The international delegation, headed by Ana Lucía Bueno, ICRC Public Health Coordinator, and Sujit Panda, Head of the Physical Rehabilitation…
A soldier of the 503rd Marine Battalion with the call sign “Samolyot” told how he overcomes fear and delivers cargo to the front line.
The conversation with the warrior was published on March 4 on the battalion’s channel.
“I transport ammunition, food, do evacuations — basically everything they tell me to do. My call sign was invented back during my conscript service because I moved very fast back then”, — recalls “Samolyot”.
He carries small arms — less against drones than against saboteurs.
“We constantly carry weapons because we are not far from the combat zone, and sabotage and reconnaissance groups can come ‘visiting’. So we always carry an assault rifle — if necessary, we can fire a little”, — he says.
“The most dangerous thing is when they ask you to bring in mines — 120-mm ones — when the entire airborne compartment is loaded with them. The first time I carried 2.5 tons. And the last time I drove to Myrnohrad with mines it was 1.8 tons.
On the way two FPV drones hit us, the brakes failed. But we made it, unloaded.
We didn’t make it back. The vehicle burned down. And we walked home on foot”, — “Samolyot” recalls.
