National Guard soldier Oleksii Nazarov: "Residents of Izium who were favorable to occupation authorities had access to certain "benefits", water was one of them. Others had to go to streams 5-6 kms away to get water."
He falls in love so much with Donetsk region, where he worked and lived for many years. And to protect his native land, he twice voluntarily joined the Defense Forces. The first time was in 2015, and the second time was during the full-scale Russian offensive.
And as fate decreed, he had to fight mostly in the East. Perhaps the universe really does send us what we ask for.
But one of the most difficult operations my interlocutor calls the liberation of the city of Izium in the Kharkiv region, where he was born and raised. That's why we talked to Oleksii Nazarov, deputy commander of the 18th Sloviansk Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, not only about the situation at the front and the enemy's tactics now, but also about the first days of de-occupation of Izium. To remind us once again what the price of our freedom is and what our people have really gone through.
"THE ENEMY'S TACTICS ARE NOW FOCUSED ON THE USE OF ATTACK DRONES"
- Many people are now following the situation in the Kursk region. How have these events affected the enemy's tactics here on our territory? Has anything changed in the behaviour of the Russians?
- I am not authorised to comment on the situation in a particular area, but in general I can say that the enemy's tactics are systematically changing. Sometimes it is unpredictable. But we try to take steps to be proactive. This also applies to the area of work with UAVs. Since this topic is closest to me, I can talk about it more. About a year ago, the strategy and tactics of using drones were completely different. And the vast majority of drones were reconnaissance drones. Now the enemy's tactics are aimed at using attack drones. We also inflict significant damage on the enemy by adjusting artillery with intelligence, and by targeted elimination with such means as fpv kamikaze drones, as well as bombardment aircrafts of various types and configurations.
- Oleksii, in one of your interviews, you said that you first joined the army voluntarily when the fighting in Donbas began in 2014. Why did you decide to do so then?
- Since 2014, I had been working in the public sector, but I was actively involved in volunteering. We were also engaged in guerrilla warfare, so to speak. And in 2015 I was mobilized and served for two years in the Armed Forces.
- What do you mean when you say you were engaged in guerrilla warfare?
- We were in the Lyman direction and tried to do our best. Since Sloviansk was actually under occupation at the time, we and various security agencies made every effort to prevent the enemy from advancing and having any benefits.
And in 2015, as soon as I had the opportunity to serve in a combat unit and stay in Donetsk region, I did it. Because I was from Sloviansk.
- Didn't you feel frustrated, like the occupied lands were lost to us?
- Back then, I was sure that we would still be able to win back our land. Nothing has changed for me now. When the enemy occupied Izium, where I grew up, approached Sloviansk, and captured Sviatohirsk, where I worked for many years, I had no other feelings. I was one hundred percent confident that we would retake everything.
I would not even try to serve in the army and defend my homeland if I had a different attitude.
Similarly, from the first days of the full-scale invasion, I knew that I would defend our country. Because it is the duty of all men who are able to do so.
- Unfortunately, not all men think like that. Aren't you annoyed by the talk of surrendering Donetsk and Luhansk regions if it would help end the war?
- How can anyone even think that we will leave our territories to the enemy in exchange for any agreements? The enemy will not stop, but will only accumulate forces, renew weapons and equipment and move on. Its strategic goal is to capture everything. Therefore, I believe that talk of leaving anything behind is unacceptable.
- Do you want to return everything they have captured?
- It is very motivating when you visualize every day that we will be in Luhansk and Donetsk, that we will liberate the territories we visited before the war. For example, I have been to Mariupol, Bakhmut and Volnovakha hundreds of times. And I want to go there again.
- One of the military officers recently told me in an interview that fewer Russians surrender because it is not profitable for them, as their families are not paid any benefits in such cases, and they are prosecuted upon their return. In addition, recent changes in Russian legislation have given unit commanders the opportunity to detain those who do not comply with orders on the spot. And they are now fighting, so to speak, to the last. Therefore, it will not be easy for us to return the territories, but I agree with you - we must do it. And there can be no compromises here.
- We understand that they are outnumbered, but they are human beings and each of them has their own fears. Their commanders will definitely not be able to convince everyone ideologically that they should die for something. That is why there are hundreds or even thousands of cases when the occupiers raise their hands and surrender. Because they cannot withstand the pressure from their commanders and our Defence Forces.
- You are generally very optimistic. How do you manage to stay motivated?
- There is no recipe. I just love Ukraine. I was born here, grew up here, studied here, worked here. I have traveled to different regions, but I am constantly being attracted to the east - to Donetsk and Kharkiv.
- Where did you work before mobilization?
- Prior to the full-scale offensive, I worked as a chief specialist in the Donetsk Regional State Administration, in the Department of Youth Policy and Mass Events of the Department of Family, Youth and Mass Events of National and Patriotic Education. In other words, I was a public employee.
