'Colleagues said: They will destroy you in three days.' Fighter 'Moisei' returned from Sweden to serve in Ukrainian Armed Forces

Why he decided to return to Ukraine from Sweden

At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the man was in Stockholm. The first thing he felt then was a lack of understanding of how a Russian invasion could be possible.

“My colleagues at work told me: you're done. The Russians have missiles, the Russians have a nuclear weapon, and you (Ukraine - ed.) have nothing. They will destroy you in three days,” Moisei recalls their words.

Of course, he was very unpleasant to hear this. But the man immediately decided to return to Ukraine and help in defensing. The head of the company immediately paid him his entire salary, and his colleagues chipped in with money, saying: “You will definitely need it.”

From Stockholm, he flew to Warsaw, and from there he took a bus to Kyiv. While passing through Zhytomyr, the man came under his first shelling. It was then that he first felt what war was like.

“We arrived in Kyiv, and I was shocked. Why did I go to the capital, even though I am from Odesa? Because if they took the capital, there would be nothing left to take. This is the heart of our country. I went down to the subway and saw the horror in people's eyes. There were dogs, cats, tears, children crying in the subway. I realized that I had to do something,” he says.

The military recruitment office did not immediately want to take him. However, the man literally begged to join the army. Having assessed the seriousness of his intentions, the recruitment office promised to call him back in a few days. After some time, there was a call, and Moisei eventually got into the 401st rifle battalion.

In the first days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Moisei decided to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces and now serves in the 110th Mechanized Brigade (provided to RBC-Ukraine)

How he took people out of Kherson region

Since the man could not defend his homeland with arms from the very first days, he decided to at least help in any way he could. Together with his comrades, he decided to help civilians with evacuation.

“We bought cars, red, ordinary Zhiguli. We used these four cars to evacuate people. We jumped into Chernihiv under fire, took people to the Bogdans (busses - ed.), and they took them further to Kyiv. Then the volunteers asked us to go beyond Kryvyi Rih, to Vysokopillia, to the Kherson region. The Russians advanced very quickly, and we were not yet so prepared to repel them in every direction,” the man says.

Once, when they arrived at the village, the men hurried to take the women and children away as quickly as possible, because there was information that the Russians would soon occupy the settlement. But they did not manage to get out before the invaders arrived. From the windows of the houses they saw enemy vehicles, armored personnel carriers, and infantry fighting vehicles.

According to him, the Russians immediately went to a large house where a local farmer lived and dragged him and his wife outside. The group of Russians consisted of 7-8 Buryats, who began to rape his wife in front of the farmer. It was a horrible sight. Neither Moisei nor his comrades could prevent this - they were unarmed and had to wait in another house.

They managed to put four children and four women in four cars and planned to leave in the direction of Kryvyi Rih. There was only one road from the village, and the occupiers already blocked it. They set up an improvised checkpoint and pulled up equipment. Moisei and his comrades decided to take a chance and drive right through it.

Fortunately, the Russians were already drunk so heavily that when men drove by in cars, they did not even have the strength to say anything. In this way, they managed to take more than 30 people out of the occupied village.

Photo: Soldiers of the battalion destroying the enemy in the hot spots of the front (facebook.com/110separatebrigade)

“We arrived in Kryvyi Rih. I went and bought bread, it was still hot. The children and women ate that whole pallet of bread in about 20 minutes. Well, looking at it, of course, what can I say. There was only one desire - to destroy them (Russians - ed.), and destroy, and destroy, and destroy. You didn't even need any motivation, it was enough to see it all with your own eyes,” the defender recalls.

'If you have been to ground zero once, you are already a hero. And if you have been there twice, you are already a warrior.'

Moisei does not hide his joy at being assigned to the 401st battalion. Thanks to his effective service, he was able to become a chief sergeant. Later, the battalion was attached to the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade, and at the moment the formation has become a full-fledged 2nd Rifle Battalion within the 110th.

“I remember those first attacks in Bakhmut. It is impossible to tell in words. It's a kind of family, a manly, strong family. It may be strange for you to hear this, maybe no one has ever said this, but it is so dear, this family, this is the core,” the soldier shares his impressions.

According to him, some of his comrades are already of mature age, and many have a formed character, but the war unites everyone. This was especially evident in the battles near Bakhmut, Terny, and Pokrovsk.

Moisei also praised its leadership and commanders for their military work.

