“Operational command “North” told about the combat path of the officer. Yuriy is a teacher by education. Worked by profession, then – in local authorities…”, — write on: armyinform.com.ua
Read for: 4 min. September 24, 2024, 9:36 p.m
Captain Yury Marchenko voluntarily enlisted in the TCC, then fought as part of a rifle battalion in the Avdiiv direction, after which he returned to Kozelshchyna. Operational command “North” told about the combat path of the officer.
Yuriy is a teacher by education. He worked by profession, then in local self-government bodies. He was the deputy and then the chairman of the district council.
On February 24, 2022, he volunteered for the TCC and SP in Kozel region. At that time, his military experience consisted only of short-term service in the late 1980s. In the early 2000s, he completed training and obtained the rank of lieutenant, military specialty — an officer from the Military Academy.
“I was motivated, like most volunteers, by the realization that one must go to defend one’s Motherland, one’s own family. I simply could not stay away from the trouble that fell on our land,” said Yurii Marchenko.
He was immediately mobilized to the security company of the TCC and SP in Kozel region. He was the deputy commander for moral and psychological support. But a year later, on February 24, 2023, he voluntarily enrolled in the ranks of the 407th separate rifle battalion, which was just being formed at that time. Appointed to the position of commander of a rifle company, and a few months later transferred to the position of head of the intelligence group of the headquarters.
After three months of training and coordination, in May 2023, the unit went to the place of execution of tasks. Kharkiv Oblast, then Kherson Oblast, Kyiv Oblast. Performed the task of protecting objects on the 2nd-3rd line of defense.
In the fall, they received a new task: to advance into Donetsk region in the Avdiyiv direction.
“At the end of October, they got to the Avdiiv coke plant. I was the chief of military intelligence, we were engaged in planning. The main thing was establishing cooperation with other units, planning reconnaissance and surveillance of the enemy, and providing information to the command,” Yuriy Marchenko recalled.
The enemy constantly attacked the positions of the rifle battalion with various types of weapons – mortars, artillery, tanks, regularly dropped from the planes of the KaBa. Heavy fighting took place when the enemy entered the rear of the Ukrainian units through the extensive system of underground communications in the “Tsarska Okhota” area at the end of January.
Then the attack was repulsed, all communications on the territory of the plant were worked out in order to prevent the enemy from entering the territory of the Koksokhim plant this way, the officer says.
The main personnel of a separate rifle battalion were withdrawn from the territory of the plant on February 12-13, 2024.
“It was planned to move the battalion to another part. Our command post remained in place there. But the situation turned out to be such that we received a command to leave. On the 15th, we left in small groups of five — there were 24 of us. Then we were picked up by cars and taken to Myrnograd,” said the soldier.
According to him, at that time they went out on foot in an unknown area, under constant fire and between mines. Then, in two days, he counted almost 250 KABs on the territory of the plant – enemy planes were in the air almost constantly.
Captain Marchenko managed to get out without injuries. However, he admits, there were many concussions – no one counted them in those conditions. Although it was difficult, says the soldier, he held on to the belief that everything would be fine. He kept in touch with his relatives thanks to the Internet. They also encouraged each other with their brothers who were nearby.
From Myrnograd, the unit was taken to Cherkasy region for recovery. Yuriy was treated after the concussions he received and later underwent a medical examination and, according to its findings, was deemed unfit for service in combat units.
He took up the relationship and already in April returned to his native Fourth Department of the Kremenchug TCC and SP in the Kozel region. Headed the documentation support group.
Works with documents, deals with personnel issues and material support. Emphasizes that in order to win against a strong enemy, the Armed Forces of Ukraine need a motivated replenishment.
“If not for us, men, to protect our Motherland, then who? Otherwise, the enemy will come here very quickly – to Poltava region. We have already seen how quickly he can advance when unopposed. I understand how important the work of territorial recruitment centers is in matters of replenishment of the Defense Forces. However, I also see the information press that today goes against the TCC. Because the task of the enemy is to disrupt the mobilization to the ranks of the Armed Forces by all means. And these IPSOs not only scare civilian men, who as a result try to avoid mobilization in every possible way. This also demotivates the soldiers who fight for Ukraine – some of them for three or four years. Military personnel also need time to rest. But who will replace them? The only way out is to postpone all refusals and stand up for Ukraine to everyone,” noted Yuriy Marchenko.
As ArmiyaInform reported, it is said that people like Serhii, a fighter of the 81st Slobozhan Brigade, nicknamed “Phantom”, were born in a shirt. All because the soldier survived after the rupture of an 82-mm mine a few steps away from him.
