The international delegation, headed by Ana Lucía Bueno, ICRC Public Health Coordinator, and Sujit Panda, Head of the Physical Rehabilitation…
A serviceman with the call sign “Mak” is a radar station operator. A builder in civilian life, he joined the Armed Forces in early 2023.
His story was published on the page of the 33rd Separate Mechanized Brigade.
“I’ve been in the brigade since its first days. I underwent initial combat coordination in Zakarpattia, where the 33rd was being formed. I’ve been friends with my comrades since then”, — he says.
In May 2023, “Mak” went to the Zaporizhzhia direction, and a month later took part in the counteroffensive in southern Ukraine.
“In Zaporizhzhia, it immediately became clear we were in real combat conditions. On the very day we settled into a house, an enemy missile was shot down right above it. Mortar fire was frequent as well”, — the soldier recalls.
It was time to apply in practice the skills and knowledge he had gained during training.
“I had no real experience with a radar station, but I knew I would learn. I remember my first combat deployment: we arrived, deployed, camouflaged the station — and started working. Everything followed an algorithm, and it’s like that every time. It was tough, but we mastered it. The hardest part of our work is camouflage — especially the antenna”, — he says.
Day by day, he gained experience and strengthened his spirit.
“I can’t say I adapted to war quickly, but gradually I got used to it. ‘Grads’ hit near us, cluster munitions exploded, and on New Year 2024 the Russians tried to poison us with phosphorus — at first I thought it was snow falling at night, but within seconds I reacted correctly”, — he recalls.
In 2024, “Mak” and his comrades moved to the Donetsk direction, where the nature of the war had changed.
“There are now many FPV drones — they’ve become the main threat. But we adapted quickly. We detected enemy artillery, and based on our coordinates, our artillery destroyed theirs”, — he says.
There were unusual moments as well.
“We detected movement of several objects at night. At first, we couldn’t understand what it was. Then we saw — cows walking on the snow. Their barns had been destroyed, and they escaped,” the operator recalls.
Years of war have made “Mak” an experienced and conscious soldier. He believes that faith in one’s own strength and coordinated effort will lead to success.
“I’m waiting for the war to end. And for us, it will end only when Ukraine wins. I dream of the day I return home — alive, healthy, and with Victory”, — he said.
