Mykhailo, a fighter with the 1st Border Guard Detachment with the nickname "Diak", is from Ternopil region. Before joining the army, as a territorial manager of a confectionery company, he provided his home region with candy, cakes, and pastries. Sincere and easy-going, he likes to joke and looks for the positive in any circumstances - Mykhailo has not changed at all in the army. For this he is respected and honored by his comrades. He went to the front on August 22nd. He was in Bakhmut when it was one of the hottest spots in the country.

"What was the hardest thing back then? Some people say that it was shooting back," the border guard recalls. "But for me, the hardest thing was the artillery: when 120, 152 mm shells arrive, when the walls of the high-rise building are shaking before your eyes. It's really hard then! And scary. I am convinced that there is no one who is not scared. But, in short, with mutual support, sometimes with a common prayer, we hold on with our comrades."

A man should be in the army today, Mykhailo is convinced. "There is a need for accountants, clerks, computer specialists, drivers - there is a lot of work that someone has to do. Not everyone who is fighting now imagined themselves as soldiers. But in battle they became, without exaggeration, heroes. I was a witness to this. In front of my eyes, despite the shelling, the guys rushed to save their comrades, risked their own lives for the sake of others. War changes people. It crystallizes them."

War also causes a serious reassessment of values. You start looking at many problems and life situations differently. Also, on the front line, you often must act beyond your strength. "Let's say we've been under fire for two hours. It keeps coming, coming, coming. The house shakes, the plaster flies off. But you realize that you have to go out and do your job. Despite the fear, despite the realization that anything can happen, you have to go," says Mykhailo.

The border guard recalls that sometimes he stepped over himself. For example, you realize that your comrade is wrong. But you also realize that you need to take a step back in order to walk forward three times together. "People are different, but we all have one common task now. And we should always remember that."

If something could be changed in the past today, Mykhailo would fight more to promote russian culture and language in Ukraine. He thinks that maybe then he would not have had to take up arms. But he would not have changed his decision to join the army, even if he had already experienced all its "charms" and dangers. "I could not sit still, I thought about it at every step. No, my decision today would be the same."

Mykhailo's biggest dream is to return home with his victory, where his two little daughters are waiting for him, and to hug his beloved wife. And also, to open his own home bakery and coffee shop in his hometown.