Call sign Cat: "We had one company near Vuhledar holding line for over month. It killed about two regiments of f#ckers."
He is very sincere, sociable and cheerful. He talks about his difficult injury with a smile and jokes. Although in order to recover, he had to undergo seven surgeries and rehabilitation. Now he is back at war - in the Marines. His call sign is Cat.
- I actually started serving in 2019," he tells me during our meeting. "I chose the Navy because I have always liked ships and the sea, although there is no sea in my native Donetsk region. So it was my dream. I like to cook, so I went to the ship as a cook. The team there was great! We went to sea, even to the Kerch Strait. We were based in Mariupol, in the ATO and JFO zone. I served for a year. Then came the order: those who wanted to go to the combat zone. I was one of them - I agreed immediately. I got to the marines in the Luhansk axis. I was a cook in the 140th Naval Reconnaissance Battalion. I met the full-scale war with them.
- Did you understand that such a full-scale invasion was possible?
- No. On 22 February 2022, we were about 20 kilometres from the contact line. Then it became noisy - not like before, when it would fall once or twice, but more intense. On the night of the 23rd to the 24th, it started to get worse! We were raised on a combat alert. We left immediately.
- Where to?
- To Novoaidar. We were given a task: we had to cover another battalion that would be leaving in the morning. If anything, we have to stop the f@ckers. We are being gathered. We had a group that was trained to fight. But they sent drivers and cooks instead. They put us to cover the road. Everything was fine. Our soldiers withdrew without losses. Then we were already conducting reconnaissance. I was more engaged in the kitchen. In March, we were sent from the Luhansk axis to the Donetsk axis. It was more fun there. I not only cooked but also delivered food to the guys at the positions. It was unclear how and where we were driving.
We really needed night vision devices to see the road. We were moving in the dark. The worst thing was to pass a tank or an APC at high speed when you were scratching them with mirrors. The advantage was that FPV cameras were not used then as they are now.
To give you an idea, we had one company near Vuhledar holding the line for over a month. It killed about two regiments of f@ckers. I came to them a week later, when they took up their positions. I brought some foodstuffs. I knew the company commanders. So I started looking for him. A soldier is standing in front of me. I asked him: "Where is Shaman?". He said: "'Cat, it's me!" I didn't recognize him at all! He was just all black! The guys didn't wash at all that week. I brought them food every two days.
Then I received an order to return from the sector to my unit. She was in Mariupol on my ship Donbas.
When the city was completely captured, not all of us were able to withdraw from it - some were captured, some were killed. We were relocated to Odesa, where I have already arrived. A month passed. Then I was sent to study in Britain. For two weeks. But I stayed there for eight months. There was an airport not far from where we were settled. So for the first month I walked under the wall because of the airplanes. In my sector in Bakhmut, there was an incident when an aerial bomb hit our building. We all survived by a miracle! There were light "300ths" - those who ran barefoot and cut their legs with glass. I was preparing lunch the day before. I went into the room to the guys who were supposed to replace others at their posts and suggested that they leave early so they could eat. Everyone went outside, smoked, and then the first hit was in that room! The guys said later: "Thank you for waking us up!". Everybody went to the basement. On the way, I grabbed a soldier under one arm (I don't even remember who) and a puppy under the other.
As soon as we came down, there was a second hit in the room where I was staying. We counted down the time - it was not supposed to fly anymore. We went out. We saw a police car standing there, and some guy across the street from them taking pictures of the building. The policemen reacted quickly and took him away. Because if we had taken him... (smiles. - O.M.).
We moved out. But I spent three days coming here and digging out my armour, which was left in the room. It was interesting because there were two grenades hanging on it (smiles - O.M.). At first, the guys helped me dig. Then they asked me what I had on my armour. I answered. They said: "Do it yourself!" (smiles. - O.M.). I dug to the straps. I saw that the grenades were closed. I took them out, and then the armour. Everything was fine!
- Where did you find yourself after studying in the UK?