“They do not live like ordinary people. They live at command posts around the clock, for months. They wash once every 10 days, and sometimes even once every two weeks. They know every situation, every movement - they know everything. That's why we would even be ashamed not to work, looking at them. We take our cue from them, and that's why we have such a strong officer staff. Well, the best ones,” says the soldier.

There were many combat fighting, and the officers went into battle together with their comrades, being in the trenches next to each other. According to Moisei, every company commander and platoon leader was in combat.

Officers went into battle alongside all other defenders of the front (facebook.com/110separatebrigade)

“Even the headquarters and the support groups were at ground zero. Because, as our commander used to say, and he's right, if you've been to ground zero once, you're already a hero. And if you have been there twice, you are already a warrior. Because going there the second time is certainly harder than the first time,” he adds.

By the way, he thought about his call sign 'Moisei' for a long time, but in a day he came up with a common denominator. He said that few people would understand the true meaning and the reference to Ivan Franko's poem "Moisei". Its main idea is the reluctance to live in slavery, the love for the people, and the desire to live as a free man.

Battles near Bakhmut and Terny

The 401st battalion initially took part in the battles near Andriivka, which is located south of Bakhmut. The fighting was tough, but the company commander made a rather unconventional decision that stunned the enemy.

In order not to go through the landing and get hit by mines, he ran out of the landing and stormed the open road. The enemy units simply did not expect this. According to Moisei, this was the battalion's biggest advance into the Russians' depths at that time. If the support of neighboring units had been more effective, Andriivka would have been liberated at that very moment.

Later, the battalion was withdrawn for recuperation and eventually transferred to the area of the village of Terny in the Lyman direction. In that area of the frontline, the commander personally participated in battles, during which he was wounded in the arm.

Moisei recalls that after moving to their new positions, they had to dig an 18-meter-long trench for almost a day. After setting up the position, the battalion waited for the assault command, their task was to cover the left flank, but the enemy came from the other side. That battle was not a complete success, but the task had to be accomplished, and officers from the headquarters were going to the third assault.

Photo: The 401st battalion took part in battles for some time in the area of Andriivka, south of Bakhmut (facebook.com/110separatebrigade)

“It was very difficult to pass there, there were such thickets, even though it was winter. There was no greenery, just bushes, it was very difficult. But a little later, they (the Russians - ed.) were still pushed back,” the soldier recalls.

During such battles, many fighters showed their character, one of them rushed into battle even though his fingers were broken by a bullet wound. Moisei also praised the medics who do their job professionally and save the lives of soldiers in combat.

Importance of the chief sergeant work

Serving as a battalion sergeant major is primarily about building communication within the unit. And the key to success is the attitude towards people. Mosisei is also engaged in training the personnel.

“In addition to training the personnel, I still have a lot of other tasks assigned to me by the commander. First of all, I have to treat them (subordinates - ed.) like men. Not as military men, but as men with whom you eat bread at the same table. When you sit at the table with him and eat bread or drink coffee, it doesn't matter. And you talk to him like a man. Then he accepts you,” the soldier explains.

It is very important for male soldiers, many of whom are nearly 50 years old, to feel respected. Thanks to the understanding of each soldier, it is possible to build a well-coordinated team that can perform combat missions. Fatigue is naturally among the soldiers, so mutual support is very important to them.

“I am 51 years old. No matter how fast I am, how long can you run like that? You still get tired. Sometimes I drive all day, get out of the car, and feel tired,” Moisei adds.

The fatigue is noticeable not so much physically as psychologically. Many of the fighters cannot stand it, so you need to give them a rest. And the commander, according to Moisei, has his own understanding of this. And the best rest is a trip home to the family and friends.

Thanks to the understanding of each soldier, it is possible to build a well-coordinated team that can perform combat missions, says the defender (facebook.com/110separatebrigade)

Wedding at 51

Moisei has been home only once during the war. But his current vacation is connected with an important event in his life - he is going home to get married.

“I lived alone for many years. It was my fate. But this is the kind of person (referring to his beloved - ed.) I have known for a long time, I love her so much. I am a non-drinker, an adequate person. But living alone is not life. Despite the war, life does not stop. I look at my other comrades, officers, sergeants, just soldiers. They have wives, their wives call them, and they worry. And I want to have a wife. Not a common-law wife, a temporary one, but a wife,” the man emphasizes.

Moisei asked the commander to give him the much-anticipated leave, and he went to his future wife. After the wedding, he will return to the front line to defend Ukraine and continue to build a close-knit team of comrades within the battalion.