Why can’t the war be won with drones alone, and what role do assault units play in modern warfare? How…
Twenty-six-year-old Hero of Ukraine, Senior Lieutenant of the National Guard Vladyslav Stotskyi, callsign “Fire,” spoke about a nine-hour firefight in complete encirclement, during which his unit repelled a massive assault of eight armored vehicles and 50 Russian paratroopers.
This was reported in a feature by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
67 days in the fire of battles
Vladyslav began his military path in 2019 with a contract in a Zhytomyr unit of the National Guard. Later he graduated from the National Academy of the National Guard, took the callsign “Fire,” and met the full-scale invasion while defending Kharkiv.
From July 10 to September 16, 2024, he, together with his comrades, held the defense near the village of Spirne in Donetsk region for 67 days. Stotskyi was the position and platoon commander of the 8th Company of the “Svoboda” Battalion, 4th Operational Purpose Brigade “Rubezh” of the National Guard.
Nine hours under tanks and grenades
At 6 a.m., the enemy threw tanks, armored vehicles, and paratroopers into battle.
“Eight armored vehicles, half a hundred infantry — they all drove in, dismounted, and came at us”, — recalls “Fire.”
A nine-hour firefight began, with grenades and close combat. Russian paratroopers tried to jump directly into the Ukrainian trenches. Stotskyi witnessed the death of his comrade Oleksandr, callsign “Khomiak” Khomiak and the wounding of Roman, callsign “Rym” Omelianenko, whom he dragged into a dugout while continuing to return fire himself.
“I was just firing back magazine after magazine. The Russians threw grenades, but the body of fallen Sasha, lying at the entrance, shielded us from the fragments”, — he recounts.
Escape from hell
After more than two months in virtual encirclement, the command decided to withdraw the fighters. This happened at night, under the cover of drones and FPV strikes.
“At four in the morning on September 16, we were already at the stabilization point. I was standing firmly on both legs, looking at the sun, and drinking a glass of milk. I had wanted that milk for two months. It was something incredible”, — the officer recalls.
A Hero among Heroes
“Now every infantryman sitting in position is a Hero of Ukraine. Every day — an onslaught, every day — mechanized assaults. So, for me, everyone who defends the front is a Hero of Ukraine”, — Stotskyi emphasizes.
For his courage and heroism, on May 12, 2025, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded Vladyslav Stotskyi the “Golden Star” Order. Along with him, his comrades Roman Omelianenko and Oleksandr Khomiak (posthumously) were honored as Heroes of Ukraine.