- I really liked it in the 140th Battalion, so I asked my commander to transfer me there. He said it was impossible. I said: "But I want to be in a combat unit, not on a ship!". It's a minesweeper. It will be used after the war, when it will be necessary to mine the seas.
We had just received ships from Britain. The commander came to have a look. He talked to the sailors and officers. I was standing in the kitchen at the time. I was cooking. He came to me. He asked me how I was doing. I said I wanted to go on furlough. He said: "How long have you been?" I: "The last time was in 2020". He asked if I had any other wishes. So I told him that I wanted to transfer to the Marines. He said: "No problem at all! But you won't be able to go back". I agreed. Two weeks later, we were given ten days' furlough. I went to Odesa to get my teeth done, because they were falling out. And all these days the dentist was my best friend (smiles - O.M.). At the end of my leave, my commander sent me a text message: "You are not going back. You are being transferred." I thought: "Yes, I'm going back to the marines! But it turned out that I was shoved onto another ship, the Sahaidachnyi. I met a friend there with whom I served in the Donbas. We got to know the commander. We told him that we wanted to join the marines. A week or two passed. We go on patrols. Then the commander called us. He said that he had received a call and was told to transfer us. And so it happened! We read the letter of introduction, where we had three brigades to choose from. At that time, we did not know any of them. Where were we going to go? We chose the one where I am serving now.
-What was the MOS (military occupational specialty) like?
- Rifleman. We arrived at the brigade. The captain came out. He asked us who was where. I told him that I was in the 140th battalion, transporting food, dealing with supplies. He said: "Do you have a driver's licence?". I said: "No one asked me in Bakhmut". He said: "Of course, our people! Will you go to the reconnaissance group?". "Easy!". I've never been registered so quickly!" (smiles. - O.M.). We arrived at the frontline 11.50 a.m. and left at 12.05 p.m. We were standing there, smoking. Who was going to pick us up? The brigade was already on mission. An officer came out and said the name of the company commander. And it was so familiar to me! I can't remember how I knew it. He gave me his phone number. We called for 40 minutes - no answer. We were picked up by a car that was on its way there. The company commander was on a mission. After some time, we were given cars. We went to the sector. We arrived. Just then, a company commander arrived in a Roshel (Canadian armoured vehicle Roshel Senator - O.M.). He recognized me, and I recognized him too - we had crossed paths in the 140th Battalion, where he was an officer. And I remembered how I knew his name (smiles - O.M.). That's how my journey in the current brigade began. We were then in the Donetsk axis. Almost near my home.
- What are your feelings when you are near your home, knowing that it is under threat?
- My heart was pounding! My grandmother was in a grey area. She left for the first time when the barn was being hit. At first, she went not far away - 20 kilometres further. She returned because the garden was not planted. But about a month later, it flew into the house where she, her grandfather and her aunt, who had a light arm injury, were staying. And only then did they go to my mother...
- But this is still Donbas!
- Sometimes it hits there. But it's still further away from the f@ckers. I am now trying to persuade my grandmother and mother to move further, but they do not agree.
- By the way, I understand that you crossed paths with the locals during the full-scale war. What are your impressions?
- When the full-scale invasion started, I noticed that the old ladies in Luhansk region were nicer than those in my native Donetsk region. I had a situation when we first moved to Luhansk region: our car with provisions did not reach us - it broke down. And I had 40 hungry guys, including the battalion leadership. I was walking through the village. An old lady was digging a garden. I said: "Please sell me four kilograms of potatoes and an onion. Or tell me where the shops are." She replied: "The shops are closed. I'll give you the potatoes anyway!" She gave me a net of potatoes, an onion, and some fresh milk - goat's milk. We talked for a while. Back then, we were supplied with juice in glass jars. I would bring them to this old lady. She would give me milk and cheese.
- Were there many or few of them?
- Not enough. If we took food from somewhere, we checked it. What about milk? You give it to the cat. If it's okay for a day or two, you can drink it.
