Ukrainian singer turned soldier: “I never saw myself as Rambo, but it was important for me to take up arms and defend my country”

He discussed the topics in an interview with Sestry.ua

Before the war, you were a well-known singer, and now you’re a soldier with combat experience in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. How did this transformation come about?

I had a sense that a full-scale invasion was inevitable and that I would be involved in a major war. On February 1, 2022, I joined the local territorial defense unit in Lutsk, which seemed like a perfect transition from civilian life to the military. I never saw myself as a Rambo or a tough fighter, but it was crucial for me to pick up arms and defend my country.

When the war began on February 22, 2022, with the battle for Kyiv, the territorial defense in the capital was actively engaged, and there were even rumors of weapons being distributed directly from KAMAZ trucks. 

My friend and I went to Kyiv and ended up joining a combat unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

What did you experience during the war?

There were no heroic deeds in my combat experience - I went to the front as an ordinary soldier. One day, we were sent to reinforce a Ukrainian Armed Forces unit near Bakhmut. At that time, the fighting wasn't as intense there, the Russians were mainly advancing around Sieverodonetsk.

In Bakhmut, we were put on alert and taken to our positions, but we couldn’t get in initially due to shelling. We had to return several times, unload and reload our gear, and finally, we settled in the landing zone, spent the night, and the next day moved to the actual facility.

It was some sort of industrial site - possibly a sewage treatment plant. We dug in, set up defenses, and organized surveillance and supplies. A few days later, our platoon commander and several comrades were killed in a shelling attack.

We stayed near Bakhmut for ten days, spotting the enemy through binoculars and regularly coming under fire. We couldn’t return fire effectively due to a lack of appropriate weapons. Our communications were jammed, and we had no artillery, tanks, or long-range weapons - only grenade launchers that had a limited range and Kalashnikov rifles.

How did you become a unit commander of the 47th Brigade?

In reality, it's the smallest basic unit in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Under certain circumstances, the vast majority of servicemen are able to reach such a level of individual development to take up this position. This is not a great achievement. It depends on a person's willingness to learn, acquire new skills, and take responsibility for others. I was prepared for this role, otherwise, why would I have joined the Armed Forces?

I regularly attended training sessions, worked with various instructors, and showed a keen interest in gaining as much military knowledge and experience as I could. I even requested to attend an officer's course, but was told, “You're over 50!” - I had just turned 50 two weeks after joining the Armed Forces. While I didn’t get to go to the officer's course, I remained eager to learn, read extensively, watched instructional videos, and engaged with others.

I also took on tasks related to our company’s material support and helped other units. Eventually, I may have shown some leadership qualities somewhere, which allowed my commanders to make this decision. After returning from the front, I underwent training abroad and became a squad leader, overseeing personnel, squad formation, and basic military training.

What kind of people did you serve with during your time in a combat unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces?

The Ukrainian Armed Forces represent a cross-section of society, with individuals varying in age, life experience, profession, and interests. In our 47th battalion, many of the members were volunteers who fully understood their reasons for joining. They were driven to defend Ukraine and push the enemy out of its borders. These are the kind of people who bring out the best in you - those you share significant experiences with, sometimes facing life-threatening situations, and who become close and dear to you because of it. Whether at the front or near it, there's a deep sense of unity because they are like-minded in many ways. It feels like being part of a large family, all fighting for the same cause.

If the army is a cross-section of society, what is the difference between people at the front and those in the rear?

In the rear, it’s harder to identify who is actively contributing to the defense of the state. People don’t walk around with signs detailing their contributions. You see individuals going about their daily lives, and it’s difficult to know what they’re doing behind this facade. You can't go up to everyone and ask, “What are you doing? Do you just drink coffee, or are you also donating? Are you weaving nets? Volunteering? Working at a company that builds drones? Or even soldering drones at home in your spare time?” You wouldn’t pester every person with such questions. Nor would you ask, “How do you envision the future of Ukraine? Do you want Ukraine to remain an independent, self-sufficient, and developed state?” It’s not feasible to ask everyone, which makes it more challenging to assess their contributions and commitment.

There are many ​​women in the Ukrainian army. In your opinion, has war really ceased to be a purely male affair, and is there gender equality in the army? What does it look like in practice?

I don't divide soldiers into men and women. The readiness and ability to defend the country depends on the individual, not their gender.

Our company’s chief medic was a woman. We worked well together - while I was involved in managing supplies, she coordinated what needed to be organized through volunteers. For a time, we also had a woman acting company commander, Yuliia Shevchenko. She was an outstanding person and commander who won the hearts of nearly the entire company. Unfortunately, she died, which is a significant loss and deep pain for us.

