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21-year-old FPV pilot with call sign Thirteen: "I was afraid I wouldn’t get chance to fight"
Volodymyr survived the Russian occupation, left home, and at age 19 signed a contract and joined the army. Today, he is an FPV drone pilot with the 1st RUBPAK USF of the 67th SMB’s. He chose the call sign "Thirteen" himself—not out of superstition, but as a challenge: to prove that what matters isn’t a number or a name, but what you do. 4 3349 Drone operators
Battalion commander, call sign Luka: "Russians continue to rely on manpower, whilst we rely on unmanned systems"
Volodymyr, whose call sign is Luka, began his service even before the full-scale invasion; he served in the ATO, trained at the Kharkiv National University of the Air Force, and fought for Sieverodonetsk (now Siverskodonetsk), Lysychansk, and other hotspots along the front lines. Today, he commands the unmanned systems battalion of the 151st Separate Mechanized Brigade, which not only repels Russian assaults but also successfully targets enemy equipment, including the latest "Malva" artillery systems. 5 63455 Unmanned technologies
New contracts, higher salaries and foreigners in AFU: pros and cons of military reform
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov have announced the first phase of a major military reform. It involves changes to the approaches to military recruitment, service, and social benefits for service members. 16 31928 Reforms in the army
Deputy battalion commander of "Skelia" regiment, Hero of Ukraine Andrii Kiianenko (Marik): "I haven’t suffered losses people are talking about"
First Lieutenant Andrii Kiianenko, Hero of Ukraine, is currently the deputy commander of the 2nd Assault Battalion of the 425th Separate Assault Regiment "Skelia." He received the call sign "Marik" from his comrades during training—in honor of his hometown, Mariupol. A city that in the spring of 2022 endured one of the most horrific episodes of modern warfare and has been under occupation for four years now. 13 86467 War
How corps system works in warfare: Experience of 3rd Army Corps
On June 4 last year, the Third Army Corps, commanded by Andrii Biletskyi, was the first among the corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to take over its area of responsibility and deploy into combat formations. This marked the beginning of a large-scale reform. Personnel trained, adopted experience, changed their approaches to work, and improved coordination between units. In less than a year, a single, well-coordinated military mechanism was formed. 5 95021 The Third Assault Brigade became the Third Army Corps Corps system in AFU
Vitalii Shabunin: "Problem is not Yermak or Tatarov. They are its manifestation. Problem is Zelenskyy"
On 19 May, Vitalii Shabunin, chair of the board of the Anti-Corruption Action Center, said on his Facebook page that he had been discharged from military service: "My service is over. Having lost most of my eyesight, I am leaving Ukraine’s Armed Forces, which I voluntarily joined on the first day of the full-scale war." He has a hereditary condition, glaucoma, which means he can no longer serve in the military. He also attached medical documents to the post. Shabunin says he deliberately opted for maximum transparency to avoid speculation about his discharge. 17 23286 Suspicion against Shabunin
Call sign Kometa: "We realized that flight to Mariupol with landing force was one-way ticket"
He dreamed of teaching history, but the war forced him to become a direct participant in it. The Deputy Chief of Staff of the Brigade Artillery Group of the 12th Special Purpose Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine "Azov", call sign Kometa, went from being an "indoor guy" who did not know how to open canned food, to an officer who is responsible not only for himself, but also for his people. 5 5722 Mariupol defense
Call sign Klever: "FSB officer held pistol to my knee and asked if he should shoot. I started laughing out loud"
The full-scale invasion caught him as a teenager—at a moment when everything was just beginning and the future seemed open and full of possibilities. Instead, he faced occupation, checkpoints, interrogations, his first acute firsthand experience of real war, leaving home, and signing a military contract at 18. 12 7195 Unmanned Ground Vehicles UGVs
Iryna Farion’s daughter: Killer shows no remorse. Life sentence would be fair
The murder of Iryna Farion, a monolingualist and social activist, which took place on July 19, 2024, in Lviv, sparked widespread public outrage. According to eyewitnesses, the killer was a young man who was waiting for her in the courtyard. He was wearing gloves and had a pistol without a silencer. He shot her in the head and fled. 7 783195 Farion’s murder
Azov soldier with call sign Shyk: "War is not just about drones. This story is impossible without infantryman"
Dmytro, call sign Shyk, is currently the deputy commander of the 12th Special Purpose Brigade "Azov" of the National Guard of Ukraine. He had eight years of service behind him even before the full-scale invasion, including the battles of 2014, Mariupol and Azovstal, captivity, and a return to the front after a prisoner exchange. 4 34118
