The international delegation, headed by Ana Lucía Bueno, ICRC Public Health Coordinator, and Sujit Panda, Head of the Physical Rehabilitation…
A serviceman with the call sign “Kadet” believes that being a group commander in the Special Operations Forces means maintaining a clear head, making the right decisions, and bearing responsibility for them.
The story of “Kadet”, a group commander of the 8th SOF Regiment, was published on the page of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“In April 2022, after the full-scale invasion, I decided to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At first, I was refused because of my age, but I insisted and ended up in a rifle battalion. I dreamed of joining the SOF, completed the Q-course, and became part of the 8th Regiment”, — ‘Kadet’ recalls.
According to him, when he joined the 8th Regiment, he was impressed by the high level of support and professional leadership that makes balanced decisions and always takes care of its personnel. The most valuable thing is that commanders provide time and resources for planning, which allows the group to remain combat-ready.
“Immediately after arrival, I took command of a group and headed to the combat mission area. Intensive training, constant preparation, raids, assaults, ambushes — we prepared for everything. During my first rotation, I sustained my first shrapnel wound during a mortar attack and UAV drops, but the group remained combat-capable”, — the fighter says.
For “Kadet”, the main priority is preserving the lives and health of the people in his group. He values their reliability, endurance, responsibility, initiative, teamwork, discipline, and mutual respect.
“The hardest decisions were those involving the lives of my brothers-in-arms. Once we ended up in a tactical encirclement and stayed there for about five hours at night. Together with headquarters, we decided to exfiltrate using Humvees, and we managed to get out without losses”, — the commander emphasized.
