The international delegation, headed by Ana Lucía Bueno, ICRC Public Health Coordinator, and Sujit Panda, Head of the Physical Rehabilitation…
“Mer” is a drone-bomber operator. He worked in a security agency, and from the first weeks of the full-scale invasion, he has been defending Ukraine.
His story was shared on the page of the 33rd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the AFU.
“I live in a town near the border with the occupiers. On February 24, 2022, a friend called and said the invasion had begun. I immediately took my sister and mother to evacuate them from the city. It was very difficult — the enemy was advancing from almost all sides, and it took us more than eight hours to leave. And already in early March, my friend and I went to the mobilization center to join the Armed Forces”, — he recalled.
He took part in the defense of Kharkiv, liberated Ruska Lozova, and later joined the counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region.
His unit was first sent into a forest near Lyptsi to cut off supply routes so the occupiers could not pass.
He first served in infantry, then was transferred to reconnaissance.
“We and the guys were the first to reach the state border of Ukraine near the village of Strileche. And then we held the defense there”, — he said.
“Mer” quickly gained combat experience and was transferred to a training center as an instructor. Later he returned to combat as a mortar operator in the 33rd Brigade, and later was offered to transfer to a UAV battalion. He was trained as an operator.
“I had tried to learn to fly drones and conduct drops before, but it wasn’t very serious then. But war is constantly changing. Mortars, for example, no longer produce the results our ‘birds’ do. So I decided I’m needed here, among UAV specialists”.
Soon the first combat missions began.
“The first thing my team and I destroyed was an enemy dugout that our reconnaissance had just located. When you see that you hit exactly the right spot, you understand — that’s it. It’s a great joy. You see the explosion, you see the result of your work”, — he emphasized.
Some results are particularly impressive.
“Near Shakhove, we destroyed an enemy tank while it was moving — we hit exactly where the fuel tanks were. Together with other units, we stopped the enemy offensive then”, — “Mer” said.
He noted that Ukraine’s victory must be real.
“I know the time will come when I can go to Crimea or Donetsk. When ordinary people will calmly sit at their tables in their own homes. When Ukrainians will simply live and develop in freedom and peace. My comrades give their most precious — their lives — for such a future. Every person has a choice. We made ours: we defend our land”, — he concluded.
