IMI representative in Sumy oblast joins the UAF
Oleksiy Zakharchenko, a representative of the Institute of Mass Information in Sumy oblast, joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
He announced this on Facebook.
"A new stage in life. For the past year, I have been serving in a Sumy volunteer battalion. The people of Sumy are aware that it is largely thanks to these volunteer battalions that their city remained unoccupied. I've learned a lot this year and made some great friends. Thank you, 'Otto Group', you are the best!" wrote the IMI representative.
Oleksiy Zakharchenko added that from now on he would serve as the commander of a machine gun division.
"For me, Ukraine is not just the name of the country where I live. I have been a member of different patriotic public organizations since childhood, and when the war started in 2014, I had no choice but go defend my Motherland. Of course, journalistic and public work had to be set aside for a while. But when I was demobilized in 2016, I restored everything," Zakharchenko said in a comment to IMI.
He recalled that since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion last year, Sumy was under immediate threat of occupation, as it is a border city. It was even encircled for a while.
"But from the first days, the people of Sumy united in volunteer battalions and put up an honorable fight. I was in one of these battalions. During this time, I really learned a lot, even despite my anti-terrorist operation experience. At the moment, I believe that Sumy already has enough people to protect it, and my experience will be more needed in the Armed Forces. Of course, we will have to set aside all 'civilian' activities for a while again, but I am sure that we will win and I will go back to the ranks of journalists," Oleksiy Zakharchenko summed up.
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