Bypassed 15 military commissariats at 18: an impressive story of a drone operator from Kharkiv told online

Anastasia, 19, from Kharkiv, became the first UAV operator in the 128th Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. She joined the army five months ago, but it wasn't easy: she was rejected by 15 military recruitment offices, and they didn't want to take her because of her age. Eventually, however, the Ukrainian was accepted as a clerk, and then she was able to move to an aerial reconnaissance unit.

Anastasia told Suspilne about her path and service. During each combat mission, she spends several days at "zero". To get to the position, the soldier has to carry more than 30 kg of ammunition and other equipment.

"If you take everything together, the ammunition can be up to 30 kilograms, or maybe a little more, because the body armor weighs a lot, the assault rifle and the helmet. The first aid kit is also not light, because you need everything that can save your life," the soldier says.

According to Anastasia, she often gets scared at the front, so much so that she runs away in fear. It's especially scary when the enemy shells the positions of our defenders with heavy weapons.

"Sometimes it happens that you sit and dream that you would not be killed today. No matter how it may sound, it is true. I just want to exterminate, to exterminate these damned enemies who have come to our land and to save our country," the girl said.

The task of the unit she serves in is to fly over the area and check the positions of Russian troops. It is very important to find out where the enemy's equipment is moving. "Because in the future, our drops and FPVs destroy this equipment, these positions, and in this way we are slowly moving towards victory," Anastasia explains.

She noted that she had been drawn to the military since childhood, so as soon as she turned 18, she joined the defense of her homeland as soon as possible. She does this not only for the sake of herself and her family, but also to protect every Ukrainian.

"When people say to me: "You went there on your own, so don't complain," it is very offensive to me. It is offensive because I went not only for myself, not only for my family, but for the whole country. I was 18 years old, and if you think about it, I had my whole life ahead of me," says the UAV operator.

Alongside her service, she is studying to become a police officer at Kharkiv University. Her only wish now is for the war to end soon, for peace to come, and for all our soldiers to return home.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, Ukraine will form a volunteer women's UAV unit - they are currently looking for candidates who will then undergo a competitive selection process. This unit will deal with unmanned aerial systems in close integration with the Defense Forces of our country.

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