Military medic, call sign Apelsyn: "In Pokrovsk direction, Russians are constantly assaulting us. Their human resources are unlimited. They advance, they are killed, they advance again. They are walking on their bodies."
...Looking at his hair, you immediately recall the story "The Red-Headed League" from the Sherlock Holmes series. And you’re no longer surprised by the call sign that 23-year-old Denys Chykalov was given by his comrades in the army.
Military medic Apelsyn (Orange) saw and did a lot of things during this war. He studied in the UK and Germany, worked at evac during the Zaporizhzhia counteroffensive and in the Avdiivka direction. Saved lives, an order from the Commander-in-Chief...
But we started our conversation with Denys's native land.
- You grew up in the Sumy region and went to Lebedyn Pedagogical College there. By the way, what is your specialization?
- Primary school teacher.
- Did you really want to be a primary school teacher?
- Not really. There was an additional specialization there, a history teacher. Plus archeology, museum studies - everything related to history. I was fascinated by it and decided to go to this particular specialty and this particular college. We went to excavations, various research, museums...
- This passion for history is probably one of the reasons why you joined the Youth Nationalist Congress. Do you remember how it happened?
- I remember. On the Internet, I came across an interesting event - the Hurby-Antonivtsi outdoor game, commemorating the battle of Hurby, on the border of the Ternopil and Rivne regions. At one time, one of the largest battles of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army against the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs troops took place there. Accordingly, in our time, it was the largest outdoor game in Ukraine - held every year until the full-scale invasion.
- Youth Nationalist Congress, love of Ukrainian history, passion for the UPA's fighting spirit... People like you, my friend, are like Banderites in a cube for Russians, and they must be eliminated. And you have a native village right on the border with Russia. Tell us what happened on 24 February 2022.
- I remember that 22-23 February were days of uncertainty. There were all these rumours: they would attack, they would not attack. Nobody understood anything.
- But at the same time, did you feel like a cloud was coming?
- Yes, some kind of storm. And on the morning of the 24th, I woke up to explosions somewhere far away. I opened the news and saw everywhere that Russia had attacked, and there were already battles in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions. I was a little panicked, but at the same time, I already knew what to do. I went and withdrew money to have cash. I bought some food, packed a bug-out bag, and was ready to go to Sumy or somewhere else to the TDF (Territorial Defence Forces) or the army at any time. At that time, I was unable to join because it was impossible to get to our people - the Russians had bypassed our villages, and there was a checkpoint at the entrance to Sumy. So I stayed at home.
- So the situation was like this: the Russians bypassed your village and moved on? Was there no occupation administration in your village?
- No, there was nothing like that. At first, there were no Ukrainian troops, only volunteer fighters, a few TDF soldiers who were already guerrillas there. And there were no Russians. They outflanked us on both sides. That is, there were neither of them. It was a grey zone.
- And what did you do next?
- At the beginning of March, we formed a volunteer formation of the territorial community. We went around like partisans, looking for anything we could find. We patrolled, watched, and reported any movement, any movement, to those who had connections. Later, when the Russians withdrew a bit, we were brought weapons. Then we just sat at the observation posts. We reported on movements on the territory of Russia, on what we noticed.
- What did you get?
- An ordinary AK-74 Kalashnikov.
- How did people in your village behave? Were there a lot of awaiters, potential collaborators?
- No one will say it openly, but we still know about some people who did. It is clear that many people have relatives in that territory. There are also people who come from there. But no one said anything directly. But you can just see it.
- Did you and your Kalashnikov quickly find a common language?
- By the time I was 22, I had completed a lot of training in various organizations. This was not new to me - both tactical medicine and weapons.
- Do I understand correctly that your training was connected with the nationalist movement?
- Yes, these were various nationalist and military-patriotic organizations that combined military training and nationalism. There were both ideological classes, on ideology, history, and military classes on various topics.
- What was the attitude of the villagers in your village? After all, the village on the border with Russia is theoretically pro-Russian.
- I somehow keep mum on. Only my friends and family knew about it. In principle, they were fine with it. But there was no such thing as telling everyone. But when it all started, I had to hide all the literature I had. Because I thought they would find it now, and that would be it's the end of me. So that there would be no problems for my family and for me. I buried everything I had.
- Not only literature but also telephones; perhaps the whole village started cleaning them?
- I don't know about everyone. There were social media, phones...
- Denys, how did you, a humanities teacher, become a combat medic?
- I am a medical instructor at a medical center. It's a little bit different, perhaps. But... as I said, I took various trainings before 2022; and I was interested in a certain tactical medicine. Plus, I was subscribed on Instagram to the page of Cheka Iryna, who recently died. I just came across this topic of evacuating the wounded: I quickly picked up the wounded, quickly forced back.. I decided to give it a try.
