Ukrainian heroes: Oleksandr is the world record holder for the destruction of armored vehicles in a day, which was quoted by Biden

He hit six times, destroying Russian technique. The Ukrainian military man was quoted by US President Joe Biden, The Wall Street Journal wrote about him, and he simply says that does not have any state awards.

As he told "Espreso", before military service he was a participant in the Revolution of Dignity, and it was the cynical invasion of foreigners into Ukraine that pushed him to go to war.

"As soon as the war started, I was a scout. Despite the fact that Russians said very loudly that they were not there, I saw only Russian soldiers, not mercenaries. The fact that foreigners invaded my land left no choice - I had to go and fight", Oleksandr begins his story.

The scout's career was interrupted by an injury

In 2014, Oleksandr had no military experience because he did not have time to complete his military service. He had his own service station and says that he could live peacefully in safety. But when the war came to the country, he joined the Aydar volunteer battalion. The first time he was a scout, but was seriously wounded, after which he recovered for more than four months. When he recovered, he joined the anti-tank platoon.  After some time, he transferred to attack aircraft.

"I liked Aydar - a friendly team that never let me down. They taught me very well, and most of what I know is the knowledge I gained at Aidar. I mastered numerous military equipment, learned to use all the weapons that were available  at that time - says Oleksandr. - But at some point he wanted stability, so he transferred from it to the 128th division."

He recalls that despite the fact that he had no experience as a scout, he liked the work. He says that a good scout must be very attentive, and also be able to navigate the terrain.

"When I was wounded for the first time in intelligence, I could not continue my work, because I had to walk and run a lot. I could no longer perform the tasks that were set before me with quality."

Oleksandr was injured in the fall of 2014. At that time, 17 fragments were stuck in his body, and he survived only thanks to protective ammunition.

"On that day, we received information that an enemy group advanced on us. We went to destroy them. But the saboteurs set several traps that our sniper did not see. He was thrown back by the shock wave, and I took the hit. After that, I was still able to get to the car and take us to a safe position, because I was the only one of the boys who knew how to drive a car," Aidar shares his memories.  After that, he returned to the army a few months later.

A close acquaintance with the "Javelin"

Olexander and "Javelin", as faithful friends, never let each other down in the most difficult moments. And they found a common language immediately, from the first contact. The warrior emphasizes that the Javelin is a very effective weapon and if there were a lot of them at the beginning of a full-scale invasion, the enemy would not be allowed to cross the border. However, at the beginning of the war, there were very few of them. And there are even fewer trained people who knew how to work with American ATGMs.

"In March of this year, I was supposed to resign. But there was a recruitment to study on the Javelin, NLAW and M141, and I went to study. While I was studying, the situation in the East escalated, but during that time I learned to work with this equipment. On the second day of a full-scale invasion I gathered all the boys from my group, got into my own transport and went to the East by order of the commander," he says.

The day when Oleksandr shot down 6 targets of the occupiers with a "Javelin" was a surprise for him. The soldier knows that he will never forget it. He says that it was difficult both mentally and physically, but the end result was worth all the effort.

"The day then began as usual. I went to the position, saw where the attack would come from, chose my firing points. In a moment I heard explosions two kilometers from me. I heard a command on the radio that there was contact with the enemy, help was needed. I went with my brother in the car and went to help. The enemy came from the other side, not where we expected. It turned out, as if from the rear. The Russians detected that we had entered, opened a very massive fire on us with tanks, armored personnel carriers and everything else they had. It was very difficult to fire and even difficult to simply observe," Aydar explains.

Battle day in detail

He says that an enemy on a tank can destroy you before you even start aiming.

"We moved to another place, and I immediately took up a firing position there. I noticed two enemy tanks that were working on our comrades - I reported to the commander and asked for permission to practice. Commander gave me permission and I made a combat launch. This was my first combat experience in real life, before that - only simulators. I saw a missile fly and hit a tank. I watched the missile throughout the flight, I was interested in all the details - I could not take my eyes off. There were several explosions, and the tank burned. I shouted to my assistant to send the next missile, even though the commander gave the order to leave. The assistant brought another missile with which I shot down the BMP-3," Oleksandr says with delight.

