The international delegation, headed by Ana Lucía Bueno, ICRC Public Health Coordinator, and Sujit Panda, Head of the Physical Rehabilitation…
Yevhenii chose the sky as his profession even before the full-scale war. He studied at the Kharkiv Air Force University at the Air Defense Faculty.
The story of the fighter was published by Air Command “East” of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
He met the first days of the full-scale war in Kharkiv.
The combat alert then was completely different from drills. Explosions above the city were added to the familiar commands.
Personnel received weapons and ammunition, and the units were quickly deployed to positions for patrolling and strengthening the defense.
After graduation, Yevhenii joined the military — to do his job and defend the Ukrainian sky, which now needs protection every day.
He says that before the war he imagined service differently, but he quickly realized the true weight of his profession.
Now he commands a crew of the Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft gun system — one of the most effective artillery air defense systems guarding the Ukrainian sky.
At the new position area, his crew has already destroyed a dozen aerial targets, all of them Shahed-type attack drones.
Yevhenii says that the Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery system was created specifically to combat aerial targets.
The vehicle detects an enemy target earlier than it approaches the engagement zone. On its turret there are two automatic cannons which, during firing, create a dense wall of fire in the path of the enemy target.
Two radar stations operate on the vehicle at once: one scans the surrounding airspace, while the other takes the object under precise tracking to open fire.
When the radar detects an aerial target, everything then happens very quickly: assessment of the situation, target lock — and the cannon opens fire.
The hardest days for Yevhenii’s crew are the nights of massive attacks. Sometimes the number of attack drones in the direction exceeds 200.
The enemy constantly changes its tactics. It changes flight altitudes, routes, attack directions, trying to bypass the air defense system.
Air defense troops must adapt to every new strike pattern. That is why the main motivation of his crew is simple: not to allow them to approach.
And that is why their work is not only pressing the trigger. It is attentiveness, quick decisions and responsibility for those who are in the cities.
Air defense is the shield that people often do not see, but it is precisely this shield that determines their morning and their lives.
“We all understand that every enemy target in the sky is a potential tragedy on the ground, and every downed drone or missile means a saved house, a rescued family, and Ukraine’s energy infrastructure preserved. That is why we are here and do everything possible to keep the sky over Ukraine clear”, — the fighter said.