I know many women in the army and deeply appreciate their professionalism and dedication. I respect and admire them greatly. It's clear that women can excel in some areas where men may not, and vice versa. For instance, I’ve heard that women are often more precise shooters and are excellent snipers.

What matters most is having motivated people in the Ukrainian army who understand their roles and purposes. Whether they are men or women is secondary. At the same time, the Armed Forces should strive to make women feel as comfortable as possible in their roles. This isn’t about providing better conditions than those for men, but rather addressing issues that arise from the historically lower number of women in the Armed Forces. Issues such as hygiene, organizational matters, and problems with weapons, equipment, and uniforms for women are being worked on, but it’s not always clear how efficiently these issues are being resolved.

How has the war changed Ukrainians? Has the country really seen a transformation of national consciousness in recent years? How do you perceive these processes?

Such profound shocks as a war, especially the one we are currently enduring, which is an existential struggle for our survival, inevitably lead to change. The enemy aims to destroy both our nation and our state, and the scale of the devastation, the volume of casualties, and the extent of destruction cannot help but affect us. Many of my friends have shown a noticeable increase in patriotism and civic responsibility regarding the future of our state and people.

For instance, those who used to speak primarily Russian are now consciously switching to Ukrainian, both in public and private settings. I think this is a very important factor.

While I'm not inclined to criticize those who speak Russian, I do question why people who have no barriers to switching to Ukrainian choose not to do so.

Of course, there are challenges. Unity among Ukrainians remains an issue. Many who position themselves as patriots still prioritize their personal ambitions over the interests of the state. Some are attempting to avoid active participation in defense, seeking excuses for their stance. However, I prefer to focus on the positive aspects. I hope to see the best qualities that Ukrainians have demonstrated over these two and a half years - such as connection, unity, and mutual support - nurtured and strengthened, not just in terms of emotions but also through tangible actions.

How has the war changed our relations with our neighbors and the world? How do you see Ukraine's new role in Europe?

Ukraine is a litmus test that helps people, organizations, and countries to prove themselves in the world today.

Thanks to us, the world has seen how ineffective and atheistic the United Nations is. It does not solve anything at all. It is not concerned with solving important issues of the future of the world. We have seen the weakness of the Vatican. What we hear from the head of this church, the Pope, is in stark contrast to the tenets of Catholicism. 

Ukraine, at a heavy, tragic cost, is using its own example to tell the world and Europe what they have forgotten.

Sometimes they don't see it, and sometimes they don't even want to know. But the future of both Europe and the world depends on this knowledge.

How do you see the reconstruction of Ukraine and the participation of our Western partners in it?

If I were asked how I would do a big rebuilding, I would first ask who in the world is ready to help us with this. For example, 50 countries are ready to help us. Then I would try to understand to what extent they are ready to do it. And within the framework of this readiness, I would offer these countries to rebuild some specific districts and cities. For example, there are 10 countries that are ready to rebuild Mariupol, Bakhmut, or some other destroyed Ukrainian city. I am in favor of them proposing options for what to do and how to do it, in coordination with the representatives of Ukraine, and doing it using their own teams and involving, of course, as many Ukrainians as possible. But the main thing is that they should, firstly, formulate budgets and control the funds allocated for reconstruction themselves, and secondly, run projects themselves and teach us how and what they do, so that we can use this experience in the future.

What gives you hope for victory and how do you see it?

I'm not a historian, but I've been interested in history a lot.

In the historical context, we may never have had such a strong state as we have now, with such a strong army and such strong external support.

These three factors give me hope that we have every chance to win this war. What this victory will look like depends on many things. I would like to see Russia cease to exist as an integral state and break up into a large number of states. And even if each of them is inherently hostile to Ukraine, they will not be as threatening to Ukraine's future individually as the existence of a large Russia that unites small national entities under one chauvinistic, imperial wing. 

What will Ukrainian culture look like after the war?

I assume that we will still have to struggle with new waves of expansion from Russian music and culture in various manifestations and with the willingness of many Ukrainians to go for this collaboration, to become part of the Russian cultural space. I think that we will still have to overcome these problems - and more than once. But it all depends on the conditions and circumstances under which the war will end.

What is the Ukraine of your dreams, where would you like to live in the future?

I love Ukraine immensely. Not as a state, but as the place of my birth, the place I live in, the place I am interested in, the place I like to travel when I have the opportunity, the place I like to explore. It is not just a single dot on the map, it is a very big place.

I love different Ukraine - the way it is in the east, in the west, in the south, in the north, in the center.

I love a lot of places. I love a lot of people. And I would like to see a state system within all this that I love that would promote the flourishing of all the best that is here and would not allow all the bad that is here or may appear to function. And if we could create a state in which all people of common sense would like to live, then this would be my dream country.