- And in 2015, when you first joined the army, were you there too?
- No, I worked as a social educator at the Sviatohirsk Sanatorium and Health Centre for Social Rehabilitation "Smarahdove Misto". After the events of 2014, the institution was slightly reorganised and became a boarding school. Because children were taken there from many boarding schools in different cities of the Donetsk region and stayed there for some time.
- You went to serve voluntarily, am I right?
- Yes, both times voluntarily.
- But you didn't become a UAV operator right away. What was your first military speciality?
- At first, I was a rifleman in the infantry. And when I went for the second time, I was in a Special Forces reconnaissance unit for about a year. I served as a UAV crew commander. So I gradually developed in this direction. And when a new unit was created last year, I was offered to join it. I was happy to go because we can use drones very effectively to help the guys in the trenches. Most of the guys who serve with us are infantry. And they know how valuable this support is.
I also experienced firsthand what a drone in a trench is like, what harm they can do and what good they can do.
- I interviewed guys who suffered from kamikaze drone attacks. One of them covered his comrade-in-arms and lost a leg and an eye. Another one did not have time to hide when the drone flew in, and he was also seriously injured. I have heard of cases where the drone was flying low above the ground instead of above, and it was spotted just before the explosion. Can you give advice to those who are in the trenches now on what to do in such situations?
- In addition to developing unmanned aerial vehicles, kamikaze strike drones, we are also working on what can counteract them. In particular, by means of electronic warfare and drone jamming. There are also special devices that track them. When a drone approaches, this device emits a sound signal. The soldiers know that drones are now above them and try to take cover or at least move to the other side so that the drone cannot reach them. Many drones are also shot down by small arms, such as wing drones.
- From time to time, I see on social media the fundraising for the EW for different departments, and I understand that not everyone has it. What should I do if I didn't notice the drone in time?
- It's really hard to protect yourself if you don't notice the drone and it flies as close as possible. It's the same as with grenades and artillery - you need to take a low position as much as possible, cover your head, and draw the knees up to the chest so that your limbs will be minimally sticking out above the ground. Or you need to dive into some kind of a ledge, trench, or hole. Fall as close and low as possible, so that there are some obstacles, such as trees. They can take most of the shrapnel. Because the enemy uses both cumulative shells and fragmentation ammunition to destroy trenches. The configuration of the munitions is very different. And we cannot talk about any unified method that would save lives. It is unlikely that there is one now. It is a combination of factors. And this is a complex work of all the means available to the unit.
Basically, we are now seeing a situation where even our UAVs are being interfered with by friendly electronic warfare equipment. It is very difficult for us to bypass them because almost every vehicle has electronic warfare equipment. There are also mobile portable backpacks, rifles, and trench electronic warfare equipment. Yes, there are cases when for some reason the guys do not have them. So before taking a position, you need to understand that there may be a situation when you need to go down as low as possible so that the terrain, some buildings or trees can take all this striking force on themselves.
- Have you ever had a situation where a drone flew at you?
- We often encountered reconnaissance assets that circled over us and adjusted artillery. And we were targeted by the enemy artillery.
I was not hit by attack drones, but the guys from my unit faced fpv drones. It hit a car and was close to a trench.
"PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT DEALT WITH UAV BEFORE CAN BRING SOME NEW, UNCONVENTIONAL IDEAS"
- Why did you leave the army in 2016, did you not want to continue your service?
- If you remember, mobilizations took place in waves. We were demobilized after one of them. And even at that stage, I did not see myself in the army. I did my best in the unit I was in.
Upon returning, I quit my job, where I was still registered, and decided to try my hand at public service. At that time, I heard a lot of unpleasant words about the government - from my friends and comrades-in-arms. I responded to accusations that the government was not doing this or that: "Then you need to do something yourself, let's try to go to the authorities." And in principle, there was nothing complicated about it. I had to pass a 40-question exam and an interview. And there were a lot of vacancies in the regional administration. And not only in the Donetsk region but in general in the regions. People either did not want to go to the civil service or were poorly informed about such opportunities at the time. Although all these vacancies were available at employment centers. And if you want to change something, you have to act, not sit still. For example, we began to develop the area of national-patriotic education in the region and step by step we were working on a program. It was approved for five years and earmarked funds were allocated for it. It was a certain victory and it motivated us. It showed me that you, an ordinary chief specialist, can change something through your actions and hard work. To support NGOs, to hold events involving representatives of the veteran community and other civil society institutions. This motivates them and motivates you to continue doing something.
- In the occupied territories, there is quite active work with children and youth. There are many reports of teenagers being involved in so-called military camps. And they appeared even before the full-scale war in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, now the geography has only expanded. Have you thought about how we will return the children and young people who are growing up and who are being thoroughly brainwashed?
