Yuriy Zhuk, member of the Political Council of the European Party of Ukraine, soldier, deputy commander of a reconnaissance platoon for tactical and psychological training
– Yuriy, tell us how the day of February 24, 2022, began for you?
– On February 24, at 4 a.m., I woke up from the sounds of explosions. I had no doubt that the war had started. I had learned to distinguish its sounds since 2014. I clearly realized that these were rocket attacks on Kyiv. My wife immediately jumped up and asked, “What is this?” and I answered, “This is war.”
– What did you do next?
– I started getting ready to go to the military enlistment office, my apartment windows overlook Stolychne Highway. I approached the window and saw that there was a line to leave the city. I asked myself why, when everyone was going west from Kyiv, I was going north or east, to the frontline? But it was only a brief moment of internal struggle. Because I had packed an anxiety suitcase long before this moment. This means that I had long ago decided for myself what I would do in the event of a full-scale invasion. So, at 6 am, I left for the military registration and enlistment office. To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised by the line of people outside the military commissariat.
– Was the line of people willing to defend Kyiv longer than the line of people willing to leave the city?
– Yes, it was (smiles). When you see that you are surrounded by a bunch of like-minded people who care, who are ready to go and “tear” the enemy at the call of their hearts, you are, of course, confirmed in the correctness of your choice. A fighting spirit invisibly begins to form around you, adrenaline goes through the roof. I looked into the eyes of these people and realized that we would defeat all the occupiers. As soon as we get weapons, we will be unstoppable. In general, I believe that Ukrainians are a supernation. Tell me, what other nation is ready to voluntarily sign up to die for their homeland? I am sure that none is ready. This is admirable!
– At the beginning of our conversation, you said that you had an anxiety suitcase packed for a long time. Why? Were you preparing?
– I can’t say that I was preparing for the war, but for the last two years I have been studying military affairs in a certain unit.
– What prompted you to take up military training?
– I have long realized that we need to strengthen our country’s defense capabilities, we were very weak. And this can be done not only by the country’s leadership or the relevant ministry, for example, but also by every citizen who goes and learns the basics of military training. I decided for myself that I had to be ready to fight in case of an escalation of Russian aggression or to teach people military skills according to new standards in peacetime. That’s why I underwent tactical military and psychological training according to the NATO program. Every weekend, regardless of the weather and circumstances, for two years we studied military affairs.
– What unit did you join in February 2022?
– At first, I was assigned to the Kyiv security company. And after a while, when the threat to Kyiv had passed, I transferred to the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Kostiantyn Ostrozkyi, which has been fighting in Donbas since 2014. New units were just being created within it. On May 31, I was already in the war zone in the east, near my native Horlivka. And all my skills and knowledge came in handy.
– How did it happen that you taught other defenders?
– When we found ourselves in a new unit, we got a clear understanding that there was no one to teach us. We were told that «we would give you weapons, and then your fate was in your hands». Our unit consisted of 20 men. 15 of them had never held a weapon in their hands, two had no fingers, one was deaf, and two weighed 140 kg. I realized that this was the moment when my skills and knowledge would come in handy. I offered myself as a tactical and psychological training instructor. After our first battle near Svetlodarsk, we came out with almost no losses, and most importantly, we accomplished our task. Out of all the guys I trained, only one was killed, and not in the first battle.
– How long were you at the front line?
– Before I was wounded, until the end of June 2022. I would say that sometimes you can gain more combat experience in two or three weeks on the front line than in two or three years.
– What is the most important thing in war?
– Correct planning and commanders who realize the importance of planning any operation and who are not afraid to listen to their subordinates. In any unit, there are 30% of people who are pros in certain areas. It’s important to be able to draw on this experience. Let me tell you about my own example. The guys and I organized ourselves: we sat down and talked about who was good at what, and agreed among ourselves who was responsible for what. But a lot depends on the commander, on his ability to analyze, assess the situation and plan the task. Because any task can be accomplished, the only question is the price. And it depends, in particular, on the commander. When performing a task, soldiers need to know that they have communication, that there will be fire support, that the retreat is not cut off, that the artillery will work out the enemy’s positions, that the wounded will be evacuated on time, in short, that the operation is planned properly. Soldiers who have gained experience on the battlefield are invaluable. They must be protected and losses must be prevented by all means. The best way to do this is through careful planning.
– Were you lucky enough to meet such commanders?
– Unfortunately, no.
– What is psychological training in war and is there time for it?
– It is the ability to control your fear. Because everyone is afraid in war, fear is always present. But it can be minimized and controlled by breaking it down into its components. Simple questions and answers to them help. For example, why are you afraid of an Russian? He has the same machine gun as you. But you have better protection, better armor, you have kevlar helmet on your head, and you have motivated friends by your side. And when you say all this, it becomes less scary.
