"I used to protect one person, but now I'm protecting the whole country." The story of "Sportyk", a National Guard soldier
Oleksandr, who goes by the alias Sportyk, is defending the country in one of the most combat-ready battalions of the 5th Slobozhanska Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. Although he used to work as a bodyguard, today he is a sergeant who has been through fierce battles.
The National Guard of Ukraine shared his story.
It's no coincidence that Oleksandr has this alias. He used to do sports, in particular boxing and judo, professionally. He was a member of the Ukrainian junior national team. He also managed to win the title of champion of Ukraine in adult boxing.
Because of this, his comrades-in-arms sometimes joke that he "beats people for money". But when asked about this, Sportyk always answers with irony.
"I used to beat people because I was professionally involved in sports and worked as a bodyguard for, let's say, not poor people. Now I run through forest strips and corn fields and defend my homeland," he says.
He graduated from a technical school as an electric welder. But he never worked in this profession. He completed his military service, and then he became a bodyguard.
"There were dangerous situations; once, someone tried to shoot our car carrying my client, and another time, someone planted explosives in my client's car on the order of a competitor. It was not boring, but the profession is not really good," says the serviceman.
With the beginning of a full-scale war, Oleksandr took his family to the border with Poland and then returned, received a draft notice and joined the National Guard.
"I don't regret it at all. After the training course for a newly recruited soldier, we were transferred near Balakliia, where we were entrenching ourselves, and I worked as a scout. Together with the SOF (Special Operation Forces) fighters and with Special Group Omega, we were conducting additional reconnaissance to find out where the positions of orcs were [Ukrainians compare the Russian army to orcs – ed.], where their 'eyes' [UAVs - ed.] were, and where their equipment was moving, to neutralise it all," the sergeant proudly says.
Oleksandr had his first encounter near Balakliia, where he was covering a SOF sniper. Then, when leaving the grey zone, the Ukrainian soldiers encountered a Russian secret and destroyed it. They had to retreat under heavy Russian fire, but everyone made it back unharmed.
However, the battle near Kreminna was the most memorable for Sportyk. During the assault, the reserve positions had to help. During the battle, they managed to kill three Russians and injure two more. But our fighters were also wounded. One of them had his leg torn off by a grenade explosion, and another was wounded in the arm. They were dragged by their comrades-in-arms for 2 kilometres.
Now Sportyk is teaching others tactics and assault operations. But he does not quit reconnaissance. Oleksandr says that he considers sergeants to be the most important link in saving the lives of others in their positions. He is not making plans for the future yet but is focused on what he has now.
"I'm still a bodyguard; it's just that I used to protect one person, and now I'm protecting the whole country," the fighter adds.
Earlier, we shared a story about a National Guard soldier who survived the hell of Kreminna.
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