Romani soldier Vasil is defending Ukraine against the Russian aggressor for six months now

At first Vasil says he was unable to believe the news about the Russian invasion, but after a couple of days he was certain a war was actually underway. “I realized that for my country, the place where I grew up and where I am raising my children, this is a big problem. First I believe it would not last long, maybe a month, perhaps it would end sooner, but when I saw the news about Bucha, I realized this would take a long time. There were horrible incidents in Bucha that forced me to act – to voluntarily defend my native country,” he told RomaUA, the Romani Ukrainian news server that has published his story.

At the beginning of April, footage from Bucha, Ukraine was broadcast worldwide. In that city, adjacent to Irpin and 37 kilometers northwest of Kyiv, Russian soldiers “randomly murdered local civilian residents” during their month-long occupation.

Some victims were found with their hands tied behind their backs and the city streets were littered with corpses. Mayor Anatolii Fedoruk told Reuters more than 300 people were murdered there.

Along with his brother, Vasil voluntarily enlisted on 8 April 2022 at the local military command in the city of Kamianske (Dnipropetrovsk Region) where he was living with his wife and five children. “My parents and my wife received the news with tears in their eyes and pain in their hearts, but that did not alter our decision,” Vasil says.

“I explained to my children that we are all in danger and for that reason I have to go defend my home and my family,” Vasil told RomaUA; for half a year he has been defending Ukraine from the Russian aggressor at the front. “I realized as a person who was born in Ukraine, who grew up here, in a country where my entire close family lives – my wife, my children – that I have to defend my home, my country, and the people who are in danger. I am a patriot of my country and I cannot stand aside at this hour that is so important to her.”

It is exactly his children and his family whom he misses most. During the last six months he has made it home just three times.

“My heart is bleeding each time, that’s how I find the strength to survive, so I can see them again and go home. My boys are growing up so I have to be a good example for them,” Vasil says.

Before joining the Army, Vasil was in charge of his family’s construction firm, which worked not just on private commissions, but also on state ones for hospitals or schools. He has dedicated himself to sports since childhood, specifically, boxing.

That training is currently aiding him with overcoming situations that are mentally quite difficult. “I’m a person who has dedicated himself to sports since childhood and who has frequently been in extreme situations. I am accustomed to learning new things and working on myself. Thanks to that, my emotional state is quite stable,” he explains.

“Be brave, do sports, everything will be fine, God will protect you. I live my life with that idea,” he says.

Vasil speaks of his fellow soldiers as his brothers. “After half a year, they are almost like family to me. I already consider them my brothers,” he says.

“It’s here that I have comprehended what genuine friendship and support between men is,” Vasil continues, adding that during his first days in the unit, he and his brother grasped that they were surrounded by people who were good-natured, sincere, and trustworthy. Be that as it may, he’s still hoping the war will end soon.

“I’m not looking too far into the future, but I really want this all to end as soon as possible. My dream is to return to the life I was used to before: Seeing my family every day, watching my children grow up,” he says, adding that after the war he would like to open a center for psychologists to provide their qualified support to the adults, children and soldiers afflicted by this war.

“I’m certain I can do that. My wish for everybody is that they take care of themselves and appreciate the time they spend with their families. Victory is definitely ours!” he decisively ends the interview with the RomaUA news server.