- Many guys your age, especially nationalists, have their own idea of what is heroic in this war. Was it heroic for you to save your brother or sister-in-arms?
- For me, the most important thing was to be useful here and now. The guys are going into battle now, and they know for sure that no matter what happens, someone will come and pick them up. They can go with confidence.
- I can imagine how you felt when Cheka died recently.
- A heavy loss for the whole country... She was so great person.
- So, you wanted to evacuate the wounded; you must have imagined what it would be like. Did the reality match your expectations?
- In principle, yes. But the first experience with the wounded was so hardcore.
- Tell us.
- It was the first night of the counteroffensive in 2023, in the summer in Zaporizhzhia. I was with my crew then. We were attached to one company from our battalion. We got a walkie-talkie message saying that there were a lot of wounded; we had to move to a point; there was a Leopard tank there and we had to take the wounded out of it.
So we went. It was at night; there was shooting somewhere, explosions. The sky is just like in Star Wars! We arrive, this tank arrives, and there are a lot of wounded - both light and heavy. At first, they were stunned for a couple of seconds. We stood up and stood for 2-3 seconds. And then we were like, that's it, we have to do it. Then it was like this: all things are difficult before they are easy.
- What exactly did you do? Tell us about the things you had to do that night.
- First of all, we took away the weapons from the wounded. And then we started to stop heavy bleeding. We checked the tourniquets if they were applied. If they were not, we applied them. Everything was according to the protocol.
- We will return to the front line, but now tell us about where and how you were taught this protocol. After being recruited to the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade and signing a contract with the Armed Forces, you go to training. First, in the UK, you take a basic general military training course. And then in Germany, you take a combat medic course. What is the most memorable thing from that period?
- Communication with foreigners. In Britain, we were trained by the Danes. There was a transfer of experience: we to them, they to us. Their attitude towards us was very surprising. They treated us... I don't know... like children.
- Explain what you mean.
- They treated us like heroes. They understood where we would go next, where we would be next. They were very sympathetic.
- And with warmth?
- Yes. And they saw me off very warmly. We said goodbye several times.
- What language did you use?
- There were translators everywhere. Plus, we weren't the first, the guys are slowly teaching them Ukrainian (smiles - E.K.).
- What was it like in Germany?
- I went to Germany as part of the 47th Mechanised Brigade. There we received specialised training as medics. We were taught by Americans.
"This photo is from Germany. We practiced venous access"
We were greeted warmly in the same way, and we must have said goodbye five times. Again, we could not say goodbye. We have already made friends with the guys and girls who taught us. I really liked the fact that they were ready to accept our experience, listen and learn.
- Do foreigners fully understand this war? What percentage of the knowledge and skills you received did you feel were effective and necessary, and what percentage were not about this war?
- They have a slightly different idea of war... They are all about the Geneva Convention. They say that if you are a medic, you should wear a white bandage on your arm with a red cross. Assets also have red crosses... In this war, on the contrary, you try to disguise yourself as much as possible as an ordinary infantryman.
- Because Russians hit crosses.
- Yes. And there are no crosses anywhere on our equipment. We try not to be different from everyone else, whether infantrymen or other fighters.
We also had a class on the Geneva Convention. They tell us about it, and we give examples of how the Russians violated it. In this sense, the Americans are a little more knowledgeable than the Danes. They understand more.
- Because they fought more. That's why they are more knowledgeable.
- It makes sense. And yet, their war realities are different from ours. If they have an evacuation helicopter, they have to take the wounded out on foot and wait for an hour or more. Or even longer.
- You have worked on both tracked and wheeled vehicles. What is the difference?
- You are more protected in tracked vehicles. But it is also more hunted, especially Bradley tanks. There was a case when we had already captured Robotyne, went beyond its borders, assaulted the positions, and there were seriously wounded. We got into the Bradley and were supposed to pick them up, but as soon as we entered the village, we were hit. The Bradley caught fire from above. We had to go back to the rear. We changed the box, got on another one, drove off - and we were hit again. They were really hunting for such equipment.
In some cases, wheeled vehicles are more suitable for these tasks. It all depends on where you need to go. It is more mobile but less protected. Therefore, you need to choose the right equipment for the task when you have the opportunity to do so. For example, when the frontline has moved a little further, and vehicles such as a jeep or pickup truck can drive up somewhere else. Because it is more mobile, less noticeable, and quieter. It was better to use it in those moments.
- Tell us about your duties during the evacuation of the wounded.
