“At the time of the large-scale offensive and armed aggression of Russia, I and hundreds of men and women joined the ranks of the 144th Territorial Defense Battalion. We were sympathetic to the lack of VVK, the lack of adequate weapons and uniforms. From February to December, about 5 shootings with AKs and training in tactics took place in my unit. Although, according to papers, we almost every day had fire training for the development of different types of weapons.
In January, we were sent to the combat zone in the Soledar operational-tactical formation. The first combat clash took place with elements of an assault, for which we were not prepared. We were without communication with the command of the mortar battery, we suffered losses in the dead and wounded. We encountered tank fire, which broke up our group.
After 2 days, without proper medical assistance, the remnants of my platoon and other platoons were again sent to the line of contact with combat contact and direct artillery shelling, which did not allow us to raise our heads. We were sent there wounded, shell-shocked, without providing the things that we had lost. We again had the wounded, and the condition of the previously wounded worsened. And besides, our base was destroyed by artillery fire.
Some of us were left without winter things, without everything that we had on at the time of the operation, that is, bulletproof vest, unloading, machine gun. Some of us have in our hands hospital certificates about the need to be released from duty for 5 days.
None of us refused and does not refuse to perform combat missions, most of us are simply not combat-ready due to injuries, lack of support, communication and coordination.”