Oleksii Yukov: "When we go out to recover bodies, we understand that this mission could be our last"
He operates in conditions where most would not last an hour—among bodies, human remains, and constant explosions, during very brief intervals of silence. His work is to bring home those whom the war seeks to erase, not only physically, but also from memory. 6 6045 Returning bodies of fallen defenders
Bohdan Krotevych: "Things won’t get better until Commander-in-Chief and system he built are replaced"
Bohdan Krotevych, former Chief of Staff of the 12th Special Purpose Brigade "Azov" of the National Guard of Ukraine, is a seasoned serviceman who returned to civilian life a year ago. At the same time, he continues to speak about the military in a way few others do. His words are sharp, direct, and sometimes shocking: regarding the casualties of assault units, chaotic command, systemic errors, corruption, and risks to human lives. 25 24486
Evhen Avdieienko: "I hold in contempt those who consider themselves not born for war"
Evhen Avdieienko, call sign "Avdiei," is an actor and serviceman whose life today is divided between the stage and the front lines. A volunteer, he understood long before the full-scale invasion that a major war was inevitable, as Russia would not stop. To be prepared, he underwent training with the Azov Regiment and became a reservist. 11 824182 Interview with Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers
Oleksandr Kharchenko: "By next winter, both Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine will be much better prepared than they were for this one"
Last winter was a severe ordeal for Ukrainians, not only at the front but also in the rear. Massive rocket and drone attacks on critical infrastructure led to prolonged power outages, as well as disruptions in water and heat supply in cities across the country. The Russians struck the capital particularly hard, seeking to cause a total blackout there: during the most difficult periods, entire neighborhoods were left without power and unable to heat their homes steadily. 6 73954 Power outages Attacks on the energy sector Support of Ukrainian energy
Yehor Firsov: "We are in new era of warfare. In historical context, this is comparable to invention of atomic bomb"
Not long ago, Donald Trump publicly reproached Volodymyr Zelenskyy, claiming that Ukraine "has no cards" in a serious geopolitical game. As if we are merely observers at the table where great powers decide the fate of the world. However, events surrounding Iran have shown otherwise: Ukraine does not just have cards, we have trump cards. 8 99224
"Busification", sanctions for draft evaders, and TCR reform: what MPs and military are proposing
While the Verkhovna Rada debates potential restrictions on the rights of draft evaders and seeks ways to curb the scandalous "busification" (A colloquial Ukrainian term describing individuals transported to recruitment facilities by van - ed.) and the Ministry of Defence develops a comprehensive mobilization reform, the information space is rocked almost daily by new videos from the streets. These depict confrontations between staff of the Territorial Recruitment Centres and the police with men of conscription age, scuffles, bystander interference, and the escape of individuals on the wanted list. 26 866255 Conflict with TCR
"Azov" soldier with call sign Beretta: "They beat everyone in captivity. During interrogations, they are especially cruel"
Eighteen Russian prisoners of war—that was the "haul" gathered by fighters from the International Battalion of the 12th Brigade "Azov" in less than a day. This happened in December last year on the penultimate day of the operation to clear the village of Zolotyi Kolodiaz in Donetsk Oblast. 12 01814 Azov Brigade
Stanislav Starostenko: "B#stards go into assaults with cash and bank cards because they don’t trust their own"
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, his emotional intervention during a live broadcast on Israeli television quickly went viral and garnered widespread attention. "Stop arguing, guys, we need to help Ukraine! And all you do is flap your f#cking gums! Enough talk!" Stanislav Starostenko said on camera at the time. 27 18513
Ivan Tsovta: There is virtually no demarcation. There is "kill zone"
Before the full-scale invasion, Ivan Tsovta worked in the furniture textile industry: he started as a warehouse worker and later became the executive director of "Silk". Now he is a platoon commander and FPV pilot in the unmanned systems battalion of the 63rd SMB, which has been resisting the enemy in the Lyman direction for a long time. 10 08014 Hostilities in Lyman sector Drone operators
War correspondent Marian Kushnir: "POW broke down in tears when our soldier gave him his Red Bull and started asking about his family"
Today, February 10, Kyiv’s Zhovten Cinema will host the presentation of "Give Me Back My Name," a documentary by Radio Liberty war correspondent Marian Kushnir. The film focuses on missing persons — the repatriation of the bodies of the fallen, their identification, and the restoration of names. It also tells the story of families who spend years waiting for answers, caught between hope and the unknown. 16 60812
