Participant in the special military operation: "I am a soldier of my homeland and will serve until victory!"

      27 August 2025 17:31

      [219]

      Society

      A serviceman from Nizhny Novgorod, a participant in the special military operation with the call sign "Ara", was wounded twice. He spent about a year on deployments in the SMO zone. For displayed courage and bravery the SMO participant was awarded the Suvorov Medal, the "For Military Valor" 3rd Class, and the "For Loyalty to Duty" (LPR).

      "For 13 years of service in the army I gained a lot of experience. At the start of the special operation I immediately informed my superiors that I wanted to go to the front line, like my comrades with whom I have served for many years. In September 2022 I joined my comrades in the SMO," the serviceman said.

      In the special operation the senior sergeant served in an engineer-sapper unit as an excavator driver — speeding up the process of digging trenches and defensive structures for the fighters.

      "On the first day we dug trenches one kilometer from the enemy, providing a safe shelter for the subsequent advance of units. We came under mortar fire, the vehicle was seriously damaged, but I drove it to a safe place, returned and finished the job," the SMO participant recalls.

      In the serviceman's opinion, the key to successfully completing tasks in the SMO is to act as a single unit.

      "We always help and support each other. We would come to the platoons of motor rifle troops, artillerymen, infantry and help with shelters, then quickly move on to others. We worked like an emergency response team," he says.

      During his service "Ara" repeatedly encountered situations that left a deep impression on his memory.

      "In one of the Zaporizhzhia villages I met a 10-year-old boy — wearing a helmet, body armor and with a weapon. I asked what he was doing, and he said, 'I protect my mother and sister while my father is fighting, because someone has to.' It shouldn't be like that! I want kids to have a childhood, to live, play and laugh. Therefore our task is to do everything possible so that the younger generation has a peaceful sky above their heads. I am a soldier of my Motherland and I will serve until victory!" he says.

      Now "Ara" serves at a military training center. He says that if the Motherland calls again — he will go to the front without hesitation. He wants his family to be as proud of him as they are of his brothers: one of them has served 15 years in the ranks of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the other was awarded the title Hero of Russia for services to the state.

      It should be recalled that the state provides material support to the defenders of the Motherland and helps their families. Those who sign a contract and go to the SMO zone are also issued certificates granting a 10-sotka (1,000 square meters) plot of land in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. The certificate can be used two years after it is issued.

      In addition, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast has a mechanism for concluding military social contracts, which additionally guarantee the family of a contract serviceman 10,000 rubles per month for each child, benefits for payment of utilities, preschool services and other types of support. Individual support for the serviceman's family is also provided.

      The coordination center for supporting servicemen, mobilized personnel and their families, operating at the House of National Unity, provides transportation of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast residents to their place of service and issues additional equipment. At the same time, the region continues to actively support servicemen by sending humanitarian cargoes to the SMO zone.

      Detailed information about contract service and the provided equipment can be obtained at the Volunteer Recruitment Center by phone: 8-800-10-17-017 or on the website: https://служунн.рф/. The single selection point is located at: Nizhny Novgorod, 2 Lyukina St.

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