Tymur Veklych, assaultman of Rage Brigade, call sign Vermouth: "Ten years ago, when war in Ukraine had just begun, I was drawing pictures at school to send to army..."
A 22-year-old resident of Mykolaiv consciously chose the National Police unit and is now fighting in Kharkiv region, assaulting Vovchansk.
Tymur greets and tells us his call sign: Vermouth. He explains: "It's a flavoured wine." When I ask him why he chose this call sign, he laughs and answers: "First of all, I'm pretty sure no one else has a call sign like that, and secondly, I picked it because I was studying to be a bartender." We are still discussing different drinks and cocktails. For some reason, I remember a recipe that James Bond invented while playing cards in the movie Casino Royale. All of this could be considered a completely small talk that could take place somewhere on the French Riviera, not in Kharkiv, which was just being flown over by a Russian unmanned aerial vehicle. And the 22-year-old future bartender left his profession to defend the country and came to me from the burning Vovchansk...
"THE FIRST TIME OUT WAS THE MOST INTERESTING BECAUSE IT WAS AN INTRODUCTION TO THE WAR. ON THE NEWS, ON VIDEO, IT'S ONE THING, LIVE IS QUITE ANOTHER."
- I am from Mykolaiv. A year ago, I voluntarily joined the ranks of the Rage Brigade. I saw that recruitment was announced, and I wanted to join the police, a military unit, to fight. That's how I joined the Tsunami Regiment, 1st Battalion.
- Why did you want to join the police? You were studying to be a bartender.
- Yes, but at some point I decided that I had to go to the police. At first, I wanted to join a patrol unit. But I thought: it's a war now, and working on patrol in a peaceful city doesn't seem very good. And then the Rage assault brigade was recruiting fighters. This is a police force that is at war...
- Did your family not leave when the full-scale offensive reached Mykolaiv?
- No. My mum didn't want to leave the city because my grandparents decided to stay as well. That's why we were in Mykolaiv all the time. We have an apartment on the fifth floor, it was not damaged by the shelling, only a few pieces of debris were hit. But I must say that it was very difficult at the beginning, especially in March. It was the most difficult period.
- Did you ever think about joining the local territorial defence?
- To be honest, at first, I was hesitant about whether I wanted to go to war or not. Because I'm the only one in the family, my mother and grandmother are very worried about me. It was hard to make this decision. But I couldn't sit still either. How did you convince your family? I told them that I was strong, healthy, fast, and that I would make it.
- How difficult was it to study? Or, on the contrary, did you find that you understood everything and could do everything?
- I quickly absorbed information on how to handle weapons, absorbed all the skills needed by an assaultman. I mastered everything very quickly because I wanted to do it.
- Explain what skills an assaultman should have.
- I think one of the most important things is to work with a cool head to control the situation. Everything can be quiet, calm, and a minute later there is artillery shelling, infantry firing... The situation in the war is constantly changing, and you need to quickly assess and make decisions. Of course, there is fear. Everyone is afraid at war. There are situations when it is difficult to get organized, but you pull yourself together and continue working. You can get used to everything.
The military must master all types of weapons that are used in general. Since the war is constantly changing, new types of weapons and new technologies appear, he has to master everything. First of all, an assaultman must be proficient with assault weapons - rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers. These are the things needed for close combat. But you need to master all types of weapons so that, if anything, you can take the place of a wounded comrade and know what to do.
- How long did they prepare you?
- About six months, probably. And in the summer of 2023, we were near Klishchiivka. We liberated it. The first stationing was the most interesting because it was an introduction to war. On the news, on video, it's one thing, but live is quite another. Of course, it was hard, but my comrades and I worked well.
Our first outing was not an assault. We were in the reserve group. If necessary, we would have helped the first assault group. It was more like an introduction to combat operations.
- What was the most unexpected thing for you during this introduction?
- How close can an artillery attack be...
In Klishchiivka, we were constantly assaulting. The occupiers have a well-known tactic - to wipe cities and towns off the map. That's why we had a problem how to gain a foothold. In the village there were dilapidated houses, burned-out buildings, there were basements, where it was possible to hide. But all the time it was being hit, and even these fragments were being destroyed, the houses were collapsing, the cellars were being blocked.