– What is a victory for you?
– I often hear that “we will go to the end to win”. I always want to clarify – where is this end? Or when I hear “victory at any cost,” I want to clarify what is the cost? I don’t agree that we have to kill all Ukrainians in this war. Who will then rebuild Ukraine in every sense? If I were asked if I was ready to give up a part of Donbas in exchange for an end to the war and the development of our country, I would say “yes”.
But nevertheless, if I answer the question “What is victory?”, then for me there are several dimensions. Given the price we have already paid and are paying every day, I would consider our flag flying over the Kremlin to be a victory. And then it is not so interesting what will happen to Russia. Let the great swamp break up into dozens of separate swamps. To be honest, I would burn them all so that there would be no reminder of the Muscovites. But this is a dream. I realize that the reality is different. I often hear that victory means going back to the 1991 borders. I will deny that, because Russia will put its art on the other side of the border and will shell us.
Any war ends in negotiations. It will probably be the same in our case. We will win, there is no doubt about it.
But victory is not always a win. We have already lost because we have suffered enormous losses. The best of the best have died and are still dying. We have cities where people will never return to live. Even if they are rebuilt, the traumatic experience will not allow them to return. I know what I’m talking about because I myself once left Horlivka in the Donetsk region. And for me, Kyiv has been my seventh place of residence since 2014.
– Would you like to return to Horlivka?
– I will not return to live. I would like to return to Horlivka with only one purpose – to take revenge on the collaborators who have been supporting the “Russian world” since 2014 and still help the Russians. The most terrible people are not those who are for or against. They are those who don’t care. Those who will change their shoes after our victory and continue to live their lives as if nothing had happened. As a member of Horlivka City Council, I know many of them. I want everyone to pay the full price. This will be my revenge. People who supported the occupiers and turned against their own state must be held accountable, they must be deprived of their voting rights and banned from holding any office. By the way, in many developed countries, only taxpayers have the right to vote. I am convinced that ‘collaborators’ should not be given a third chance.
– You are currently not at the frontline because of your injury. Can you tell us what you are doing now?
– This is a very sensitive question. I will answer as much as I can to open the curtain. I remain in the military service. I am working on the realization of my dream – I am working on a project, after the realization of which, “something” will fly far into Moscovia and terrify Moscovites as never before.
– Tell us about the happiest moment since February 24, 2022?
– To be honest?
– Yes, of course.
– This is the moment when my first combat ended. It was just like in the movies – everything stopped at once. We took a roll call. Everyone was alive. The smoke cleared and it started to rain. And I was happy that I survived and that the guys survived. Because before that I was mentally saying goodbye to everyone.
– Did you lose many comrades?
– Is it possible to count many or few? For me, this is unacceptable. I will only say that it is very important to see your comrades off on their last journey, no matter how difficult it is.
– Okay, then I’ll ask you another question. How many people did you see off on their last journey?
– Ten of them. I knew all of them personally. The heaviest loss was a fighter from my unit whom I trained. He exploded on a tripwire, in particular, because of the violation of the rules I told him about. I was tormented by the fact that I did not teach him enough. I believe that a lot of time and attention should be devoted to training fighters. Of course, now the guys on the frontline need rotation. It is very difficult for them. But they must be replaced by trained people to minimize our losses.
– We are talking to each other in Ukrainian. Have you switched to Ukrainian in everyday life?
– I’ve always been a Russian-speaking person, it’s true. But outside my family, I switched to Ukrainian exclusively. Even with my friends, with whom I have spoken Russian all my life, I now speak only Ukrainian. In my family, we also text only in Ukrainian, and we try to speak it as well. It’s hard, but we’re getting there. Sometimes people ask me where I learned the native language so well. I answer that in Horlivka, Donetsk region.
– Our Petro Antip says that the greatest patriots of Ukraine are from Donbas.
– I won’t argue with him (laughs).
– Where will we celebrate the victory?
– I know for sure that I will celebrate with my family. My wife was in Kyiv all the time, waiting for me, helping me, volunteering. My daughters, although they study and work abroad, have become real ambassadors of Ukraine in the UK and Poland. My eldest daughter was the first to unfurl the Ukrainian flag in London. The younger one became a volunteer in Krakow. They are real Ukrainians! I am proud of them.
– Have you told them about this?
– Yes, of course. But now I demand even more from them. I tell them that they are the best, but I want them to become the best citizens and patriots of Ukraine, independent and self-reliant.
The interview was conducted by Yulia Pidkurhanna