War brings with it devastation, blood and the pain of bereavement. It is going on in our country, leaving terrible traces, painful and irreversible. Moreover, this pain is unnatural.
Almost 1,000 days have passed since the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine. Almost 1,000 days of a 10-year war, that has been going on for ages...
Indeed, we will rebuild roads, houses, theaters, hospitals and monuments. However, we will no longer see the people killed by this war. This is painful to accept and difficult to put into reality. Because these deaths should not have happened...
Our task is to keep in mind and remember! So that the soul of each fallen person feels, and their families are sure, that these deaths are not in vain, and the Ukrainian nation will live in spite of everything. In order not to lose contact. To survive the loss, but not to lose the love.
Our today’s Guardian of Light dedicated his story to People with a capital letter. To those who were with him from the beginning of mobilization all the way up until demobilization. To those who are close physically, mentally, and spiritually. Some of them are at the front, some are in the rear, and some are in the sky. Nevertheless, Valerii Pohuliai, Andrii Perepilka, as well as the fallen Platon Shpak, Kostiantyn Lavryk, Mykola Biriukov, Mykola Skorniakov, Oleksandr Zhukov and other brothers-in-arms are forever in his heart!
At the time of the full-scale invasion, Volodymyr Bredikhin had already worked at the Zaporizhzhia NPP for almost 30 years. In 1996, he came as a young specialist to the plant and worked his way up from engineer to Deputy Head of Maintenance Planning Department (for engineering planning). There were two design groups and one process group under his responsibility, and that’s about 30 employees.
Volodymyr had a family and hobbies, was involved in volunteering. In his free time he went rollerblading, and during his vacations he went hiking in the mountains.
“I have always led an active life,” the resident of Energodar says, “I cannot sit still. That is why I don't like the sea, because lying on the beach is boring. I prefer mountains. In summer, in autumn, and in winter. Therefore, I repeatedly climbed Hoverla, Spitsy, and Homyak. I did not have time to conquer Pip Ivan. For various reasons, everything was canceled two years in a row, but I will definitely correct this misunderstanding. What I like most in the mountains is the healing air, crystal-clear streams with ice water, the aroma of evergreen spruce trees, bonfire flame and many other things. Moreover, a bonus to all of these is always deep and healthy sleep.
I also like rollerblading. Energodar had everything necessary for that. I often practiced rollerblade early in the morning, while the town was sleeping, to gain positivity and cheerfulness for the whole day.”
In 2014, war came into Volodymyr’s life. It touched him psychologically and at the same time brought many unanswered questions. He had to sort them out and search.
“I perceived the war in Donbas very painfully,” the resident of Energodar confesses, “We were not ready for it. My situation was also such that I spent almost my entire childhood in russia, since my father worked in the construction of hydroelectric power plants, and I lived mostly in a russian-speaking environment in Ukraine. I was not very interested in politics. Therefore, I understood our relations with russia a little differently.
But the events of 2014 made me think carefully and reconsider my views. Therefore, I started actively volunteering. There was a public organization “Peredova” in Energodar. and I joined their team. I was brining and donating something, and from the end of 2017 I started going to the front.”
The first departure of the nuclear employee was on the Mariupol direction - Berdianske, Shyrokino. At that time, Volodymyr saw the war with his own eyes. After that, he went with his friends to the Ukrainian defenders’ places very often, sometimes almost every weekend.
“It used to happen that we went to the front straight from our work,” the nuclear employee says. “So I finished my work, switched to “Techik” – that was the name of our volunteer car, which was loaded with everything necessary before that, and went with my partner to our people. We unloaded, talked a little with the military and went back.
Every time we drove from Avdiyivka to Pisky alomg the settlements that the Ukrainian defenders had already recovered, my heart bled. People continued to live and children grew up in those half-broken houses. Moreover, I couldn't imagine how that was possible, because those Ukrainians once had had a completely happy and peaceful life. But after that someone wanted to seizure alien territories”.
The resident of Energodar suspected that there would be a full-scale invasion. Back in 2019, many factors indicated such a development, including the situation at the front. Volodymyr hoped until the last that common sense would prevail and the situation would be resolved in a civilized way. Nevertheless, the bloody dictator of the neighboring country wanted otherwise.
Over the years of volunteering, Ukrainian’ views on russia and its attitude towards Ukraine had been transformed. They were not radical, but strongly pro-Ukrainian. He did not know exactly when the aggressor country would attack, but he knew one thing for sure – he would immediately go to defend his native state. Even then, he told his relatives about that, so that in the future such a decision would not be a surprise for them.
The notification about the Great War caught Volodymyr Bredikhin on his way to work -– he heard on the radio that Ukraine was being bombed. He understood what was happening, so after the end of his work shift he was already standing at the military commissariat. However, he did not have time to join the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, because the evacuation of the Territorial Center of Recruitment and Social Support began.
“I understood that I had to go to fight, but the situation was unclear,” the defender recalls. “Therefore, I was constantly in touch with my colleague and friend Platon Shpak, who was at the disposal of the commander of the 113th separate territorial defense battalion that day. Unfortunately, Platon died during the Ukrainian counteroffensive. With that amazing person, we went through the whole war side by side, from the beginning to his last day.