From the official description of Tymur's battlefield from the Rage Brigade:
"On 25.07.2023, he was involved in a combat mission, namely assault operations in the village of Klishchiivka, Bakhmut district, Donetsk region. During the first combat mission, Tymur Veklych neutralized an enemy FPV drone that tried to attack their group with accurate shots. During the clearing of one of the houses in the village, Tymur engaged in a contact battle with the enemy and destroyed two Russian soldiers, which helped his group move further down the street and push the enemy to a distance, thereby gaining a foothold in new positions cleared of the enemy.
On August 27, 2023, after dismounting from an armoured personnel carrier, the assault group came under heavy mortar fire from the enemy. To preserve the lives and health of the personnel, Tymur organized the safe movement of the fighters. During the assault, the group cleared three houses where the enemy was located and killed three Russian soldiers and wounded four enemies. One of the "Rage" fighters received a gunshot wound to the head. Tymur, leading the group, gained a foothold in the cleared positions, organized the movement of his wounded comrade to safety, provided him with first aid and organized his evacuation."
"IN VOVCHANSK, YOU CAN SEE THAT PEOPLE WERE FLEEING - BEDS ARE NOT MADE, THINGS ARE NOT PACKED"
- How long did your first rotation last?
- About six months. First, we liberated Klishchiivka, then we performed tasks in Kurdiumivka.
From the official description of Tymur's battlefield from the Rage Brigade:
"On 13.09.2023, he was involved in assault operations on the outskirts of the village Kurdiumivka, Bakhmut district, Donetsk region. In the course of a combat mission with adjacent units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, during the assault operations, an enemy firing position was discovered in a forest plantation, which was destroyed. Tymur and his comrades-in-arms gained a foothold in that area. The policeman showed his own initiative, supported with small arms fire the assault group of the allies, who had wounded among their personnel and tried to withdraw them from the battlefield. He helped to move the wounded to a safe place for further evacuation and provided them with medical assistance.
On 29.09.2023, during a combat mission, he demonstrated the professional qualities of an assault unit soldier. In the process of assaulting a forest plantation, he engaged in combat with enemy infantry. Having knocked the enemy out of their positions, he successfully gained a foothold. He destroyed an FPV drone that was supposed to attack an evacuation group of adjacent Armed Forces units and allowed the wounded to move to a safe place for further evacuation. Subsequently, by repelling the enemy's counter-offensive actions, he enabled the reserve group of the Armed Forces to continue performing their task and complete it successfully.
On 04.10.2023, despite heavy artillery fire from various types of weapons, Tymur took command and withdrew the group from under fire to a safe area for further assault operations. During a clash with an overwhelming number of enemy infantry, he demonstrated the skills of a skilled and professional assaultman. In combat operations, he controlled the situation, conducted analysis, distributed forces and means of fire, and assigned tasks to each soldier of the group. Despite being outnumbered by the enemy infantry, Timur's assault group took the initiative of the battle in their favour, suppressing enemy fire and destroying the machine gunner's crew. As a result, the assault group accomplished its combat mission.
On 22.10.2023, he served as a guide near the village of Kurdiumivka, Bakhmut district, Donetsk region. Being well-oriented on the terrain, Tymur repeatedly led groups through mined fields, despite frequent mortar and artillery attacks from the landing point to the point of combat missions. Despite his fatigue and exhaustion, he led the groups along eight-kilometer routes to the place of combat operations and back for four days, rotating the assault groups. At the same time, he helped evacuation teams to evacuate wounded comrades. As a result of the above-mentioned professional actions, Tymur established logistics routes, which further contributed to the maximum preservation of the lives and health of his comrades and the fulfillment of their combat missions."
- How did this rotation start for you?
- Initially, we planned to go to Donbas, but then we were redeployed to the Kharkiv direction.
- Is it different from what you saw in Donbas?
- Yes, of course. The situation is different here. This is a new front, so to speak. In Donbas, the occupiers have fired more at the territory. It's harder there, but here the territories are not yet adjusted, there is a place to hide, to gain a foothold. There is room for manoeuvre. For me, I can say that this is my first experience of fighting in an urban environment. In Klishchiivka, you could say it was also urban, but not like here.
