“I got a concussion every day”: how a Ukrainian paratrooper managed a logistical route by himself for three days

Oleksiy, a Ukrainian military man from Nikopol, passed through the hottest points of the front, finding himself on the “zero line”. He saw with his own eyes all the horrors of war, for his courageous actions on the battlefield he received many awards, but he remains modestly silent about them. For three days, he independently held the defense of an important logistical route, repelling Russian attacks.

Yuliya Khomenko, a journalist of IA “FAKT” met with Oleksiy Popravkin and asked him to tell about the service and the realities of the war.

“I was born in Nikopol, where I worked and lived with my family. My family went to Poland after the full scale invasion. I was left alone and could no longer bear how my hometown was being shelled, so I decided to go to the Military Commissariat and help the guys on the front lines. However, not everything is as simple as I imagined. I was not immediately accepted into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, I was rejected many times, but later mobilized. I went through training, then I was offered a position as a combat medic, but I didn’t take it because it wasn’t exactly what I wanted. I myself am a welder-mechanic, and I did not really imagine myself in this position, so I asked the commanders if there were any other vacancies for me. And I was offered a signalman. We were sent to the relevant training, and one day the commanders lined us up and asked: “Are there people who want to join the DSHV?”. I immediately raised my hand. And so he became a soldier of the 95th brigade. To be honest, my joy knew no bounds, because I really wanted to join this team. I was not immediately sent to the front line, although I literally begged the commanders to send me there“, – recalls Oleksiy.

The first combat task for Oleksii was very difficult: he and the group were surrounded, and only by a miracle did he survive. There were cases when he had to carry 200-300 wounded from the battlefield.

“After some time, I got into combat positions and quickly adapted to new conditions. The boys kept laughing at me because my backpack was the biggest. I always take a lot of things, because they can come in handy. My first combat mission was very difficult: we were surrounded, and I miraculously survived. There were cases when I carried 200-300 wounded from the battlefield. It happened that two dozen people came to the combat positions, and after a few weeks only a few remained. As they say: “God held my hand”, – continues the military serviceman.

Oleksiy’s motivation to go to war was clear: to protect his family, home and land. He understood that he could not do otherwise. The most difficult moment in Oleksiy’s life happened in the fall, when he and one of his brothers were ordered to reach a certain area and prepare a place for machine gunners there.

“It was autumn, we were working in the direction of Kreminnaya. There were six of us in the group, but then we were scattered. I and another comrade of mine were ordered to reach a certain area and prepare a place for machine gunners there, but soon it became “hot” at that point. My brother was wounded almost immediately, I helped him to evacuate. And that’s how I was left alone in the position, holding the logistic route for three days. It was very difficult. Behind me were guys from other brigades, but sometimes it seemed to me that they were not there. I did not see support. The Russians, having “burned” the machine-gun nest and already knew exactly my position, began to extinguish it with artillery, chemicals and all kinds of projectiles. In front of me, 50 meters away, the equipment was burned, and an enemy repairman was sitting there. Every day I shot at him, they were replaced, one by one. As soon as I raised my head, the shelling started immediately. I received a concussion every day, took a pill and continued to defend myself. Shelling was constant, I had no way to rest normally. The worst thing was when the shelling stopped – it suddenly became very quiet. I heard that the Russians had gone somewhere, but I didn’t know if they were there at all. I thought: “Maybe they are crawling towards me, maybe they are already somewhere close, or maybe they have run out of ammunition.” And it literally drove me crazy. At that moment, I had a grenade: I stuffed it in my bosom, grabbed the ring and smoked. I could no longer stand and wait! Eventually, I gathered my will into a fist, put down a grenade and decided to fight on. I received serious head injuries here and am still receiving treatment“, – recalls Oleksiy.

The man himself kept the logistics way. Thanks to his perseverance, the brigade repelled two landings, having completed its task, then it was possible to replace the soldiers in that area, and finally Oleksiy was also able to reach his own and receive medical assistance.

To the question about the material provision of the paratroopers, Oleksiy answered that it is carried out at the appropriate level. Fighters are provided with everything they need to complete their tasks, although there are cases when you have to buy some things yourself. Living conditions on the front line are difficult, especially in winter. Paratroopers often get frostbite, because it is very cold in the dugouts. Combat sorties last several days in winter, and much longer in summer.

“Winter is a real test! Imagine: minus 15 degrees, and you are standing and freezing. There were cases when boys froze their feet or hands. Even ordinary water freezes under such conditions. Sometimes you had to bite the ice to drink. Food also freezes – it is simply impossible to eat it. And when it rains, everything flows, there is mud all around, and we have to live in such conditions. Irrespective of the weather, we hold our defense well under any circumstances. It happened that they stood in clay or sand”, – shares the military.

There is a very touching moment in this story. After the death of his sister, Oleksiy wrote a poem comparing her to a little girl. From the time when he finds himself under fire, a little tit always flies to him.

“Just at the moment when I am in danger, she appears next to me. She sits down and chirps. This is a real miracle”, – the man says with a smile.

Poems are what help Oleksiy to hold on and not “go through the roof”. He plans to release his collection.

“I often wrote poems on my knees during and between shelling. It helped to disperse a little, because there you can “ride the roof”. I write poems on various topics, and now I distribute them to hospitals and volunteers. There are poems about the family, about the son, about other topics, as well as about our soldier’s life.”, – emphasizes Oleksiy.

Oleksiy is a real hero who risks his life every day to protect Ukraine. His story is a story about courage, resilience and belief in victory. The editors of IA “FAKT” express their sincere thanks to Oleksiy and wish him peace and a speedy return home.