The international delegation, headed by Ana Lucía Bueno, ICRC Public Health Coordinator, and Sujit Panda, Head of the Physical Rehabilitation…
The commander of a mechanized company of the 41st Separate Mechanized Brigade, Lieutenant with the call sign “Iskra”, knew since school that his path would be infantry. While studying at the Hetman Petro Sahaidachny National Army Academy, he consciously chose the specialty of infantry officer despite having the option to pursue other fields.
His story was published on the brigade’s channel.
Iskra received his combat baptism at age 18 as a cadet during the defence of Irpin and Bucha. Alongside peers, he held back the enemy’s advance on Kyiv’s outskirts under constant artillery and mortar fire. Cadets repelled numerous assaults and did not give up a single position.
“Back then, many of us had finished school only a year earlier!” — the officer recalls.
Later, Ukrainian defenders learned that the occupiers, enraged by heavy losses, had even placed a bounty on each defender, trying to justify their failures with tales of “super-special forces”.
During the battles for Irpin, Iskra was wounded by a 120-mm mortar explosion. Before that, he had saved a civilian family, escorting them across a bridge under fire and enemy drones.
“I saved an entire family from Irpin — an elderly couple and a young woman, likely their daughter. Almost leading them by the hand, I waited for the right moment and took them to safety across a bridge constantly shelled and monitored by enemy UAVs”, — he recounts.
For bravery and heroism, Iskra was personally awarded by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and received the “Defender of the Fatherland” medal.
After recovering and graduating early from the academy, the lieutenant voluntarily chose service in the 41st Separate Mechanized Brigade — closer to his native Kirovohrad region. He began as a platoon commander and later led a company.
The unit includes servicemen old enough to be his father, but according to comrades, the young commander’s experience, courage, and humanity give him undeniable authority.
“The main principle of an infantry officer is always to be with your subordinates, especially on the front line, so no one can ever say, ‘Where were you? Were you there?’” — Iskra emphasizes.
His father, a senior sergeant, is also currently defending Ukraine. According to the lieutenant, the principle of being together with the fighters is fundamental and constant for their family.
