Today, we continue our series of military stories about their everyday life in war (previous text here). Below is the story of a soldier with the call sign “Kirov”, who has been to the hottest spots on the eastern front just a month after military training.
Talking to the warrior, we learned what moment in the war is the scariest for him and how to keep yourself together when five projectiles land near you per second.
“Before serving in the army, I worked as a builder, and lived with my family in Transcarpathia. I was drafted on March 11. I went through training for about a month. It consisted of training at a shooting range and studying theoretical material. But I wouldn’t say that theory matches reality. Most often on the front, you have to act according to the situation. The main thing is to get into a position where they can’t get you, but you can get them.
Mostly, I performed combat missions in the Luhansk region until the summer. Then for about two months, I was in the hospital because of back problems. They started because you’re constantly in a bulletproof vest, weighing about 17 kilograms.
Usually, the schedule was as follows. You are in the field for five to seven days, and then for a day or two, there is an opportunity to rest in the nearest village. However, sometimes we stayed in positions longer because the number of people decreases, but the positions do not, sometimes even expanding. And in the Peaceful Valley, we sat in the trenches for 17-20 days.
The first battle was the hardest not only because it was the first one but also because the enemy was only 10-15 meters away from us, meaning we were looking them straight in the eyes. After a day, we got out of there with minimal losses. But it was still hard to realize that the men who were with me in the same position were killed. And then you really realize that you might not have come out either.
Regarding the worst moments, I can definitely say it’s when you hear that a comrade is wounded and you can’t help him. Our main rule is to protect each other. In general, this is the most important thing in war – to support, cover, and help each other.
In general, everyone has fear, the main thing is not to lose yourself and not give in to panic. You have to keep yourself in hand, no matter what. Sometimes it’s difficult, especially if five projectiles land literally 15-20 meters from you per second. It’s clear that everyone’s psyche is individual, and everyone reacts differently to such a shock. However, if your mental health is generally good, you overcome this fear inside. Because if not you, then who?”
***
Currently, Ukrainian military personnel courageously defend the sovereignty of Ukraine every day, performing feats that are sometimes even hard to comprehend. Thanks to the heroism of Ukrainians, we have the opportunity to live peacefully, dealing with everyday affairs. However, our task is to continue to support the fighters. The most important thing is the preservation and quality protection of the lives of the soldiers.