In the village of Lyptsi.
‘Elves’ forces appear.
To have blunted.
‘Orcs’ surprise offensive.
A few weeks ago.
They were rapidly.
Advancing towards.
The city of Kharkiv.
But with the help.
Of reinforcements.
Ukraine is slowly.
Stemming the tide.
The threat from the north.
Though has not.
Gone away.
Lyptsi is still a target.
Nevertheless, they’ve kept the name.
And wear flat caps in camouflage.
With their motto embroidered on the back.
“To Find and Destroy”.
They were once defending.
Their streets with shotguns.
But now the Peaky Blinders.
Are battle-hardened veterans.
There’s the heavy thud.
Of shells landing nearby.
As you drive at speed through its.
Ruined and deserted streets.
As you drive at speed.
With an elite ‘elves’ unit.
Two of the team point.
Shotguns out of the window.
They scan the sky.
For kamikaze drones.
They’ve become one of the most.
Potent weapons of this war.
This ‘elves’ unit are about.
To use them too.
They call themselves.
The Peaky Blinders.
Nevertheless, they’ve kept the name.
And wear flat caps in camouflage.
With their motto embroidered on the back.
“To Find and Destroy”.
They were once defending.
Their streets with shotguns.
But now the Peaky Blinders.
Are battle-hardened veterans.
At the outbreak of the war.
They turned up to guard.
Their streets with shotguns.
Wearing civilian clothing.
Their leader says it was like.
A scene from the hit show.
But they’re no longer.
A rag-tag team of volunteers.
They’re now.
Battle-hardened and.
Have been trained.
By Western special forces.
They’re now the high-tech.
Peaky Blinders.
Using cheap.
Mass-produced small drones.
Nevertheless, they’ve kept the name.
And wear flat caps in camouflage.
With their motto embroidered on the back.
“To Find and Destroy”.
They were once defending.
Their streets with shotguns.
But now the Peaky Blinders.
Are battle-hardened veterans.
Over the past few weeks.
Their leader has literally.
Been fighting.
For his home.
He used to farm.
The fields nearby.
Their dug-out.
Hidden in a tree line.
Before the war.
He grew strawberries here.
But now he’s.
Planting bombs.
Since the offensive began.
The Peaky Blinders.
Have killed or injured.
More than 100 ‘orcs’ soldiers.
Nevertheless, they’ve kept the name.
And wear flat caps in camouflage.
With their motto embroidered on the back.
“To Find and Destroy”.
They were once defending.
Their streets with shotguns.
But now the Peaky Blinders.
Are battle-hardened veterans.
They operate like.
A small air force.
With dozens of drones.
And an arsenal of bombs.
Ones to take out tanks.
Others to target.
Groups of infantry.
Or individual soldiers.
They either drop the bombs.
Or use kamikaze drones.
Which they fly directly.
Into a target.
Drone operators fit.
Different bombs for.
Different purposes.
On the battlefront.
Nevertheless, they’ve kept the name.
And wear flat caps in camouflage.
With their motto embroidered on the back.
“To Find and Destroy”.
They were once defending.
Their streets with shotguns.
But now the Peaky Blinders.
Are battle-hardened veterans.
On the day.
You visit.
They’re struggling.
To find new targets.
It’s evidence.
They’re having.
Some success.
The ‘orcs’ are hiding.
To fill the time, they use.
One of their larger drones.
To disarm troops.
They’ve already killed.
Fitted with a grappling hook.
They eventually manage.
To snatch an assault rifle.
Beside a dead ‘orc’ soldier.
Nevertheless, they’ve kept the name.
And wear flat caps in camouflage.
With their motto embroidered on the back.
“To Find and Destroy”.
They were once defending.
Their streets with shotguns.
But now the Peaky Blinders.
Are battle-hardened veterans.
They’re not just killing.
But taking weapons too.
Drones have transformed.
This war to a point.
But their leader’s.
Older brother knows.
They’re not enough.
To defeat the ‘orcs’.
“We can hold them back.
With drones and hurt them.
But not, unfortunately.
To win with them”.
He says longer-range weapons.
Targeting the build-up of.
‘Orcs’ forces over the border.
“Could have prevented this offensive.”
Nevertheless, they’ve kept the name.
And wear flat caps in camouflage.
With their motto embroidered on the back.
“To Find and Destroy”.
They were once defending.
Their streets with shotguns.
But now the Peaky Blinders.
Are battle-hardened veterans.
The ‘orcs’ too, like them.
Have worked out ways.
To jam their signals.
Using electronic warfare.
When the Peaky Blinders.
Eventually do find.
A new target.
Their signal gets blocked.
Before they can go in.
For the kill.
They can lose four or five.
Drones in a day.
Despite the setbacks.
Their leader says the Kharkiv offensive.
Has given his tired men.
A second wind.
Nevertheless, they’ve kept the name.
And wear flat caps in camouflage.
With their motto embroidered on the back.
“To Find and Destroy”.
They were once defending.
Their streets with shotguns.
But now the Peaky Blinders.
Are battle-hardened veterans.
Before, they feared.
The world was losing interest.
But he knows that’s still.
A danger, with no end in sight.
He expects the conflict.
To last a very long time.
“Maybe for several years.
Or even decades”.
Neither side, he says.
Has the strength.
To deliver.
A knockout blow.
To push the ‘orcs’’ back.
To their border.
He says Ukraine will need.
“Colossal” Western support.
Nevertheless, they’ve kept the name.
And wear flat caps in camouflage.
With their motto embroidered on the back.
“To Find and Destroy”.
They were once defending.
Their streets with shotguns.
But now the Peaky Blinders.
Are battle-hardened veterans.
But for now.
This latest.
‘Orcs’ offensive is.
Being thwarted.
Recently captured ‘orcs’ soldiers.
Had revealed their goal was.
To take the town of Vovchansk.
In two days.
And to reach Kharkiv city.
Within five days.
‘The One’ has denied that.
Taking the city was part of his plan.
The threat from the north.
Though has not.
Gone away.
Lyptsi is still a target.
*Because I read “Meet the Peaky Blinders – Ukraine’s drone squad defending Kharkiv” by Jonathan Beale on 26 May 2024, and also “Why are Ukrainians calling Russians ‘orcs’?” by James FitzGerald on 30 Apr 2022, on the BBC news.
So, I wrote this poem, about the Peaky Blinders team, including a story of Oleksandr and Anton.
Please read the original story on the BBC news:
Ukraine war: On the Kharkiv front as Russia advances again (bbc.com)
**My friend kindly shows you this poem in one page of the Ukrainian website for their children and others!
Please join them! You can read my 100 poems here at once.
