He neutralised 10 Russians and became an officer: the story of a National Guard soldier who survived hell near Kreminna

Serhii, a 40-year-old National Guard soldier who goes by the alias Lom, rose from the rank of private to junior sergeant in two months and began commanding a squad. In February 2023, he was promoted to junior lieutenant ahead of schedule and now commands a platoon. Source: National Guard of Ukraine

Details: Born and raised in Pervomaisk, Serhii graduated from Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute with a degree in Ecology. However, he has never worked in his field of study. He has done a lot of different jobs: he's been a baker and a security guard in a supermarket and worked at a grain elevator.

Serhii did not serve in the army, but he joined the army as soon as the full-scale war began.

He said he was only accepted on the third attempt: not only is he medically unfit for service, but he also has three children under 18. "You could say I just kept on asking," says Serhii. During the war, he started going by the alias Lom.

He enjoyed wrestling and had won a bronze medal in the USSR Championship in his youth.

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Serhii says your first battle is a "mess", and then you get sucked in. "You start to see meanings that you hadn't seen before; you even get some courage; you realise that you are fighting for your country," he says. Serhii has fought near Balakliia and taken part in the liberation of Kupiansk.

However, he said the battle he'll tell his grandchildren about most is Kreminna in Luhansk Oblast. "Because before, it was just hard, but fighting near Kreminna was like burning alive in hell," he says.

Lieutenant Colonel Izium, the rifle battalion's deputy commander for personnel, recounted how Lom was in charge of one of the positions on 1 February 2023. "It was 1 February this year, when the occupation forces went on the offensive and attacked our positions to break through the defence at a certain point.

Having entered into a fierce battle with the enemy near Kreminna, Luhansk Oblast, Lom, then a junior sergeant, managed to organise an efficient fire system and suppress the enemy in a small arms battle," Izium says. Serhii neutralised a group of 10 Russian soldiers. Fierce fighting continued for several days.

On 2 February, the Russians made another attempt to break through the defences near Kreminna. Serhii tried to destroy a Russian infantry fighting vehicle on his own. The first grenade ricocheted off the vehicle's body and hit a Russian grenade launcher, but the second shot hit the turret, so the Russian infantry fighting vehicle retreated and could no longer fire.

For his courage and excellent fighting skills, Serhii has been decorated with a high state award. After victory, Serhii plans to come back to civilian life and spend time with his family.

"I haven't signed a contract; I'm mobilised, and I don't even plan to become a colonel because then no one will write to me," Lom jokes. While Serhii has been serving in the army, his eldest daughter has turned 18 and started studying to become a designer.

Serhii's younger children are still at school.

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