22-year-old fighter about the army, front and why doesn’t want to be an officer

The low thin guy puts on FPV-glasses, includes the remote and launches propellars on the drone. Its shape is a fashionable cartoon, a machine gun, tuned with expensive hips, on the store – stickers with characters of Japanese anime. It is evident that the army of the fighter in the kaife.

The drone « jumps » and hangs at the level of the operator’s eyes, then quickly takes off, makes several complex figures of the pilotage and disappears behind the horizon.

This is how the Ivasik works-one of the best FPV-ocel operators 128 of the Separate Mountain Assault Transcarpathian Brigade.

Three years of military lyceum, more than two years of conscript service, and almost one and a half – in the war

Ivasik is only 22 years old, it is just over a year in the battle part, but it is a very effective fighter, the highest class. Here are the results of one of his past departures: six enemy guns (three of them are critical – exported from positions for overhaul or utilization) were destroyed overnight, and in total for three -day departure – a plus of 12 cars of different types: trucks, pickups, « loaves », « Niva »…

Ivasik has special skills – within a few seconds after receiving the task of his drone in the air, and if the situation changes dramatically, immediately reoriented, changes the direction, catch up with a new target and strikes it. He did a lot of harm to the Russians, so for safety reasons he does not show their face.

In his unit, Ivasik feels like a fish in the water, but is not going to stay here longer than necessary, and frankly says: « I am only for the war period. »

And this is strange, because from childhood he dreamed of becoming a professional military. You can say, had the makings. First, he was a robbery (and of these are good soldiers)-like an ultras of Lviv « Carpathians » loved football twice and often participated in Fanat fights.

Secondly, he seriously engaged in mixed martial arts (fights in cages), took prize places in inter-regional competitions.

Third, he entered the Lviv Military Lyceum named after Kruty, after which he planned to study at the Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv National University of Air Force at the MiG-29 fighter pilot. However, in the last year, the lyceum has unexpectedly « blocked » for many.

– I realized that I bind myself on my arms and legs: three years Lyceum, five years a military university and five – a mandatory first contract with the Armed Forces – a total of 13 years, – – The fighter explains. – It is a lot, I thought that in civilian life in such a long period I can better realize myself. And after graduating from the Military Lyceum he entered the Ukrainian Academy of Printing in Lviv in absentia, specialty – publishing, printing, media. He loved to graphics on the computer, it’s mine.

However, if the young boy thought that this way would escape the army, then the army thought differently. As a graduate of the military lyceum, Ivasik was in the « special list » of the TCC.

-Somehow, Uncle-Voyenko came and said that it was necessary to give the duty to the Motherland-to go to conscript service. Well – it is necessary. If I have been released in the lyceum for three years, then what is the term for me? So I thought …

At the end of 2020, Ivasik became a soldier of conscript service, and a little more than a year, a full-scale war began.

A soldier, you can say, twice lucky. Or not lucky – depending on how to perceive it. On the one hand, the durables are not involved in hostilities, on the other – they were not released for the period of martial law until the amendments to the legislation were amended. Therefore, Ivasik « hang up » in the army seriously and for a long time.

Only at the end of 2023 did he manage to convince his superiors to let him go for a contract in the combat part. And he went to one of the artillery units of 128 OGSBR, which then fought in the Zaporizhzhya direction. Ivasik was the only one of all the stitches of his unit who signed the contract and went to the war. Children’s dreams still caught up with him and came true in such a strange way. In his division, he became a aerotevascular and New 2024 met in the cellar of the destroyed village on the front line under the canonade of enemy tanks and artillery.

– At first I flew to Mavik, I was engaged in intelligence. But very quickly Mavik is tired – he is very slow, tedious, and I wanted more than twice. Therefore, I convinced the command to involve FPVs and lead a counterbutar from the air-to destroy enemy guns with drones. And then there were vacancies in the UAV unit of our brigade, and I went.

In the armor on the battle position

Thus, in his 22 years, Ivasik has a rare military experience – three years of military lyceum, more than two years of conscript and almost a year and a half in a war brigade in the war. It has something to compare.

– Lyceum is normal, I liked to study, although there is a barracks. But the term service and the combat unit are two parallel realities, two completely different worlds in the maximum sense – people (starting from sergeants to senior officers), conditions, schedule – everything. And the most amazing thing is that even a full -scale war in the conscript service did not change anything – it remained the « Soviet army ».