- What tasks were you assigned in Vovchansk?
- The task can change even during the mission: we can go to the defensive, and then the command gives the order for assault operations. But we are always ready to change - because we are professionals! That's why we have both defensive and assault missions.
- Were you trained for combat operations in the city?
- Yes, of course. We had various training sessions: trench assaults, urban operations, and defence. Training is ongoing, we learn everything that may be needed.
When I first came to Vovchansk, it was unusual to perceive everything. It was obvious that some houses had just been abandoned - some beds were not made, things were not packed. Dogs running around in the yard, chickens...
- People were running away...
- Yes. Unfortunately, there are still civilians in Vovchansk who do not want to leave. They are hiding in basements. How do they survive there? There is no water, no electricity, they cook their food over a fire... It's hard to perceive this.
Sometimes we are on the defensive for three or four days, so we have the opportunity to see the lives of those who stayed in the city.
- Why did the Russians get claws into Vovchansk so much?
- I think they just want to expand the front line, pushing in different directions to disperse our troops so that we have fewer forces on each section of the front.
- What were the situations during the battles?
- At the last stationing, we assaulted the house. And we had, so to speak, an accidental meeting with the occupiers. We knew there was an enemy there. We approached the house, it seemed to be clean. We checked the doors and windows. I opened one door and several occupants, two or three of them, came out. It was, so to speak, the first meeting at a very close distance. I was lucky that they were looking in the other direction, I was able to quickly close the door... I moved away a couple of meters, gave a signal to my comrades that the enemy was in the house, and we opened fire on the building
All videos were shot by Tymur personally during the fighting
- Is everyone in the group young like you, or are there people of different ages?
- The youngest colleague is 19 years old, the oldest is about 50. People of all ages, and everyone works equally. Of course, older people are more likely to cover, to be on the defensive. Assault is about intensity, maneuverability, dynamics. And this is more inherent in young people.
- They are constantly fired on Vovchansk with GABs...
- Every day it gets more intense. But I can say I'm already used to it. The most frightening moment was when my comrade was wounded. Here you get a little lost, because this is a minus combat unit in the group, you have to help your comrade, keep the defense, if necessary. And think about how to evacuate him properly. These are probably the most difficult moments when a comrade is wounded.
- Did you have to provide assistance, transport, or carry them out?
- Always. In every battle, there are wounded of varying severity, ranging from simple post-concussion syndrome to more serious injuries that require immediate evacuation because time is running out... I am constantly helping my comrades. We train to provide medical assistance - it is one of the mainstays of our training.
The most difficult situation was in Klishchiivka, when the entire group was wounded, including the seriously wounded commander. The house where the first group was located was hit by an enemy tank. The Russians saw that the group had entered the house and ordered the tank to leave. There was a direct hit, the whole group was injured. Most of all, the commander of my platoon was injured. It was the most difficult situation. We immediately ran across the street and started helping the wounded. There were not enough people to help everyone. Paratroopers from the 80th Brigade helped us.
- Did everyone survive?
- Yes, everyone is alive. The evacuation was successful. It was very difficult, but we did it.
- Here in Vovchansk, did you also provide assistance during the fighting?
- Yes. Even to myself! After one successful assault, we were waiting for evacuation, sitting in the basement in Vovchansk. The enemy was constantly shelling our basement, and one of the hits was right at the entrance. Our comrade received a severe penetrating wound to the chest, and a pneumothorax began. Later, we found out that a piece of shrapnel hit his lungs and broke his ribs. We immediately started providing medical assistance. The soldier's condition was serious, and we had to evacuate him immediately. While evacuating the wounded, we came under heavy mortar fire. My comrade-in-arms and I, who was helping to carry the heavily wounded, received shrapnel wounds. The hit happened near my comrade, he received many shrapnel wounds in his legs, and I received too - a piece of shrapnel hit my leg. At first, I helped to put a tourniquet on my comrade - he had massive bleeding. We quickly moved to a more or less safe place - under the bridge. But there was very intense shelling there, we could not stay there for long. One by one, we started walking a little further, closer to the evacuation point. I managed to get there by myself. And already at the point of waiting for the medevac, I treated my wound and bandaged it myself.