And when we were travelling through Donetsk region, which is now the occupied territories, I kept thinking: will she stab me when I pass by?
- Are there a lot of "Awaiters"?
- There are many people who don't care. As long as they feel good.
-Tell us how you were injured.
- We were assigned a reconnaissance mission: we had to quietly enter the village, look around and report back. We went in two cars. I drove one of them. But we didn't manage to do it quietly. We dropped the guys off and forced back into the village. Our cars were green, but we had to disguise them further because a drone was circling overhead.
I was listening on walkie-talkie to see what was going on. I heard that another battalion was coming to help with ten vehicles. They arrived in yellow! Fuck, you can see them from space! They stood next to us for 20 seconds and left. But a drone spotted them and started firing at us with a mortar. A fragment hit me in the leg and broke two bones. I was seriously wounded. The other driver's arm was "pierced" - he was out. The guys ran up, taped me up, applied a tourniquet, loaded me into the car I was driving. Our medic applied an acacia splint (smiling - O.M.) - he found it nearby. He taped it on so well! I still remind him of it (smiles. - O.M.). We were driving. They were talking to me. I replied. They took me to the medical company. And the guys had just presented me with boots a week and a half ago, so I was worried about them. I look - they seem to be intact. Only covered in blood - I'll wash them. My pants were cut. The "Ubax" is also cut. They brought me in. The doctors are unwinding and treating me. One of them keeps telling me: "It's okay! Hold on!". I talk to him, joke with him. He said: "You are definitely a heavy 300! But you're a lively one". I: "It's okay! My fingers are moving". They put a blockade under my knee and transported me to Kurakhove. I was wounded at six in the evening, and at one in the morning I was here. I did not lose consciousness. The doctor read the form 100 (primary medical record - O.M.). He could not understand the handwriting. I told him about it. They even cut my pants and T-shirt to see where there were other injuries. My left shoulder, shoulder blade, arm, finger and neck were cut into small pieces. And then one of the guys was going to cut off his boots. He was going to cut with the scissors, me: "Where?!". He went and came back. I said: "Cut the laces. They were just a gift!" He: "Of course!" (laughs. - O.M.). He didn't even cut it, he untied the laces, took off his boots and put them next to me (smiles. - O.M.). They wrapped my leg and gave me an anesthetic injection. They said they would send me to Pokrovsk. I am waiting for the evacuation. And when I was wounded, I really wanted to smoke. I saw a medic who had helped me before. I asked him if he had any cigarettes. He said no, but he could find them. I asked him to look for them. He did. He put me on a wheelchair and took me outside. I smoked a cigarette. He was rolling me back, and there was a trace of blood behind me. I just couldn't move. The nurse was screaming: "Where did I tell you to be? I'll tell all the paramedics not to take you away!". I was lucky because in half an hour my car was already there. On the way, the guys let me smoke (smiles - O.M.). We arrived in Pokrovsk. Here I had my first surgery - they put a "scrap metal" in my leg and sent me to Dnipro to Mechnikov Hospital. I stayed there for five days. I was stabilized. I had two more operations.
You know, I am very grateful to the local volunteers. They dressed us, fed us - I ate only what they brought. And they packed a bag on the way. I was to be sent to Kyiv for treatment. I thought: at least I will visit the capital for the first time! But something changed and I was taken to Lutsk. Here, they took pictures and saw another fragment in my leg.
