The date was chosen in memory of military correspondent Dmytro Labutkin, who died on this day during hostilities in eastern…
Vyacheslav, with the call sign “Freddy”, is 39 years old, born in Kazakhstan but considers Dnipro his home.
His story was shared by the 43rd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Before joining the army, he worked in trade and at ATB, but a missile strike in 2024 radically changed his life. His mother, a train conductor, miraculously survived an attack on a depot when debris flew right over her head.
This became a turning point for Vyacheslav.
“After that, I realized that if we don’t go, bad people will come here”, — Freddy recalls.
The next morning, he voluntarily went to the military enlistment office to protect his family.
He now serves as an FPV drone pilot and names calmness, determination, and technical competence as the main qualities of an operator. The work requires maximum crew coordination because the enemy is constantly hunting drone pilots, so they must work carefully.
Vyacheslav remembers a curious episode when an occupier tried to fend off his drone with a rifle as if it were a baseball bat, but the next launch completed the job.
“It was funny, but I did my job in the end”, — the soldier says of his combat routine.
He emphasizes that modern war is a drone war, where the main task is to support the infantry.
For Freddy, victory means above all a safe life for his daughter and the continued existence of our country. After completing his service, he dreams of returning to civilian life and opening his own FPV piloting school to train others and be closer to his family.
To those who hesitate to join the army, the soldier reminds a simple truth: if everyone runs away, the enemy will come to every home to loot and kill.
“I think the main motivation is children and parents; everything else is nonsense”, — the defender concludes.
