positions which are along this tree line here. So the second shell uh landed I believe next to the target. Okay.
Can we see the Oh, this is this was second shot, but it's okay. But you can see smoke. It's near to touch. Okay. So, the second shot lands thanks to the corrections uh between left, the gun crew, and the drone pilot. It lands next to the intended target, the trench. And we can see a little uh the black smoke there. So, then there is a further correction. We're talking about a distance. I believe I was talking to one of the gunners. It's possibly around about 9 miles away from the uh from the gun pit. They were using the uh the sort of lightest, least punchy propellant type of gunpowder. Um if they use their heaviest, um they can reach like 20 km, which is like 12, 13 miles.
And when they do that, the uh the bang you get is so tremendous that they retreat from the gunpit to fire. They can't stand around the gun when they as they did on this particular flange. There it comes. So this is the third one. Yeah. Yes. Right on target. The uh the message from the drone came through. It's on target. Welcome. Uh left. passed that on to the uh the gun crew commander and they ceased fire. The gun the barrel was depressed very quickly. The covers the camo put over the gun and it disappeared again into the forest above ground. The all clear has been
given. The forest is already filled with the sound of artillery exchanges. And not only artillery, that is the sound of a military jet passing low over the canopy. In the bunker, Le is watching drone feed of the battery's next target. It's easy to forget that we're in a hole in the ground in the forest. Above ground, the barrel has been elevated again. The new target would appear to be further away than the previous one. Can you uh tell me when the gun is about to fire? Uh right now.
until 2 or 3 years ago. These weapons were the biggest killers on the battlefield, as they had been for more than a century until the dawn of the drones. Even so, they remain awesome, awful, and deadly. 1 minute and 40 seconds later, a second shell is launched at the Russian positions. The artillery men joke with a maintenance team which has just given the monster a tweak. Close by in the forest, another Ukrainian hoitzer is firing. Down in the bunker. Left is monitoring the fall of the shells.
You can take it's our shot. It's right. Yeah. Right on target. Yes. And that was the second shot or the first shot? Just second shot. So, will that be the last shot or will you fire again? Just a moment. Okay. The blast from the third shot knocks the ash off the end of cigarette. Ar. Imagine this is your work day in day out. Deafening explosion and always the very real danger of retribution. The third shell has just been fired. It's in the air at the moment. We're looking at the target area. The black patches you can see on the screen are the shadows of clouds on the fields below.
What happened there? It seems too long. Yes. That's all. That's it. The end of the sheep. It's that it's finished. Okay. And so once more, the snout of the beast withdraws back into the forest. Her attendant gunners camouflage her further as other artillery crashes. More ammunition is needed. It will be brought up to the position in an armored vehicle. We can hear it approaching. And here it is, filled from floor to ceiling with 155 mm artillery shells. They'll be unloaded in the oldfashioned way via a human chain of gunners.
This has to be executed quickly. The armored vehicle is not as well concealed by the forest canopy and netting as the Hoitza, and a direct hit on it now and secondary explosions would wipe out the entire position. Every last shell has been unloaded. The battery's rubbish has to be disposed of somewhere else so as not to draw attention to the position. It will go back in the empty armored vehicle. Uh an ammo resupply has just come in the armored vehicle that you see. Um in a matter of I timed it just over 5 minutes they unloaded um several dozen 1.5 mm shells. There was a human chain.
Everybody from the battery came out and was carrying and it was very quick, very efficient, and there's a good reason for that. There are drones up there, and you can hear the uh both incoming, outgoing artillery. Um it's very, very busy this afternoon. You don't do this slowly, but they've uh they've now completed it, and the armor vehicle will go back to base. And almost as soon as the logistics vehicle has arrived, it has gone and the ammunition is stacked. An impressive piece of battlefield choreography. Now resupplied, the Hitsa crew can embark on their longest fire mission of the day. Same target. No, the new targets will be two isolated frontline buildings occupied by the Russians. The gunner spotting drone is on station.
This is our Okay. That building there. Yeah. They're about to fire. The answer is a shattering affirmative. small. Yes. Second shot of the mission. The back blast rushes down the trench and through the bunker. We watch on left screen for the fall of shot. This is what it looks like above ground. It's strangely beautiful and terrifying. The shell is in the air. It's taken around 40 seconds to leave the barrel and reach the target. As understood, we change our target to this building.
Uhhuh. So that's a near miss. Corrections have been made via left. The safires again The shell is in the air, but the screen glitches at the crucial moment of impact. the target building is being plastered. The battery is firing as fast as it can. The beeps are like the BBC radio clock at the top of the hour. In fact, they're the countdown to a shell impact. The white building under the dark cloud shadow is under sustained attack from opposition. Direct hit. It seems following me. And perhaps time to close down before the Cumbrian monster is spotted by the ever loitering Russian drones. Who is lot?
But perhaps one more shell to finish the job for sure. These are high stakes in terms of giving the gun position away against smashing the Russians in the target building. The 50 kilo shell is in the air. There it goes again. Same place. Another hit. You can see the white smoke rise from the impact point. That's another big hit. The Kraken crew have done it again. Another Russian position eliminated. The barrel is lowered. The gun hidden by its crew once more.
They firing another. Before we leave to run the drone gauntlet in the world outside, the gunners pose proudly for us with their battle flags. 20 mi away back in Sunumi City, it can sometimes seem that the war is in another country. You can still eat sushi in an aironditioned shopping mall, walk your dog, or listen to a busker. But then you turn another corner and are confronted by the different reality. 35 people were killed and 129 wounded in a ballistic missile strike on the city center in April 2025.
It was one of the largest single instant losses of life in the war. In their mosquito and droneinfested forest, the Kraken gunners fight off.
