"Russians learn from our mistakes": Story of Ukraine's National Guard officer bearing alias "Owl" – video

A Ukrainian National Guard officer who goes by the alias "Sova" (Owl) has been defending Ukraine from the Russian invaders for two years, suffering several shrapnel wounds in the process. 

Owl's combat career started in the infantry. He initially served as a rifleman and medic and took part in fierce fighting against the Russian invaders in Donetsk Oblast, the National Guard says.

At that time, his main tasks were to repel Russian assaults and evacuate the wounded. Owl recalls that the Russians sought to outnumber the Ukrainian army and made use of armoured and lightly armoured vehicles.

"We gave them a decent response. All the borders and positions we had are still ours. But they are now under the control of neighbouring brigades," he says.

Owl was later deployed to the Zaporizhzhia front to serve as a UAV operator. He was tasked with detecting Russian military personnel and equipment and tracking the movement of vehicles.

The officer explains that the main challenges for aerial reconnaissance troops are Russian electronic warfare (EW) and weather conditions.

"We are fighting with the regular [Russian] army here, which is getting decent results. We should not underestimate the enemy. The enemy is learning, and that’s a fact. They learn from our mistakes. That’s also a fact," Owl says.

The Ukrainian defender believes there is a job for everyone in the army, and the necessary skills can be acquired during training and through education.

"If you want to, you can do any job you like. The main thing is to want it," he emphasises.

Owl also told a story about how he himself received shrapnel wounds in his right shoulder while providing pre-medical assistance and lost all feeling in his arm.

"I was at work, and I heard a report on the radio that there were people injured. I was closer to them than other people were, so I went to provide pre-medical assistance since their conditions were of varying degrees of severity. I managed to stabilise them and hand them over for evacuation, but as I was helping them, I was wounded myself. I couldn’t feel my arm, it just hung loose. Thanks to a rehabilitation specialist, I’m back in the ranks and carrying out my missions," he says.

While at the front, Owl tries to switch off and focus on something different from time to time to relax mentally. He admits that he finds it helpful to watch a sunset or spend time with pets.  

"I try to find something beautiful," he adds.

Owl says he thinks about the future constantly.

"I think about the future of our country, the future of the family I want to have. But the war took that opportunity away from me. Now I only want one thing – victory," he reveals.

He believes that victory will be achieved if Ukrainians are united and realise that the war is ongoing throughout all of Ukraine.

"The war isn’t just here in these oblasts – Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk. The war is everywhere in Ukraine. We should not be divided," he says.

Background:

Earlier, UP told the story of a cadet of the National Guard of Ukraine who survived a partial encirclement and was wounded, but went back to the front.

Anna Shtopenko, Ukrainska Pravda. Zhyttia

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