- Medic. Providing assistance. I had M-113s, so our crew consisted of three people: a mechanic-driver, a vehicle commander (a medic as well, but he acted as a commander). And I - one more medic in the vehicle.
Our driver is a great professional in his field. He drove very masterfully through those minefields, where a step to the left, a step to the right, and you could get blown up. A man with an inner sense. At some points, this feeling saved our lives.
The commander of the vehicle also looked after the road when it was necessary. Plus, he helped me with the wounded when there were a lot of them and I could not cope. That's the kind of crew we have - well-coordinated and we work well together. Sometimes we understand each other without words.
- Here, perhaps, I should make it clear to readers who do not know that your task on the evacuation is not to treat a person but to stabilize his condition in order to bring him to the medical stabilization point alive.
- The main task was to get him out alive, to take him off the battlefield. We had to take off the wounded from the zero line and intercept them from Bradley or other vehicles. And then transfer them to the next evacuation unit. Our task is to do everything we can to get the person there in time and then transfer them to the next stage - the medevac. They will definitely be able to provide more qualified assistance.
Denys: "This video shows the evacuation of the wounded and dead. At a very close distance to the enemy. The situation was as follows: the f*ckers got into the rear of our guys through the formations of our neighboring units. And when we were pulling them out, the f*ckers came close to us in the trench. And while we were pulling out the wounded, the Bradley was firing on the f*ckers."
- A difficult question: did you ever fail to transport someone?
- Sometimes they came to us already dead (they died while being transported). Or they died in our car. I try not to count such things. But there were cases.
- How does a doctor wake from the stupor after that?
- Back then, there was no time to think about it in Zaporizhzhia. We were working 24/7. As soon as we brought someone in, as soon as we sat down to rest, we were called again. And we rode like that day and night. There was no time to think about it.
- At the same time as providing medical aid and stabilizing the wounded, you have to help them psychologically. Do you have any special way of communicating with the wounded that is unique to you?
- I try to communicate in such a way as to simply talk about something - family or something else. First of all, I want to understand whether the wounded can hear me properly; what his state of consciousness is, whether he has not yet died... And to ensure that he does not die, I try to talk to him. Plus, I learn a little more about him, about possible peculiarities of his body - allergies, something else. I also try to talk to him to distract him. Often, they go on their own and tell me a lot of things: how the injury happened, what it was like at the positions, and so on.
- Do you try to treat the wounded with compassion? Or humor? For medics, it can be very dark.
- We try to be more humorous. Indeed, we make dark jokes among ourselves. But with the wounded - no, it would be wrong. If you see that he can make a joke himself, then it's okay. But to say, for example, that your leg is about to be tinkered up or something else is incorrect. He is already in a bad way, and to make such dark jokes... Another thing is when guys come back after being wounded. Then they have already experienced it and can recall the situation with humor. One of them said: "You pulled me out for a long time". It's funny now, but back then, when we were pulling them out for several kilometers under fire, along a narrow mined path, through plantings, under constant shelling, it was not a laughing matter. Now you remember it with a laugh...
- And what do the wounded talk about at such moments?
- There are different people. There are some old men I really like. In the evening, we took one of them. He said, 'Yes, take out the shrapnel or whatever, sew it up, and I'll go back, I have a friend there. And in the morning we were already transporting his friend. He was the same. He said, 'Let's dress me up, sew me up, and I'll go back - I haven't killed everyone yet!
- You are 24 now. I listen to you and think: what age are old men to you? And I realize that for Apelsyn, a man in his forties is, in principle, an old man.
- These are old men. Men, old men over 50, if there are any. 40+. Everyone older than me is an old fellow.
- And for them, everyone is probably a child, right?
- Yes. And I am still perceived as a child, sometimes not seriously. But over time, they change their minds.
- Well, you quickly convince them that you are worthy of respect by your actions... Tell me, is the practice of evacuation during the offensive and defense, especially in a situation like the one near Avdiivka, different?
- Very much so. During defense, we can drive right up to the positions and take them out of the position. When we first arrived here, I talked to medics from other brigades. It was something new for me. Because I had an experience of working during the offensive - and there the guys tried to pull (the wounded. - Y.K.) to us a little further. It was clear that they were assaulting, the enemy was everywhere. So they tried not to let us get too close. And then we took the guys right from their positions and a little further away from the positions.
In a counteroffensive, mining plays a big role. I think everyone has seen the video where a guy jumped to a Bradley and got blown up. Everything was heavily mined. Here, when we drive on our territory, we know where the minefields are, where the mines are, where we can drive and where we can walk. Plus, here we can drive up and take the wounded directly from their positions. We pulled the guys out both on foot and on tracked and wheeled vehicles.