- Children who lived in the territories under occupation have grown up in ten years. If they were 10 years old in 2014, they are now 20 years old. And only positive experience can change their beliefs. If they see how much we have developed over the years, I believe that there will be no problems for these people to become part of our society. Of course, this will have been thorough work for more than one year, involving them in the processes of state-building, involving them in various types of events. This also includes various types of educational programs that will help reorient them in a more light-hearted way. Because I think they have already been significantly brainwashed during these 10 years. Now they need to see with their own eyes that everything that was being told to them is not true.
- The Russians are making a lot of effort to work with them ideologically. Are we ready to work?
- If we meet the basic needs of people, then we can think about the ideological aspect. You understand that even the people who are now in the 'grey zone', in the settlements where the fighting is going on, have not left yet because they are holding on to their walls and not holding on to their lives. They are confused because their basic needs are not met. These are security, food, etc. They cannot think about the ideological component in such conditions, don't you agree? That is, if people's basic needs are met, we will be able to give them ideological aspects. They will be happy to join the events that will be held and the educational process.
- Oleksii, did you join as a volunteer fighter in the first days of the full-scale offensive?
- On March 5, I joined the National Guard. First, I took my family to a safer area. And when I returned, I went to the military registration and enlistment office. But because of the large number of people who wanted to defend the country, the time for registration was significantly delayed, so after three days of waiting, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I remembered the military unit with which I had previously cooperated as a civil servant - we held joint events there. I went there. In a few hours, I joined the National Guard.
- Where did you have to fight?
- Sviatohirsk, the Kharkiv counter-offensive operation, and then returned to Donetsk region and since 2023 - the Lyman direction, Serebrianskyi forest, Toretsk...
- What was the most difficult military operation for you?
- The Kharkiv operation. It was very difficult both emotionally and physically. And in the Lyman region, when we were liberating Zarichchia.
- Why them?
- The intensity of the fighting was high. In addition, Izium is my hometown, I was born there, so it was somehow difficult...
- Was it hard when you saw it after the occupation or was it hard to wait until you got there?
- It was emotionally difficult to see what happened to the city. Those broken houses where several entrances are "collapsed" and you realize that people are buried under the ruins.
- Did you talk to the locals? What did they tell you?
- They were horrified by what happened when the city was under occupation.
They were very happy when they were released. These were very emotional meetings. The children were especially impressive. When you see small children running down the street and asking for something to eat, it broke your heart. They were happy about everything: biscuits and stew. And even water. Because there were very serious problems with water in Izium. Local residents of Izium who were favourable to the occupation authorities had access to certain "benefits", water was one of them. Others went to the streams 5-6 kilometres away to get water. They cooked their food on the fire near the entrances.
There were a lot of people missing, people were asking each other questions, looking for their relatives.
- Were any of your friends or relatives injured? At the same time, many people were tortured and killed there.
- No, no one among my family, thank God. Perhaps, it is also due to the fact that I have not lived in this city for a long time, so they did not look for me or my family. It's no secret that the Russians entered the social security department, the passport office, the military enlistment office, and had access to all documents. They went door-to-door, interviewing people. There were also those who grassed up.
- The issue of recruitment is very relevant now. What criteria do you use to select people for your department? What skills should they have?
- If a person is willing and able to learn, we can teach anyone. It is not as difficult as it seems. We have a lot of specialities, so there is a place for everyone. The main thing is that the person should be decent, motivated and willing to join the team.
It will be good if a person is good with computers, has worked with technology, has driving or vehicle repair skills because we also need drivers and mechanics. Perhaps people used to go to a model aircraft club, were interested in UAVs, or were involved in mobile phone repair. The rest of the skills will be acquired. We will support them, show them everything. We don't have people who would have been specialists in this field from the very beginning. They either come from infantry units or engineering units. I mean, they don't have a specialised education.
People who have never worked with UAVs before can bring some new, non-standard ideas. We are constantly evolving, looking for something new. Because this industry is developing quite rapidly and we need to be at least ten steps ahead of the enemy. Since we don't have an advantage in infantry, we can beat them on the battlefield thanks to intelligence and technology.
- Are there any age or health restrictions?
- We have people who cannot perform combat missions in infantry units. Here, they perform an extremely large layer of work and work very effectively.
- I've read that gamers are good with drones.
- Yes, we prefer these guys because they are really easy to train. They adapt very quickly to the conditions and challenges that can be encountered on the battlefield.
- In the first year of the full-scale war, I asked almost every soldier about their dreams and plans for when they returned home. And then I stopped, because the war is ongoing and it is not known when it will end, and people get tired and stop planning anything. But I will ask you a question. Do you have any plans, any dreams?
- The main thing for me is to return to my children and my wife. I miss them very much. And it would be great if we could return and continue our lives in the Donetsk region. But I understand that after the victory, it will not be safe for the children here for a long time. However, my heart will still always be in the Donetsk region. I have lived here most of my life and I cannot live without it.
Tetiana Bodnia, Censor.NET