Commanders still try to drive soldiers, look for them a stupid, no one need a job, get on any occasion and serve on the principle « I am a chief-you are a fool ». I was not able to drive, because after the lyceum I know the charter well, but the other guys were chasing full.

The guy tells that even « elements of the grandfather » remained in the term service.

– There is nothing so in the combat unit, he did his business here, returned from the departure and if there is nothing urgent, you rest or do your own business. These are dramatically different worlds …

« I am better off by a soldier, I love trips and real battle … »

Ivasik can be said to be lucky (for the third time). Relationships between the military in his unit are really built on the model of a friendly family, where everyone understands their mission, performs work in good faith and helps friends without unnecessary words.

However, even in the fighting brigades that are really fighting, sometimes the old principle works – the farther from « zero », the more « Soviet region » – it feels even a few tens of kilometers from the front line. But in the units that really fight, the picture is different. Here, Ivasik even managed to finish the Academy of Printing in the break between combat trips – he remotely defended his diploma directly from the place where he was resting after the tasks were fulfilled.

– I always studied well. In the first years, even before the term, he has proven himself in the academy, and then Zalikovka had already worked for me. Plus the teachers treated me condescendingly, understand that I am still in the war. But I wrote my diploma, except for a little helped …

With higher education, Ivasik could easily become an officer in a simplified procedure – one and a half months of courses in military university. However, he doesn’t think about it.

– I don’t want to. My former classmates with the Lyceum have long been officers, some are already captain. But I am better for a soldier, I love departures and real battle. In our battalion, this is enough opportunities – both technical and combat, here you can learn new and experiment.

For example, somehow I flew on my night FPV 30 kilometers into the rear of the enemy. I flew to a hostile checkpower on the highway, I see two Russians of seeds peeling, sticking on phones. They heard the drone and quickly oriented – one instantly shattered and hid, the other began to run from me in circles, and then « fish », his hands jumped in his concrete « kibitka ». And I burned their « Niva », which stood on the side. It was the first, trial departure at such a distance.

Ivasik: “I love in the army twice and do not perceive the Soviet

The exact number of enemy goals destroyed by Ivasik is unknown, he says that he does not count – it is not interesting. But there are a lot of them.

– If in a word – hundreds. And technique, fortifications, and warehouses with ammunition, guns, and infantry … For me, the main thing is that the goal is unlike, and a special honey, when something difficult. Recently, one infantry-virtuoza « Zalzhtivtiv », who killed seven FPVs from the machine (which is very difficult) and fatally wounded our infantryman. Many hunted him, and did not escape from me. Buryat, by the way, I looked at my face in the last seconds.

Fighters who are constantly playing with death in front have a professional – they very calmly perceive things that seem terrible to ordinary people in the rear. And they are well aware that war is a « dance for two ». Ivasik himself has repeatedly become a goal.

– A week and a half ago, our position was disassembled so that we had to flee in the middle of the night. Initially, 152 caliber artillery and something heavier because they were fired from a distance of more than 45 kilometers, and our arte could not get them. Then FPV-cles flew on the fiber. But we managed to escape to their appearance, and for a couple of events both generators, Starlinka, ammunition, and drones were taken out. Everything was done very quickly, because the assault on our infantry began, it was necessary to go into battle.

Other times, Ivasik received a contusion from a close explosion of a hostile drone.

-FPV-Cish flew directly into the bars and exploded, my helmet drew. But everything is OK, a small contusion …

I evaluate Russian drones quite well. They learn, develop. The first began to use fiberglass, beat our positions, antennas, interfere with work. And they have resources (components, finances) in the amount that we cannot afford.

From time to time, high -quality profits come here, which have good reconnaissance and good equipment – this is visible at work. But we do not give descent to anyone, I am parallel, he or amateur …

Ivasik describes his motivation very simply.

– What are I fighting for? First of all, for their friends who died at different points of war. For her relatives and for the girl who wait for me at home. For those young children who just learn to walk, start living, did nothing wrong with anyone, and some uncleanness came and decided to kill them. And for the comrades, who nearby – they taught me everything, took away, trained. With them I became who he is.

By the end of Ivasik’s contract for more than a year and a half. But he is very calm, because, despite all the geopolitical forecasts of recent times, he is convinced that this war for a long time. But the fighter clearly knows what he will do after her.

– I will return to a cud, open a gym and train mixed martial arts. I planned this before the war – that’s my dream …

Yaroslav Galas, officer 128 Separate Mountain Assault Transcarpathian Brigade