- What were your feelings when you had to evacuate wounded Russian prisoners?
- My feelings were that I did not take him prisoner and it was not up to me to decide what to do with him. If they captured him, it means that they needed him alive for some reason. Perhaps they wanted to exchange him for one of our guys. I, like many, have friends in captivity who are still waiting for an exchange.
- How did they behave in the car or in Bradley?
- In no way. They just lay there in silence. No one would say that they came here to kill. They said they were forced, that they wanted to put them in jail, so he came here. That's how it was.
- Denys, I know you film your actions with a go-pro camera. Did you learn it in Britain and Germany?
- No, it did not. This is already here, in the Avdiivka direction. We will be watching these videos after our visits and analyzing what we did wrong and what can be improved.
There are plenty of atmospheric shots among the "training" videos
- But there are not only operational shots of the operation but also everyday ones. Do you have any favorite photos and videos?
- A lot of them. For example, my crew chief and I have a tradition - at every new location, I cut his hair. This happened at the coke plant as well - the artillery was attacking us, the GABs were flying, and I just stood there and cut his hair.
Or this: household activities on holiday between duties.
- You mean a haircut as a talisman - don't you believe in such things? Are you a believer at all?
- (Smiles). In war, you have to believe in something. There have been cases like this: guys watch a video of our work from a drone and say: we thought you were already dead or wounded. And we came out safe and sound. Somehow we are so lucky. You have to have a little faith!
Denys: "This is how we came back after we were hit by the FPV"
- You have an order from the Commander-in-Chief. For what did you receive it?
- This is an order from Zaluzhnyi, the Cross of the Brave. Apparently, not for any particular work, but for the whole period. I was on rotation when it was supposed to be presented. So I was given the award after the fact, and that was it.
- How did your family react?
- I don't know. I just sent it by post to home. I think they received it with pride.
- You are now in the Pokrovsk direction, the one that used to be Avdiivka. How would you assess the nature of the fighting?
- The Russians are constantly attacking, constantly assaulting. Both with armored vehicles and just infantry. They put a lot of pressure. Their human resources are unlimited. They are advancing, advancing, advancing... they are being killed, killed, killed, they are advancing and advancing. They are going on their bodies.
- It looks like a zombie apocalypse. It is all the more important to help those who are fighting against this invasion. Medics, especially those on wheels, always lack many things. What is your unit lacking the most right now?
- There is not enough time and money to repair the equipment, and something always comes back to bite after each shift.
- I see, and so do your medical colleagues: either repair the equipment or the EW. Well, at the end of this text, we would like to politely ask the reader to donate as much as they can to repair your cars. At the end of the text, we will also give details for your monobank jar. We are always grateful to those who find the opportunity to donate their last kopeck.
At the same time, people are different. When you follow the murky process of mobilization in the rear, what thoughts come to mind?
- I don't know why they are still sitting there, waiting, these people. If they do not join the army voluntarily, they will be forced to join the enemy army.
- Well, maybe they think they will have time to escape from a possible Russian offensive.
- Maybe so. In general, I think we should put more emphasis on recruiting companies. We need to make sure that people come voluntarily. That they are motivated and come here on their own. There is a big difference between someone who has been caught and someone who has joined on their own.
- How many rotations did you have in these 2 years?
- Six months ago, the rotation was 10 days. Rotations are happening.
- It is known that during a war, even in the rear, a person's planning horizon is very limited. And where you are, you just have to live out the day, right?
- Every hour something changes. Yesterday, for example, we were traveling along one road, today it is already being shelled, and we need to look for something else. Everything is changing a lot, the war is moving very fast. You have to be mobile, flexible, and adapt somehow. Today we are here, tomorrow we will be there.
- Nevertheless, do you think, at least occasionally, about what you would like to do after the war?
- I often think about what to do after the war; who to be, where to live. It is clear that I will hardly be able to live in peace at home anymore. I'm already thinking about where I could live normally to work and rest. I have a lot of options in my head. Perhaps I can continue in the army; perhaps I can go to a similar specialty - the State Emergency Service, and continue to save people. Or maybe I could go to work with children.
- And I was about to say that children will probably not wait for you in the classroom after the war. Because you will choose a different path. No?
- The children with whom I played and maybe taught a little bit-they are already older. They will soon be older...
- I have one last question, namely: Denys, will we win this war?
- Of course, we will. There can be no other way. The question is, with what efforts and losses. But we will win anyway.
Please note: those who wish to donate to Denys' unit can do so here:
https://send.monobank.ua/jar/9VY5FsqWGS
Thank you in advance!
Yevhen Kuzmenko, Censor.NET
Photos, video: personal archive of Denys Chykalov
