Seven and a half minutes of GoPro footage released by a Ukrainian paratrooper captures the palpable tension in the air as his team maneuvers through buildings that were previously occupied by Russian forces.

This part of war is the part that people mostly miss out on. It's not the intense action packed gun-fighting with grenades and rockets popping off every few seconds you usually think about when you're looking at footage from a war. There aren't dozens of guys running around picking up suppression and maneuvering on an enemy force. It's just a couple of guys moving through previously enemy occupied structures ensuring that there aren't any stragglers waiting to ambush them from behind.

Watching it with the benefit of hindsight, it's easy to not see or feel the tension. For these guys in the video though who don't know what's going to happen 3 minutes down the timeline, this is a truly unsettling experience. They don't know if there's a Russian in the building waiting to ambush them, and they certainly don't know if the next step they take is going to dislodge something that triggers off an explosion by their heads.

About the Author

Josh Brooks

Josh is an American writer and former USMC machine gunner with eight years of experience in ground combat arms throughout the GWOT. He is currently based in Texas and specializes in combat footage analysis and digital marketing.Follow Josh at OfficialJoshBrooks.com