The Story of a Developer Who Has Been Defending Ukraine in the Ranks of a Special Forces Unit for a Year

Now, when the whole of Ukraine is fighting for independence and freedom, the soldiers of Ukrainian Armed Forces are the titans who make it possible for us to wake up, work and support from the rear. Among Binariks employees, there are heroes who are defending our independence. Binariks introduces Stanislav, a React Engineer who has been a member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for over a year. This is second interview with Stanislav, the previous one was recorded 7 months ago. Stanislav told the Binariks team what has changed over this period and commented on service in the Armed Forces and the Kraken special forces unit.

You have been doing military service for a year now. Tell us, what has changed during this time?

First of all, weapons and ammunition have improved! The war has become more technological, the role of drones has increased greatly, but it is worth noting that the enemy has also increased the number of drones. In general, drones are now a must-have at the platoon level, as they save your life in many cases. Of course, a drone does not live long in a hot spot because there are a lot of anti-drone guns, but it is particularly difficult to live without it in today’s warfare. Also, we have improved communication between units, but there is still room for growth.

It is felt that the army is being filled with various heavy equipment. It is worth noting that the dynamic of warfare has changed. For example, we see Bakhmut, which is reminiscent of World War I or World War II. This year, I have reconsidered the concepts of life, the army, and the state. At the moment, we are in a stalemate, and it is quite difficult with the mass of enemies attacking us, but the attack is not far off.

What operations have you participated  in during the full-scale war?

At the beginning of the full-scale war, I took part in battles in Kyiv region, Bucha and Irpin in particular. Later, when we pushed the enemy out of that area, destiny brought me together with the Kraken special forces unit, where I worked for airl intelligence near the border with Belgorod. Drones were already playing a very active role there, in particular the drones Binariks had given me.

The main role in this area was to direct the artillery and defend the highway. We worked a lot with the adjacent intelligence units, we could say we were their eyes. I also took part in the assault of the village and managed the SPG weapon, we did a good job of hitting the enemy and capturing the village. There was even a viral video of this work.

After working in Kharkiv sector, we were transferred to Zaporizhzhia to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine. An interesting story happened to me in this area. My comrades and I went on an intelligence mission and knew that there was an enemy observation post ahead in the forest, but we did not have its exact coordinates, so we did some more investigation.

Before we left, we warned the guys from the neighboring unit, who were also in the area, that we were going to reconnoiter. They gave us information that they also had a task to go there later and dig in nearby. So, to make sure everything went smoothly, we gave them our walkie-talkie and agreed that they would give us information about the movement towards our direction. When we had already reached the position we needed and disclosed information about the enemy’s location, our task was only reconnaissance without any fire contact. The enemy’s positions had previously been stormed in another area, and we needed to understand whether the enemy had set up additional observation posts.

So we were already returning to our positions, when we heard people walking behind us, not moving very carefully, or even like bears, breaking branches on their way and making a lot of noise. So we concentrated and prepared to fight, because in theory it could be an enemy intelligence group returning to their location, which was nearby, and then the moment came when we saw this group and realized that they were wearing Ukrainian Armed Forces uniforms and our insignia, and they were the guys we had seen before, and their group just didn’t give us any information about the exit. This story ended up well, we did not engage in combat, but it could have ended in friendly fire.

What is your daily routine like now?

Now I have training and competition of staffing of the unit, as we were transferred to a new unit with my comrades. As a rule, Monday and Friday are spent working with instructors and practicing various techniques, tactics, and medicine. We also pay a lot of attention to clearing and storming premises, and the nuances of aerial reconnaissance. Saturday and Sunday are called “housekeeping” days, when we do various household and routine tasks.

What does the volunteer movement mean to you?

Since 2014, the volunteer movement has been contributing greatly to our victory and support of the army. Volunteers play an important role in helping with drones and vehicles, among other things. I would like to highlight the enormous help of the volunteer movement at the beginning of the full-scale war. We all see the work of large foundations and the amount of money they raise, but refers not only to the foundations, but to all of us, Ukrainians. A nation that has become united. I am also very grateful to Binariks, as they constantly provide us with the necessary things and help us with many collections.

In conclusion, I want to say that we must be prepared for this marathon of war. I think we will face difficult times and many challenges ahead. We still have a lot of work to do to regain our territories. We all saw the brilliant operations in Kherson and Kharkiv regions. Therefore, I want to end with the same advice I gave last time – we all need to continue to support the Armed Forces and be ready to defend the country with weapons in their hands, as this war is likely to affect plenty of us. Don’t forget that the enemy is several times bigger than we are, so everyone must be several times better than they are.

Glory to Ukraine!