They asked me why they didn't pull it out: "They said it was dangerous". The next day I had the operation. They have great young doctors there! They did it. Then three more. They put in plates. They inserted 15 or 16 screws. Everything was fine. They said that they would only need to remove the stitches, so they sent me on, because they were admitting new guys. That's how I found myself in Kovel. You know, I have never seen such a bad hospital before. I arrived at five in the evening. I waited for a couple of hours for registration. The ward was terrible. There was no button to call the medical staff. I asked: "What if I feel sick?". The nurse: "You come out, you will tell us." "What about my leg?" "Well, you will scream. And if I can't scream?! She gave me her personal number. The doctor was not there. The next day, too. Neither were the rounds. So I came to the nurse's post every half hour in the morning, asking when he would appear. On the third day, a board of doctors came to our ward - a doctor, the head of the ward and a senior nurse. They examined my leg. It turned out that he needed to have it bandaged every day. There were no normal painkillers, although the hospital was provided with it, because half of the patients were military. I bought some myself. They gave me British vitamins. And I saw them when I was in Britain - they are among the cheapest. Like our ascorbic acid. That's the kind of treatment I got.
- How long were you there?
- Two weeks. I bought crutches. I started walking on them. I had the stitches removed and was discharged. I went to my best friend in Odesa. Here I underwent a MMC. I was prescribed injections. Two months later, I started walking with a cane. Although I still had a sick leave, I could not stand it anymore. I called my company commander: "Take me away! I can be on the second line. I can type or do something else. I really can't sit here anymore". You understand: Odesa is a bunch of silver-spooners with their bluffs for visitors...
- Are they annoying?
- They are very much so!
So the company commander said: "Come and see me, I'll take a look at you." I was so excited! I went to him. I was still on crutches. He looked at me and said: "Go back, get treated for another month or so". I filled out the documents for rehabilitation. I was sent to the Odesa Rehabilitation Centre. There I had massages, warm-ups, classes. The physical therapy there was great! Thanks to that, I recovered so quickly. In a month. Do you know what the rehabilitation therapist did on the third lesson? He set me a task to pedal on an exercise bike for 15 minutes. I put my phone in front of me, turned on a film and failed to notice. From my side vision, I saw that he took my crutches and took them to the end of the room. He said: "Go get them! No one will help you". I walked to the end. After a couple of lessons, I started walking with a cane. Then my fellow soldier Stalker got injured. I came to him and gave him my crutches.
Back then, I met a girl. My friend and I decided to go to a good Georgian kebab shop where the food was delicious. We sat down. And there was a celebration going on around us (as I later found out, it was a wedding anniversary). My friend said: "There's a girl looking at you." He showed me which one. I had seen her several times before in a coffee shop. We were sitting there. I was looking too. We went outside. We got acquainted. We started talking. The next day we went on a date and visited those who had an anniversary. On the third, we started talking about the wedding. I said: "So marry me!" She agreed. It's great! I wake up in the morning and say: "Let's go buy wedding rings". She thought I was joking until the end (smiles. - O.M.). We bought them. We also bought a dress. She said: "I still don't believe it!" We went to the civil registry office. I thought: they would register marriage because I was a military man. We went in and there were a lot of people. There were two lines: pregnant women and the military. We were waiting. We were about to enter the office, and the air raid alert was announced. The registry office was closing. We were given receipts to pay. But the banks are closed too! My little darling was upset. But there is Privat24! I quickly paid everything. The all-clear signal was given. The documents were drawn up. We're waiting in front of the hall. And what?
- Air raid alert?
- Yes! We're waiting again. An all-clear signal. We registered our marriage. This is what happens in four days of dating (smiles - O.M.). An honest man's word's as good as his bond. And if he is also a scout - it's straight flames! (smiles. - O.M.).
Then I returned to the war. I called a company commander. He transferred me from driving to ELINT - electronic intelligence. He said: "Listen to the f@ckers". Okay! And there, the squad leader was a ship constructor, just like me. And from a neighbouring ship! So I'm there - both the driver and the interceptor. Now my wife calls me and asks: "When are you coming home?".
- And when, by the way? Do you have any thoughts on the possible end of the war?
- I would like to see this happen as soon as possible - to get back all our territories and that's it.
- But no one plans to give them back to us. And there is no desire to end the war there. On the contrary, they are advancing.
- So we're going to kill the f@ckers!
Olha Moskaliuk, Censor.NET
Photos are provided by Cat
