A Ukrainian Commander and war hero has said that he always tells his troops the truth about how hard their next mission will be and that some might not survive.
But he also said that he tries to make sure every soldier understands why they are doing what they are doing and that he will do everything he can to ensure his country continues to exist and prospers.
Roman Mamavko, Commander of the 24th Mechanized Brigade, awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine, has been praised by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, 49, who released this footage, along with a statement saying: “Commander of the 24th OMBr [Mechanized Brigade] named after King Danylo , Hero of Ukraine Roman Mamavko is a real military leader.”
Zaluzhnyi added: “Despite heavy losses and daily assaults by the enemy, the unit fulfilled its assigned combat tasks. I appreciate and am proud to stand in the same formation.”
The footage appears to show a compilation of the actions carried out by the 24th Mechanized Brigade – officially the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo – since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
In the footage, Mamavko, who holds the rank of Colonel in the Ukrainian Army, says (in Ukrainian): “I am proud to serve in the 24th brigade and to have the honor of leading this brigade.
“I always tell my soldiers and officers the truth before performing any task, what we had to do, that it will be difficult, that maybe we will lose somebody, and why we are doing it.”
Mamavko, who was awarded the title of ‘Hero of Ukraine’ by Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, in May, added: “And I try making every soldier know and understand why he is doing it, why he is risking his life.
“I will do the maximum for our country to ensure it exists and prospers.
“I will tell my grandchildren about the beautiful views of the Donbas, about beautiful nature, and that it was necessary to fight for this land.
“And that we did it. For our Ukraine.”
‘Hero of Ukraine’ is the top title that can be given to someone by the President of Ukraine. Mamavko, according to the Office of the President of Ukraine, has been the commander of the 24th Mechanized Brigade for the last two months, after its previous commander, Junior Lieutenant Ihor Dykun, was wounded during the Battle of Irpin.
Dykun has also since been honored for his actions, being awarded with the Hero of Ukraine title shortly before Mamavko. The Office of the President of Ukraine states in a release on its website: “On March 23, during a battle in the area of the city of Irpenya, he, acting as deputy commander of a joint company, was wounded by a gunshot.
“Despite this, the battle continued, he personally destroyed ten infantrymen, one BMD and one BMP of the enemy.
“Colonel Roman Mamavko of the Ground Forces took command of the brigade after the commander was wounded, and during the two months of full-scale Russian aggression, he perfectly managed its units.”
The images were also relayed by Operational Command ‘West’ of the Ukrainian Armed Forces along with a short statement saying: “Roman Mamavko, commander of the 24th OMBr named after King Danylo, the Hero of Ukraine, is a true military leader.”
The images and the Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief’s statement were also relayed by the Office of Strategic Communications (StratCom) of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Ground forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin is calling a “special military operation”. July 13 marks the 140th day of the invasion.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between February 24 and July 13, Russia had lost about 37,570 personnel, 1,649 tanks, 3,832 armored combat vehicles, 839 artillery units, 247 multiple launch rocket systems, 109 air defense systems, 217 warplanes, 188 helicopters, 678 drones, 155 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 2,704 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 67 units of special equipment.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has hinted at plans to put together a “million-strong army” equipped with NATO weaponry to fight Russian troops, but the comments have been viewed more as a rallying cry than a concrete plan.
Russia is making gains in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region and is continuing to hit areas across Ukraine with missile strikes.
Reznikov has said that Western weaponry needs to be delivered to Ukraine faster. He said that for every day that they have to wait for howitzers to arrive, they can lose up to 100 soldiers.
At least 34 people are now confirmed dead after a Russian missile hit an apartment building in the city of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine. Emergency workers continue to sift through the rubble looking for survivors.
At least six people have died after Russian rockets hit Kharkiv, in north-eastern Ukraine, on Monday morning. And Oleksandr Syenkevych, the Mayor of Mykolaiv, in south-western Ukraine, has said that at least four people were injured by shelling on Tuesday morning.
Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Ukraine’s eastern region of Donetsk, has said that 80 percent of civilians have fled, with about 340,000 people remaining.
Germany and the Czech Republic have signed a joint declaration, vowing to overcome their dependency on Russian fossil fuel and to speed up the transition to low carbon energy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that makes it easier for Ukrainian citizens to acquire Russian citizenship.
The Kremlin has said that Putin plans to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after they discussed how to facilitate the export of grain from Ukraine.
The United States has warned that Iran plans to supply Russia with drones. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that intelligence suggests that Iran is making preparations to train Russian troops to use its drones.
