The international delegation, headed by Ana Lucía Bueno, ICRC Public Health Coordinator, and Sujit Panda, Head of the Physical Rehabilitation…
Senior Lieutenant Oleh Hrishchenko, an aviation technician of fighter aviation, spoke about how aviation operates.
The serviceman’s story was published on the Air Force social media page.
“For me, this is not just another combat sortie. I understand very well who exactly is waiting for support from the sky”, — the serviceman says.
After dispatching the first aircraft, Oleh does not go to rest. Another Su-27 is being prepared. This time, the mission is the Kharkiv sector — where another one of his brothers is carrying out combat tasks.
According to the technician, during a single shift it is sometimes necessary to prepare several aircraft at once for different sections of the front.
“You don’t win a war with one sortie. But every sortie is a chance to disrupt an assault, ease the work of the infantry, and save lives”, — he explains.
The three brothers have not seen each other since the beginning of the full-scale war. Communication at the front is brief moments of happiness — just to hear: “Everything’s fine, I’m alive!”
“But sometimes a message lights up on the phone screen that’s worth more than any awards: ‘Brother, thank you. We saw how your jets flew low. You hit precisely.’ If the infantry thanks the aviation, it means the enemy assault has bogged down and our strongpoint held”, — Oleh explains.
“When they tell me the guys are having a hard time, I feel it almost physically. If we need to prepare ten aircraft per shift — we’ll do ten. If we need twenty — we’ll do the impossible. The main thing is that they down there know: the sky is on their side”.
Oleh is originally from the Kirovohrad region. Before military service, he worked in the civilian sector, but after completing his conscription service in 2016, he decided to dedicate his life to the Air Force. He graduated from the Kharkiv Air Force University.
He met the beginning of the full-scale invasion while on duty.
“Everyone felt the tension. And when the missile strikes began, there were no doubts left. We just had to do our job”, — he recalls.
In the first months of the war, technicians worked almost nonstop: inspection, refueling, weapons preparation — and the aircraft was back in the sky.
The Su-27s Oleh works with are older than he is. However, according to the technician, with proper maintenance they remain effective combat machines.
From just one aircraft under his responsibility, more than a hundred aviation munitions have already been used against the enemy.
“Every system that’s checked is the pilot’s safety and results on the ground. For me, this is not just equipment — it’s responsibility for people”, — he emphasizes.
