– Do you remember the events of February 24, 2022? What did you feel and think when you found out that Ukraine being attacked?

– Yes of course. It probably remained in my memory for the rest of my life. I knew about the inevitability of the war as early as February 20, 2022.

There was a lot of information from intelligence and other sources, so when I came home from work on February 23, 2022,

 I already knew for sure that the war starts tomorrow, although internally I hoped to the end that there would be no war. On February 24, I woke up around 5:00 a.m. and after scrolling down the feed for the latest news on the Internet, I realized that the war has begun. Then the commander called and I was put on alert.

I reassured my wife as I could, then took my alarming backpack and was on duty within an hour. All that bothered us at that time was that we were just starting to form as a unit, as well as members of our unit did not have any experience. Moreover, there were problems with location and provision. Speaking in military language – we did not have the proper combat capacity.

– Which story impressed you the most during almost a year of war?

 – I can’t say that I was struck by anything, but there was a case when our officer was assigned to another unit, and he died two weeks after his appointment … When his mother asked me why her son was there where he shouldn’t have been to. Someone else has to die instead of him. Well, the answers to these will never be found.

– What helps you stay on top of things? What supports you the most?

– It is good that family members, relatives, friends and colleagues at work who are willing to help are nearby, in one way or another. I am grateful to everyone for their warmth, faith, patience, courage, a gifted smile and warm words of support. And most importantly – all to do with faith in our victory! And of course, a sense of humor helps.

– What can you say about the training of military persons? Should a military person be afraid at all?

– The question of the training of military persons is very important. The more they sweat in training, the less they bleed in battle. Training of military persons is a key component of increasing the combat capabilities of a unit. Every person should have fear, especially a military person. In the face of fear, cultivate courage. The one who overcomes his or her fear, being aware of all possible risks and dangers for himself or herself, is a courageous person. From my own experience, I note that not all people are capable of “stepping forward” confidently.

– When the blue-yellow flag flies over every Ukrainian city, what are you going to do?

– I don’t even know … I haven’t thought about it yet. After the victory, therefore, there is still a lot of work to be done by us − rebuilding destroyed cities, demining vast territories. I want to hug my loved ones and get some sound sleep. And then we will see)))