Then Platon told me that most likely we would stay to protect the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, so I could join. However, after some time, he announced that the plan for the ZNPP was canceled, and in half an hour, two buses would leave for the front from the Military Commissariat, if I could make it in time, it would be fine. I made it!
The transport was filled immediately; there were many people who wanted to defend our native land. I knew almost everyone. Our battalion was formed more or less on wheels. Somewhere along the way we stopped to arm ourselves. We settled down for the night, although no one was sleeping then. Words can not express these feelings, because you seem to understand what is happening and at the same time you do not understand anything. The next day, the battalion was almost completely staffed by volunteers.”
The unit of the nuclear employee was seconded to the 128th separate mountain assault brigade, which already had extensive combat experience in the anti-terrorist operation/joint-forces operation area at that time. Therefore, it included soldiers who were well-versed in the laws and customs of war.
“We are very lucky that we got into that brigade,” the Guardian of Light emphasizes. “There were very experienced and interesting people there. Platon and I received a lot of knowledge and gained experience from each of them. Because no one prepared us for the war, and I also had no military experience, so every piece of information was important and necessary.
Only when the first battlefield engagement took place, when we were surrounded and we were able to get out without losses – only at that time, we began to understand what war was, to feel fear. Because before it existed, but it was more unknown. Only at that time, came the understanding and fear that they were shooting at us, and not somewhere over there, that one or another explosion was much closer than in our imagination.
Platon and I always kept together. We even were detailed for guard together. We talked a lot there. About everything: about the war, about life, and about work. We made plans for the future, imagined what we would do when we returned home. We planned how exactly we would organize our work, what we would improve, and what we would simply change radically. But it was not destined. I lost him. Platon died on June 22, 2023.”
That day, Volodymyr’s unit stood on the border of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. The defenders overwintered, spent the spring, and met the summer there. At that time, our country was experiencing a major counteroffensive by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The military were also in high spirits, because the news spread the information about the next aid and new brigades equipped with defense arsenal and weapons. It seemed that that bloody war would soon end, and all Ukrainian families would be together again.
On June 22, 2023, the Guardian of Light and his brothers-in-arms were transferred to their positions near Priyutnyi. They were supposed to reinforce the assault brigade, which was going to carry out an attack again, but became much smaller after the previous hostilities.
“Everything happened during that assault,” the defender says. “They started shooting us from a tank as soon as we went on the offensive. As it turned out, the russians were already waiting, because our defenders attacked them in that place not for the first time. Platon and I were together. Shrapnel in the arm wounded me, and he was contused and wounded in the neck.
As soon as I was given first aid, I was immediately sent for evacuation. Platon had to leave the position later, as the decision was made to replace his bandage before evacuation. Later, I was told that a shell had exploded near him at one of the crossings.
This is quite likely, because the entire path to the evacuation was constantly tightly shot. Two days later, another friend of ours, Kostiantyn Lavryk, died in the same position. A remarkable person, a courageous, kind, strong man, a multifaceted personality with extraordinary knowledge and a great sense of humor. A fearless warrior.
People like Platon and Kostiantyn are said to be the golden fund of the nation. My friends were buried nearby, at the Zaporizhzhia military cemetery, where other guys from our battalion, as well as fallen workers of the ZNPP, are buried.
When the opportunity arises, I get into a vehicle and go to the guys – to Platon, Kostiantyn. I miss them very much and I still cannot believe that they are gone. Whenever I make a decision, I imagine what the boys would do. They were both younger than I was, but very intelligent and goal-oriented.
Platon had a good heart, he loved his family. He knew how to cook very tasty. Once he made an outdoors grill out of used tank shells and fried barbecue and fish for us. It was very cool. These moments are priceless. I have a lot of photos and videos with him, and I look at them from time to time.
Do you know what the worst thing is? Platon had to get vacations, but kept it postponed. He explained that he was waiting for his son to graduate. Just before graduation, his family knew that their defender was gone. No matter how trite it sounds, war really takes the best people.”
Humor and his people by his side helped the nuclear engineer to keep a tight hold upon himself morally and physically in the war. At every section of the front, he met like-minded people and real experts in their field. From each of them, he got the necessary information, took experience.
Therefore, on the day of the injury, Volodymyr’s actions were clear and practiced. He immediately started to stop the bleeding, applied a tourniquet. When he moved to a safer place, a medical professional of their unit applied a bandage. After that, there was the process of getting out of the position for evacuation; he went on foot, because the evacuation car could not come close.
“A few days after my injury, military medical professional, resident of Energodar Mykola Biriukov died,” the defender says. “It was thanks to him that I knew what to do in case of injury. We met Kolya at one of the positions. Platon and I were transferred there when Kolya was already serving there as a medical professional. As a medical professional and as a military, he treated his duties responsibly.
Therefore, he immediately gathered us, conducted training in medicine, solidified the material with a practical lesson, issued one more tourniquet to each of us, and also told us about the customs and rules of being at the front. After that, he arranged exams for us. It was from him that we got our first medical knowledge.