Daria Kaleniuk: "Yermak should face criminal liability"
Ukrainians in rear-area cities, especially Kyiv residents, are now struggling to get by in extreme conditions: power outages, disruptions to water supply, and biting cold in their apartments. All of this is the result of Russia’s systematic strikes on the country’s critical infrastructure. At the same time, these hardships are bringing long-standing problems inside the state to the surface: pervasive corruption, weak governance, and a lack of planning and transparency. 16 33448
Brigade commander Dmytro Rohoziuk: "AWOL cases on our end have dropped severalfold. People keep coming back"
Today, Dmytro Rohoziuk commands the 60th Separate Mechanized Brigade, which is part of the 3rd Army Corps. As a child, he dreamed of becoming a firefighter. To him, the profession embodied real public benefit, everyday courage, and responsibility. 12 08162 Situation at front
"Why did state deny me chance to live?" — story of military doctor with cancer
Recently, Censor.NET has begun documenting and reporting on violations of the rights of service members and veterans. The newsroom has been receiving letters with personal stories behind which lie broken lives and systemic problems. Among those who wrote to us is Oleksandr Poliarus, a reserve captain who was discharged from the Armed Forces of Ukraine on health grounds because he has cancer. For nearly three years now, he has been forced to undergo treatment for melanoma in Norway because no free treatment could be found for him in Ukraine. 17 52551 Medical care for military personnel
Personnel "kaleidoscope" in "turbo mode". What is Zelenskyy plotting?
It appears the president has decided to carry out major personnel reshuffles in "turbo mode" in the new year, describing them as "internal changes in Ukraine." The first high-profile move was the appointment of Kyrylo Budanov as head of the Office of the President. Zelenskyy explained the decision as a need to strengthen Ukraine’s team for peace talks. For the same reason, he appointed diplomat Serhii Kyslytsia, who has already taken part in the negotiation process, as first deputy to the newly appointed head of the presidential office. 15 43925 Staff changes
Call sign Teacher: "I feel sorry for draft dodgers. They’re ones who will never understand they are men."
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, he has been through the hottest sections of the front line and knows what war looks like without any gloss. Yevhenii Yeremenko, call sign Teacher, now serves as Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of the Kraken 1654 Unmanned Systems Regiment of the 3rd Army Corps. 136 065215
"Nord Stream" explosion: are Russians conducting court proceedings through "hands" of Germans?
While corruption and political scandals are raging inside Ukraine and attempts to diplomatically bring the war to an end are ongoing on the international arena, a process related to the "Nord Stream" explosion is moving forward in Europe. 9 28720
FPV pilot with call sign IIID: "Russians’ UAVs are mostly identical: power up and fly. It makes their work easier"
Stage, rehearsals, performances – Dmytro Tretiak, an actor and musician from Kharkiv, lived for his art and plans for the future. But when Russia launched its war in Donbas in 2014, he did not stay on the sidelines: he supported the front and performed for Ukrainian troops. After the full-scale invasion, he returned to volunteer work but later decided it was time to join the army himself. 13 8165
Call sign Tykhyi: "We are eliminating Russkies on industrial scale"
Serhii does not like noise or fuss, so he chose a matching call sign – Tykhyi ("Quiet"). His work is always focused and precise, with no unnecessary words or movements. He is an external pilot with the Khortytsia Ghost unmanned systems battalion of the 15th Operational Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. 9 8241
28 points: peace that reeks of defeat
"Ukraine may now face a very difficult choice: either a loss of dignity or the risk of losing a key partner; either a complex 28-point plan or an extremely hard winter," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his address to the nation on 21 November. This is his response to a draft peace plan put forward by the United States. 6 00117 Peace negotiations Peace plan
Ihor Lutsenko: "No one is running this country! There is no one who controls the processes or has any kind of strategic vision"
After NABU released the "tapes" of conversations involving figures in the Midas operation close to the president, the country’s political landscape shuddered. The story, already dubbed "Mindich-gate", is rapidly accumulating new, shocking details. Tensions in the political class are off the charts, and society is closely following developments. 19 27399
Mykola Melnyk: "It is fact that we will lose Pokrovsk, as follows from balance of forces and assets"
Today, Pokrovsk is not just a point on the battle map but a true "nerve" of the frontline. Recently, it has become one of the main flashpoints in the confrontation between the Ukrainian army and Russian occupiers. 18 56877
Gas lobby’s influence: why did Italy approve extradition of suspect over Nord Stream blasts?
