Today, before the first official run, the International Olympic Committee announced its decision to disqualify the Ukrainian skeleton athlete allegedly…
“Two months ago, a young man came to us wanting to sign a contract, but he was still under 18. Yesterday was his birthday. Today he signed his contract with us”, — says Junior Sergeant Andrii Yendrizhyievskyi.
He is a category 3 sergeant-manager of the recruiting group of the headquarters of the 95th Separate Air Assault Polissia Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces.
In this interview with ArmyInform, we discuss the life of the recruiting center in Zhytomyr, the motivation of newcomers, the gender balance among those willing to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the combat experience of a recruiter who communicates with civilians and becomes their “guide” into the world of the military and discipline. As a bonus — humorous and curious questions from new recruits.
“If I were a cat, I would’ve left at least three of my lives in Marinka”
Andrii Yendrizhyievskyi is 37 years old. In civilian life, he was a programmer. He is originally from Drohobych in the Lviv region.
Before 2022, he volunteered a lot, although he says he had long wanted to join the Defense Forces. With the start of the full-scale invasion, he came to the Territorial Recruitment Center, where he received the common response: “We will call you”. He waited several months, helped the territorial defense, and eventually ended up in the army… by accident.
“I was walking down the street and saw a military vehicle. I smiled at them, they smiled at me — a spark flashed (laughs). To be honest, I was happy to receive the draft notice”, — he recalls with a smile.
Then came basic training in the UK, the MOS “rifleman — crew member”, and in August 2023 Andrii found himself “at zero” on the Marinka axis as part of the 3rd Airmobile Company of the airmobile battalion of the 95th Brigade.
“The commander protected the newcomers. We underwent combat coordination at the training ground; we were trained also by foreign instructors. And our soldiers told them such episodes from the battlefield that the foreigners had never even imagined”, — Andrii recalls his training before combat deployments.
His unit mostly held defensive positions. Even during combat missions, he says, they always had one day dedicated to training — such as practicing shooting with different types of weapons.
Newcomers were placed on the second defensive line. They worked on improving trenches, fortifications, etc. The distance to the “zero line” was about 200 meters.
Then the actual combat deployments began. He lost count after the tenth one, but he says without exaggeration:
“If I were a cat, I would’ve left at least three of my lives in Marinka. The Russians attacked steadily once every 3–4 days, supported by tanks and IFVs. Once we helped the 79th Brigade recapture lost positions… Overall, the dynamics of those battles resembled a sort of ‘dance’: sometimes they approached, sometimes we did”.
In November 2023 Andrii suffered a concussion: the soldiers were leaving their positions when an 82-mm mortar round landed near them. He notes that he was saved by the Kevlar anti-fragmentation lining in his body armor.
“A week after I was wounded, we lost Marinka”.
“We have no cooperation with the Military Police or the police, and the hysteria around recruitment centers is artificially inflated”
After treatment, Andrii approached his commander and explained that he was a programmer in civilian life. Yes, he could storm, but he could also perform other tasks the unit needed. That’s how he ended up in the brigade’s administrative group — the “early beginnings of recruiting” in the 95th Brigade.
Andrii also posted job openings on employment platforms, called candidates, conducted interviews with soldiers and sergeants, etc.
By July 2024, a recruiting center opened in Zhytomyr — and Andrii has worked there from day one. In January 2025, he received his sergeant rank and corresponding position.
Currently, the center employs Andrii and four more personnel. They cooperate with the Territorial Defense, artillery units, the UAV units, etc. The staff consult newcomers both on joining the service and on transfers between units.
In the 95th Brigade, the greatest demand is for combat positions.
“They are always needed, because some brigade personnel are undergoing treatment, others have family circumstances, and the need for rotation is always acute. But there is also demand for specialized positions: for example, crane operator, cook, and once I even saw a job posting for a barber on LobbyX (smiles)”.
The priority target audience of the recruiting center is volunteers, “walk-ins”. Today, he says, not many visitors come in person — most prefer phone communication.
“In my opinion, this is because artificial hysteria has been fueled around recruitment centers, and there is still this strange myth that someone can ‘detain you’ here. But we have no cooperation with either the Military Police or the police. We are managers who look for ways to explain how things work”.
“Once the mother of a fallen soldier came and asked for a combat position”
The recruiting center receives many inquiries.
“But only 15–20% of all applicants actually reach the army. Sometimes it’s difficult to get back in touch with a candidate: when you try calling, the connection is unavailable and the person just disappears”.
In terms of gender, the situation with women is much better. Women usually come for UAV operator positions, mostly aged 18 to 25, and largely this is young people.
Older women choose calmer positions — although many older women also want combat roles. But this is difficult: they must, for example, march 5 km in full gear and enter combat.
“Once we had a case: the mother of a fallen soldier came and asked for a combat position… We forwarded her contacts to the command”.
The “Contract 18–24” program works, and applications mostly come through online platforms or the Reserv+ service.
“The number of applicants varies seasonally. For example, in summer there are fewer. In September–October it increases, but in November it declines again”.
I ask recruiter Andrii about his communication style with people who want to join the Defense Forces. He replies:
“I talk calmly, openly, honestly. We never deceive people. We treat them with respect. I never persuade — I only present facts and describe the honest reality I saw in battle… Yes, people may be afraid to approach the recruiting center — people fear the unknown. I’m afraid too. And it’s important to talk about all this.”
“Will they let me go to a wedding in a week?”
The recruiting center also has its share of funny stories.
“Once an 18-year-old guy came to us. We asked if he had talked to his parents about his decision — he said yes. But when he went to the medical commission, his parents showed up there looking for him, because he hadn’t told them anything. His father gave him a clip over the head (laughs)”.
Another 21-year-old candidate asked whether, once he was issued a rifle, he could take it with him on leave to show his friends (laughs).
There were also cases where candidates worried about where to get a photo for their military ID in uniform if they hadn’t been issued a uniform yet (smiles). So they had to explain that photo studios can “work magic”.
Andrii also shared short but funny questions from civilian newcomers wanting to join the Armed Forces:
- “Will they give me the new-pattern uniform?”
- “Do they let you go home for weekends during basic training?”
- “Are you sure I don’t need written parental consent? Should I call them so they confirm?”
- “Will they let me go to a wedding in a week?”
- “I saw a video about day zero in the 199th Training Center — is it really that harsh?”
- “What if I don’t pass the psychological test — then what?”
- “I wanted to ask about height: I’m 170 cm, is that okay?”
- “Will there be a place to buy cigarettes?”
- “Is a photo really necessary?”
- “What do I do if my father took my passport and refuses to give it back?”
- “Can I finish basic training and then serve in Kyiv?”
For those wishing to contact the recruiting center: Fill out the form at 95dshv.mil.gov.ua or call (095) 065-19-02.
Photo from the personal archive of Andrii Yendrizhyievskyi
