The international delegation, headed by Ana Lucía Bueno, ICRC Public Health Coordinator, and Sujit Panda, Head of the Physical Rehabilitation…
During the defense of Kyiv, the fighter with the callsign “Bison” served in air defense. Being three hours late resulted in him being listed as AWOL, and then came a court verdict — five years in prison. When representatives of the “Shkval” unit arrived at the colony, he did not hesitate to return to service.
His story was published by the 49th Separate Assault Battalion “Carpathian Sich” named after Oleh Kutsyn.
Joining the 49th Assault Battalion, he immediately threw himself into work: discipline, exhausting training, and daily shooting.
His position is clear: you go to war not to die, but to destroy the enemy and protect your home.
His first mission — clearing operations. That was when “Bison” first felt the true price of war. Approaching positions, he saw a comrade killed by an enemy bullet. That loss divided his life into “before” and “after”.
The pain immediately turned into cold determination.
“I opened fire in response and threw all my grenades at the enemy, which allowed us to withdraw. On the way back, we picked up two wounded comrades from another group”, — he recalls.
He is now entrusted with being the group leader — responsible for his comrades. In training they drill every action into muscle memory to leave no room for mistakes in battle.
“I pass on to the guys everything I know and learn alongside them. We must be one whole, because our goal is simple — complete the mission and bring everyone home alive”, — he says.
Experience taught him to recognize true readiness in people. If someone is not psychologically prepared, “Bison” insists on additional training.
To him, it doesn’t matter whether someone comes from civilian life or from a prison. Everyone must clearly understand where they are going. There is no place for carelessness in war — every step must be conscious.
He warns civilians not to delude themselves with hopes of a ceasefire or truce. From what he sees at the front, there is no sign of this.
To those in prisons he advises thinking carefully about their decision and about how they can be useful in the army.
Because war is not a resort — it is hard and dangerous work.