The Nord Stream sabotage case is gaining momentum again. Today, two Ukrainian nationals are in the spotlight, with German investigators leading the probe suspecting them of involvement in the high-profile incident, which occurred in the early hours of September 26, 2022. 8 4415 Blasts on Nord Stream pipelines
Hero of Ukraine Dmytro Vitiaz: "Sometimes enemy dons civilian clothes and, in urban combat, tries to infiltrate our combat formations"
Lieutenant Colonel Dmytro Vitiaz commands the 4th Separate Special-Purpose Detachment "Omega" of the National Guard of Ukraine. His work largely remains out of public view but is critical to countering the enemy. 7 4713
Yurii Syrotiuk: "We had to live in trenches filled with corpses of Muscovites"
Yurii Syrotiuk, a former Member of Parliament and now a senior sergeant with the fire support company of the 5th Separate Assault Brigade, has been on the front line for years. In 2014, he volunteered to go to the front and fought for several months in the Donbas. After Russia’s full-scale invasion began, he once again joined the ranks of Ukraine’s defenders. Despite the exhaustion, he hasn’t lost his sense of humor. 10 05427 War
Call sign Deputy: "Ka-52 flew past us and fired missile. Quite sight! After that, mortar was hardly noticeable"
Volodymyr earned the call sign "Deputy" for a reason, in peacetime, he was directly involved in politics, working as an aide to a member of parliament. His focus was mainly on local community issues in the Kyiv region. But when Russia launched its full-scale invasion, his life, like that of all Ukrainians, changed completely. 7 7105 Drone operators
Volodymyr Mykolaienko: Three weeks before Kherson was seized, President came and held press conference saying we were secure in this direction
Former Kherson mayor Volodymyr Mykolayenko considers August 24 his second birthday. It was on Independence Day this year that he returned home from Russian captivity. He had spent more than three years there after being abducted by the Russians from his hometown, which was already under occupation at the start of the full-scale invasion. 18 14920 Ukrainians in Russian captivity
Colonel Riumshyn’s case. Interview from behind bars
The trial of former commander of the 155th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine "Anne of Kyiv," Dmytro Riumshyn, has been ongoing for over eight months. He was detained on January 20. He is accused of deliberately failing to notify the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) about cases of AWOL among his unit’s soldiers, of including in the training lists for France individuals who had been subjected to administrative liability, and of failing to conduct legal education for the servicemen. 16 52820 Сase against Colonel Riumshyn
Yanis Tereshchenko: "There are no grounds to believe that this war could end in near future"
You may have seen reconnaissance soldier of the Third Army Corps, Yanis Tereshchenko, in the news, where it was reported how he helped a young man in Venice who had suffered multiple stab wounds. The victim was lying on the street, bleeding heavily. Yanis was in the city with his family and happened to be passing by. He applied a tourniquet, saving the man’s life. Afterwards, the mayor of Venice met with our serviceman to thank him and present him with an award. 15 37929
Call sign Vovk: "Sometimes enemy doesn’t react to drone. You fly, and he either just looks or keeps walking."