- Did you not need a tourniquet?
- No, there was no massive bleeding, the muscles were affected, the fragment did not reach the bone.
- How long ago was it?
- Two weeks ago, in May.
- Have you been treated?
- I was sent to the medical stabilization point where they provided first aid. From there - to the hospital, where I had an X-ray. The bone was intact, the fragment - three millimetres in size - did not reach it. It was left in the body, they did not take it out. They didn't even stitch the wound, it was just a hole, like an owie. I didn't even spend a day in the hospital. I came for bandages almost every day. At first, my leg hurt, but now everything is fine.
"SINCE EVERYONE JOINED THE 'RAGE' BRIGADE VOLUNTARILY, WE OFTEN JOKE THAT WE WERE ALL BORN TO FIGHT"
- Ten years ago, when the war started, you were 12 years old. When did you start to understand what was happening in the country?
- Even when volunteers came to our school to help us: draw pictures, collect caps, I didn't really realize that there was a war going on... I thought: can this really help anyone? These drawings, these caps? I just didn't take it seriously, I was too young. I fully understood the war only on 24 February.
More understanding came even after I started performing combat missions.
- Now, when you talk to someone who fought in the past, do you ask them anything? Do you wonder what it was like at that time?
- Yes, I have a comrade in arms who has been fighting since 2014. We keep in touch. Everyone says that the war has changed a lot since then, it's much harder now. I have friends who, like me, went to war voluntarily. And I believe that everyone should fight, especially men. It concerns them first of all, because your life, your country, your freedom depend on it.
Since everyone in our brigade joined voluntarily, we often joke that we were all born for war...
- What is the hardest part of the war for you?
- When you don't have to assault, you have to sit on the defensive. Because a defensive task lasts from three days, maybe up to a week. And this is the hardest part - sitting in one place for so long. You have to keep an eye on your zone - roughly speaking, you have to keep looking at one spot. Once I stayed in one place for three days. There was also constant enemy shelling. You think: at one moment it might hit your basement... That's why defense is the hardest thing for me.
- Why did you choose the bartending profession?
- I didn't want to go to school in the tenth or eleventh grades - I was bored. But I liked bartending. I wanted to stand behind the bar, communicate with people, make cocktails. My profession is called a chef-bartender. I studied to be a cook for the first two years and a bartender for the third year. My mum was happy that I had a profession. Everything went wrong when the coronavirus pandemic started. I had just graduated from the lyceum. Thank God, at least I worked on the beach for a season. When the pandemic started, it was very difficult to find a job. When the pandemic began to subside, establishments gradually reopened, everything began to recover, a full-scale invasion began. I worked as a bartender for a short time.
- Do you have any ideas for a Tsunami or Rage cocktail?
- Since the beginning of the war, I haven't thought about it... Although I have a dream to open my own place.
- You mean you don't want to devote your whole life to the military?
- We'll see. At the moment, it is number one. And then... When I was working as a bartender, I never thought I would ever go to war. But life changes so quickly...
- What do you miss about the war?
- It is very difficult to spend time with my family. I miss sitting around the table with my family on holidays, as I used to... Before we came on this rotation, I stayed at home for about a week. I saw my family a little bit.
- Tell me, have you changed during this time - more than a year at war?
- Of course it does. War changes people. You become more disciplined, more responsible. More decisive, one might say. I can make decisions, I can take responsibility for the group, I can take command. In other words, yes, a lot has changed. I can feel it. My commanders praise me, I'm a good assaultman. My comrades know me as a reliable, professional fighter who is the first to go into battle. I have no awards, I don't want a gun. I am more interested in my military rank. I am now a corporal, I entered the University of Internal Affairs. In three years, I will graduate and be promoted to lieutenant. This is more pleasant than an award.
The command of the 'Rage' brigade nominated Tymur Veklych for the non-state award 'People's Hero of Ukraine', considering him one of the best assaultmen of the 'Tsunami' regiment.
Violetta Kirtoka, Censor.NET
