Facing Russian adversaries and determined to hold ground, this Ukrainian soldier courageously made the ultimate sacrifice: self-called artillery strike on his own position
Ukrainian soldier Serhii, covered in shrapnel wounds, remains defiantly optimistic from his hospital bed His survival amidst a dangerous Russian encirclement has astonished him, leaving him grateful to be alive despite the pain
Serhii, a Ukrainian soldier, is seated on his hospital bed in a public clinic in central Ukraine. He has small fragments of shrapnel embedded in his legs that the doctors are unable to remove. Despite the pain, he insists that he is feeling well.
"I can't believe that I'm in the hospital now, instead of the trench. I didn't think I would make it," says the 36-year-old.
Serhii, known by the call sign "Fin," is a member of the 80th Air Assault Galician Brigade, having joined the army in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Assigned to hold the trenches on the eastern front line near Bakhmut on October 27, what was meant to be a three-day mission turned into a two-week ordeal as the unit was pinned down by enemy fire, leading to tragic casualties among the men.
The unit endured relentless shelling for days until a mortar exploded near the dugout where Serhii and two others were positioned, trapping them as they prepared to relocate.
"We were all injured. Both my legs were wounded, and I instinctively checked to see if they were still intact," Serhii remembered.
Serhii, who had worked as a handyman for 10 years, became an infantryman in the 80th Air Assault Galician Brigade.
Serhii insisted that the evacuation team take the other two soldiers with broken legs and jaws first, and that he would wait for the next opportunity to be rescued. One of the injured soldiers was so shocked that he asked to kill himself, prompting the others to take his weapon away.
However, that opportunity never arose. Each time other units attempted to arrive, they were held back by relentless Russian bombardment, preventing them from reaching Serhii. Over the following two weeks, numerous evacuation teams made attempts to reach Serhii, but all were unsuccessful and resulted in casualties.
"We faced continuous enemy fire, as if they were probing for our vulnerabilities and testing our resilience," he remembered.
Unable to leave his trench, Serhii's commander utilized a drone to deliver necessities to him, including water, painkillers, chocolate bars, and even cigarettes.
"The water posed a significant challenge as the drone was unable to pick up large bottles. In an attempt to provide water, the drone dropped small bottles wrapped in paper and tape, but many of them did not survive the fall, causing them to break and leak. Serhii expressed gratitude for every sip of water," he said.
Meanwhile, Russian drones targeted the dugout with more dangerous payloads, including one that dropped a grenade near Serhii, who was then joined by another Ukrainian soldier who had become separated from the rest of the group.
"It exploded near the other soldiers behind me and just half a meter from my feet. We were injured but fortunate to make it through. We could only evacuate one soldier who was critically injured. That's when I realized I was alone."
Serhii lived for 10 years in Finland, earning himself the call-sign 'Fin.'
Courtesy Serhii
Surrounded
Over the next three days, Serhii remained concealed in his dugout while the enemy surrounded him. With each passing hour, Russian troops drew nearer to his position, their voices growing louder as he became familiar with their plan.
Thinking he wouldn't make it, Serhii used the radio to quietly relay the enemy coordinates to his commander, leading to artillery strikes on his own location. As a result, Ukrainian artillery carried out precise strikes, though more Russian soldiers kept closing in on him.
"I was surrounded by enemies,"Â Serhii explained. "When they couldnt hear me, I whispered the coordinates again on the radio and our artillery fired at them."
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At one moment, Serhii feared for his life when a Russian soldier entered his trench. The soldier questioned Serhii about his origins, and the Ukrainian responded in Russian, claiming he had a concussion and requesting water. The Russian soldier left without water, seemingly unaware that Serhii was Ukrainian.
"I couldn't believe he didn't recognize that I was from the Ukrainian armed forces. I was dressed in a Ukrainian uniform with pixelated pants, and even though they were dirty, it was clear that the boots were Ukrainian," Serhii remembered.
After all attempts to evacuate Serhii had failed, his commander finally advised him that the only way out was to crawl and pray.
"I had to maneuver through the dugout where the Russians were located. With the radio in my left hand, I proceeded on my knees. As I inched forward, I encountered a tripwire with a grenade attached to it. Although I could hear the commander advising me through the radio, my attempts to communicate back were futile due to the nearly depleted battery. Urged on by the commander's shouts, I pressed forward until I reached the Ukrainian positions. "Keep moving, Fin," they continued to instruct me."
Serhii, 36, during an interview with CNN.
CNN
Serhii has been in recovery for over two weeks now, sitting in the cozy hospital ward, he recalls the days when he used to lick rainwater from his trench and would dream of every sip. When sharing his story with CNN, Serhii doesn't see anything heroic in his actions.
I want to be able to spend time with my comrades, enjoying some relaxation like fishing and having some drinks, instead of witnessing the sacrifices our soldiers are making on the front line. Their bravery and sacrifice are overwhelming.