Today, Pavlo serves as an FPV drone operator with the 25th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. In the military, he is known by the call sign Vovk (Wolf). He came up with it easily, recalling how he used to wear T-shirts with this animal as a child. His comrades sometimes jokingly call him "wolf cub," given his young age, he is 25 years old. 9 5523 Drone Industry
Together on front line and in life: story of military couple
We met in the center of Kyiv that morning, when the right bank was still shrouded in smoke after one of the largest overnight bombardments. Fires were still being extinguished across the city, rescuers were clearing the rubble, and the air was polluted and heavy. And into this grim reality they appeared: beautiful, smiling, and calm. Yaroslav and Yuliia — a young military couple who had consciously put their normal life on hold to defend the country from the enemy. 12 4504 Drone operators
Call sign Shturman: "If you don’t hear UAV buzzing above you — dig. Because it’s about to appear."
He makes difficult decisions and bears responsibility that is hard to put into words for civilians. Under his command is the reconnaissance battalion of the 13th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine "Khartiia." 9 2052
Call sign Baz: "There are currently many injuries from drones in Kharkiv region. Statistically, they are most numerous"
Today, Andrii is temporarily acting as the deputy commander of the medical company for medical work of the NGU’s "Khartiia" brigade. His call sign is Baz or Bazik. This is how he was called back at Kharkiv Medical University, where he studied. 7 3260 Tactical medicine
Call sign Tyson: "We saw how Russian commit suicide on live feed"
Artem is only 21 but already has experience under his belt that many much older people shouldn’t have to face. He now operates a Vampire hexacopter with the Unmanned Systems Battalion (UBS) "Pathfinder" of the 115th Separate Mechanized Brigade (SMB). Call sign Tyson. He got it because he boxed when he was younger. He could have kept training and tending bar, as he did before the army, but he signed a contract in early 2023. 7 55513 Drone operators
Call sign Zaval: Enemy is thinking and learning now too. This is no longer 2022, when not everyone even understood what was happening
Vitalii, call sign Zaval, currently commands a combat group of the reconnaissance battalion of the 13th Operational Assignment Brigade "Khartiia" of the National Guard of Ukraine (NGU). However, before the full-scale invasion, his life was not connected to the military. By profession, he is a welder, studied at the Salvador Dalí Academy of Contemporary Art, and also worked in the beauty industry, doing piercings and artistic tattoos. He got interested in this because it was trendy at the time. 11 02814
Vitalii Shabunin: Had there been no war, conversation with this government would have been entirely different
The case of Vitalii Shabunin has sparked wide public resonance and is actively discussed in the media, political, and military circles. The head of the Anti-Corruption Center and serviceman has been charged by the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI). According to the investigation, he evaded service and unlawfully received payments. 15 65875 The case concerning Shabunin’s official trip Searches on Shabunin
Call sign Taxi Driver: "Enemy drones hover over our infantry positions almost nonstop. There are so many of them."
His military path began at 18 with compulsory service, which, due to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, shifted from training to resistance against the enemy. During the first few days of the major war, he maintained order at the capital’s train station. Then he guarded Kyiv’s checkpoints. After that came battles in Donbas, a concussion, treatment and rehabilitation, and a growing interest in UAVs. 9 4484
Call sign Khmuryi: "Fiber-optic drones are best for targeting military hardware. Or when you need to fly precisely into basement. It’s "ace up your sleeve"
Vadym, an FPV pilot of the Ghost of Khortytsia UAV battalion of the 15th Karadag Rapid Response Brigade, has the call sign Khmuryi (Grim). He "inherited" it from his cousin, who served in the same brigade and passed the call sign on after he was discharged. He entered the army in 2019, signed a contract at the age of 20 and went into service. One month before the full-scale invasion, he found himself in a combat zone during a rotation as part of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO). 16 8862
Artem Panchyk: "Dozens of body bags lie there. You take each one, unzip it, and see whether it’s your soldier or not"
Artem Panchyk holds two Orders For Courage. He is a veteran of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Since childhood, he had wanted to become a soldier. He studied at the Lyceum with Enhanced Military and Physical Training in the town of Tulchyn, Vinnytsia region, and later at the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Academy of Ground Forces, Faculty of Combat Employment of the Troops. He fought in the infantry. Then he commanded a reconnaissance company, and subsequently became a deputy battalion commander. 13 9903 Page 1 of 3
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