Kolya died during the evacuation of the wounded military from the battlefield. In the same place where Platon Shpak and Kostia Lavryk died, where I was wounded. There, our battalion was very exhausted”.
After that, Volodymyr had to go to the hospital and undergo a long rehabilitation, almost six months. Again, People with a capital letter – doctors and friends – helped to cope with that. He recalls when he was injured and was on his way to evacuate, as there was no way to leave the flash point, he met Valerii Pohuliai and Kostya Lavryk. The conversation with his brothers-in-arms gave him the strength to live and fight on. That was the last time Volodymyr saw Kostya, and he continues to communicate with Valerii even now. He says that then Kostya was like a guardian angel and a guide who repeatedly met on his military path. Always unexpected and suddenly.
“Valerii is unique and positive. I have known him for a long time both at the plant and through volunteering,” the Guardian of Light shares. “Several times we traveled together in the same crew. They served in different units, so they always met unexpectedly at the front.
I remember how once again our unit was transferred somewhere beyond Orihiv. At that time, we did not understand where we were going, because they brought us at night, dropped us off at the planting land and told us to continue walking. It was necessary to move quietly, so that the ruscists did not hear and did not start firing. Therefore, we were led down some narrow path to the position, put into a broken house without windows and doors and told to wait until morning. It was the end of spring, so there were still frosts. We couldn't sleep for a long time because we were very cold, so we went outside around 4-5 in the morning to get used to that.
I look around and see that Valera is standing opposite! He approaches and invites us to take tea. As it turned out, they had been transferred there a day earlier, so he had had time to be settled. It is in his character, he is such, you know, a son of the house. Wherever he is, everywhere he creates comfort. Then Valera gave us tea, warmed us up, and our souls somehow felt light. It is a great happiness to meet your person in difficult moments, and he is like a family member to me.
During the war, Valerii and I met often, once we even fought a little together. Everyone loved him: both people and animals. In every settlement, dogs, cats, even cows ran to him. He fed them, watered them and gave each one a nickname. For example, in Novoandriivka, a beautiful shepherd dog was attached itself, all covered with ticks and burdock root. Again, that shepherd dog came to him. He saved it and called it Gina Lollobrigida.
Moreover, once we were stationed in a village where there were almost no residents left. It was the summer of 2022, people were leaving in a hurry, and not everyone had time to release the livestock. During another shelling, a barn caught fire near our base. Valera and his brothers-in-arms managed to save almost all the cows. After the rescue, grateful horned animals often approached Valera, and that gave us a reason to joke: “Valera, your heifers have arrived.” He abjured himself and answered that those were not his cows. At some point, it became a meme.
In general, in that settlement, there were not only cows, of which we counted 18, but also ducks and chickens were running around. The animals were especially sorry, because they did not understand what was happening, they suffered without water, so they had to be rescued. The guys led by Valera made an improvised drinking fountain for them, so sometimes our unit was provided with freshly drawn milk.
Moreover, Valera is very responsible. He usually worked with an automatic grenade launcher at the positions. Later, he was loaded with another one, a trophy, and he arranged a competition between them. This defender of Ukraine did not leave his position until he, injured, was taken out of there. It's about the strength of will and responsibility to the unit, family, and country!”
Volodymyr Bredikhin emphasizes that going to defend Ukraine is exactly the decision he made instantly. Everything else in his life requires thought, analysis and time.
“Platon, our brothers-in-arms and I often discussed everyone’s decision to go to war,” the Guardian of Light says. “So my plan to go to war on February 24 is the only decision that I made quickly and for which I never felt the desire to regret. Because I take all the others more slowly. I do not make any decision until I think it over ten times, until some options fall away by themselves.
Of course, war is not easy. It is difficult morally and physically for both civilians and military personnel. However, the volunteers of the Civil Organization “Peredova” helped us a lot: Vadym Kominko, Iryna Shcherban, Tamara Liobakh, Viktoriia Yermakova, Tetiana Tkachova. It was as if they took out everything we needed from the ground and brought it where it was needed. We keep in touch even now, we see each other periodically. I am very grateful to them for everything!
I am also infinitely grateful to those persons who fight. I know how difficult it is for them now, because I was there, and I continue keeping in touch with those people who are still at war. People are very tired, they only hold on to high moral human qualities. Exclusively on patriotism. This phrase is cliché, but if it weren't for them, we wouldn't be here.”
Volodymyr addresses those in the rear with caution. He emphasizes that he does not force anyone to fight, because he understands that there is no front without a rear, and not everyone should be on the front line. However, if you make the wrong choice, you can lose the country.
“Indeed, there must be a rear, because without it the army will not last long,” the Ukrainian explains. “But it is difficult for me to understand people who use the benefits of this state and claim that they do not owe it anything. It is difficult for me to understand those men who, for example, trade in the market, and at the same time, young girls fight and protect them.
It is simple: if you want to live in a first-rate country, take at least a step – protect the state. Because it will not work to score points at the expense of those people who have been fighting for the third year and do not feel supported. In any case, you will have to either change these people, or come to their aid. If every Ukrainian works for Victory, it will come much sooner.”