He added that such equipment are priority targets for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as they pose a great threat. During the second shot, Russians had already determined their location.

 "If it wasn't the adrenaline in my blood after the first shot, I probably would have left the position. But I had such emotions and a desire to help my comrades that the second shot was also successful. Then we went to change positions. I just jumped into the car and then saw  that a "motolyga" was driving with an anti-aircraft gun, which can destroy both air and ground targets. I saw it, took aim, grabbed the missile and launched it. It all happened very quickly. It came out in about 12 minutes and fired three well-hit shots. But time in battle is different. Sometimes 30 seconds seem like an eternity, and two hours can seem like a few seconds," says the soldier.

You can't imagine what it's like to wait for the signal - "the missile is ready to launch" in front of the muzzle of a tank.

The combat day did not end there, in a few minutes we went to get a new missile to our comrades, who met the enemy again.

"I saw a BMP-3 - destroyed it. Next, another tank - took aim, fired. I went to the car to get the third missile. At that time, my partner shouted to me that an armored personnel carrier was in the landing. I thought that it was in a nearby landing, a kilometer away from me. But in a moment it turned out that it was literally 200 meters away."

This close combat with the enemy was the most dangerous. The weather added additional inconveniences. At the beginning of March, there was constant precipitation, and underfoot there was a pot of clay.

"I realized that the armored personnel carrier was in the same position where we were. I raised my head and saw him flying at high speed at the car from where I took the rocket. I understand that he saw my anti-tank weapon and just wants to crush me. There was a split second. I threw the installation away from me, hugged the rocket with my arms and legs and rolled to the side. And then I just hear how this armored personnel carrier hit the car with all its might. From the wheels to my back there were 3-4 centimeters. I even felt a swamp on my back, legs. When I remember it, I still get goosebumps," Oleksandr recalls.

An enemy armored personnel carrier ran over his comrade in front of Oleksandr. But thanks to the soft swamp, he remained alive, only with broken legs. Then the warrior independently made the decision to destroy this technique, no matter what the cost.

"I am running for the installation, and the armored personnel carrier is gaining a turning radius. I managed to arrange everything, I sat and waited, realizing that I could just be shot now (and not only me, but also all my comrades). Although I turned on the installation, the cooling of the rocket takes up to 30 seconds. Those 30 seconds were an eternity. You can't imagine what it's like to wait in front of the muzzle of a tank for the signal "The missile is ready to launch". Morally and psychologically it was difficult to understand and endure it. I just sat down on the ground, stopped the installation so as not to sway, because hands are shaking - from fright, adrenaline, cold. I waited and launched. There were five confirmed destroyed targets that day, and the sixth was this armored personnel carrier. Although it was able to drive off the field, the guys said that it burned down", the soldier says.

In total, Oleksandr made 9 shots and 9 hits.  He says that he did not see with his own eyes only how one of them burned.

The world record holder quoted by Biden

The following month, in April, journalists from the American Wall Street Journal visited the positions of the 128th division. Oleksandr talked with journalists who have worked a lot in hot spots. American reporters says that no one has ever destroyed six armored targets in one day with a Javelin. Oleksandr is the first person in history who succeeded in this.

"They came and took an interview. But I didn't have time to talk much, because I had a lot of tasks for that day. We talked for a few minutes, and I forgot about it. And after a while, the guys say that I'm a star. At first I thought - they're joking, because you can't serve without jokes in the army. And then they said about Biden. I didn't believe it for a long time," the soldier says.

And shortly after the release of the material, the article was quoted by US President Joe Biden at the Javelin factory.

"A few days ago, The Wall Street Journal quoted a young Ukrainian fighter who said: 'Without the Javelin, it would be very difficult to stop the advancing enemy.' - Biden said.  The soldier quoted by the US president was a fighter with the call sign Aidar.

Despite the records and fame gained overseas, the legendary warrior admits that he has only certificates for his entire military service and has never received state awards.  But he immediately adds that he is not fighting for awards or for money, but for a free Ukraine. And the javelin virtuoso is convinced of Ukraine's victory and believes in it above all else.

"Ukraine will win, because we are fighting for the truth, we are on our land, and the entire Ukrainian people are for us. Only those who did not study well and did not read history are not for us," Oleksandr concluded.