I met 24 February with a thought: “Why today?” Story of National Guard soldier with alias “Komar”

A National Guard of Ukraine serviceman whose alias is "Komar" ("Mosquito") dreamed of joining the army, but when he failed to graduate from a specialised military academy, he realised that it would not be easy to fulfil his wish. The man is from Luhansk Oblast but has lived in Kyiv for a long time. Komar went to Odesa in 2021, where he wanted to be selected to get into the Marine Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a sniper, the National Guard reports.

Komar passed the physical and psychological tests, but says that due to the large number of applicants wanting to become snipers, he did not succeed. Quote: "There were 16 people for one position. There were other positions available, but I wanted to be a sniper," Komar says.

All photos: National Guard of Ukraine

He was called up for military service in Chernihiv Oblast in the same year. Komar managed to take the oath [swearing allegiance to the Ukrainian people - ed.] in January 2022, and he went to war in February. "On 24 February, I came off duty, just went to bed, and was woken up by an alarm.

My first thoughts were: "Well, why today?" the soldier recalls. The first battles broke out in the city's streets when the Russian troops entered Chernihiv. Then Komar took up the position of an armoured personnel carrier mechanic and driver.

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The man says that he and his brothers-in-arms became encircled in the building of the Oblast State Administration on that day.

"We started talking to our more experienced fighters and asked them what percentage of us would survive. Everyone said that the chance was minimal. Everyone started calling their relatives, including me.

We said goodbye to our parents, informed them that this would be our last fight, and thanked them for bringing us into this world at all. What followed was a very difficult battle, which is difficult to remember," the National Guardsman recalls. Komar adds that the most difficult thing was to see civilians die as a result of Russian fire.

It was in Chernihiv that the soldier received his first injuries - he was burned by shrapnel from a mine that exploded five metres away. All 7 wheels were punctured in Komar's armoured vehicle due to the explosion. "I don't even remember how I managed to drive off.

Three or four soldiers took turns to help me turn the steering wheel. I don't know how I was driving before that," the man says.

The guardsman received a commendation for his service - the "For Valiant Service" medal, as well as the medal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine "For Exemplary Military Service" , third degree. Now Komar wants to become a military psychologist to help soldiers returning from the battlefield.

"I want to help all those who have come from the front line, to raise their morale. I would like to work at the front line as well. If you have a psychologist working with you on the line of fire, it is much easier to endure and survive everything.

I know that returning from hell, you can bring a person back to normal life, but you need to work with them a lot," Komar added.

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