Border guard Marian Marian, originally from Lviv region, worked in the construction industry in Ukraine and abroad before the full-scale invasion. In 2009, he graduated from the Ecological College in Lviv with a degree in “Organisation of services in hotels and tourist complexes”.
On the morning of 24 February 2022, Marian was woken by his wife, who told him the war had begun. At first he did not take it seriously, but when it became clear that this was no longer just worrying news but reality, he decided to go and defend Ukraine. On 4 April, the serviceman reported to the military enlistment office, and the very next day he began training.
After training, Marian was assigned to the Luhansk Border Detachment. It was there that he lived through one of the hardest episodes of his service – a shelling during which he was wounded and lost a brother-in-arms. According to him, in the morning, at about ten o’clock, a neighbouring position opened fire, which signalled the start of an assault on their lines. A moment later, a powerful explosion occurred right next to their position; the blast wave threw the soldiers in different directions, and Marian’s weapon was blown about a metre away.
Getting up from the ground, the border guard immediately grabbed his assault rifle and began looking for his comrades. He saw that one of his brothers-in-arms was bleeding heavily from his arms and legs, and rushed to provide first aid. It was then they realised that a third soldier, their comrade-in-arms named Michman, had been killed. Marian himself sustained a shrapnel wound to the leg and a concussion.
Despite his own injuries, the serviceman helped evacuate his wounded comrade. They had to reach the medics in an almost unserviceable vehicle, but the border guards managed to get to a place where they were given help. After treatment and rehabilitation, Marian returned to duty with the Luhansk Border Detachment, and later continued his service in the Donetsk unit.
Since December 2023, he has been serving in the “Rava-Ruska” Border Guard Department of the 7th Carpathian Border Detachment. Here, the serviceman is engaged in engineering works on the state border.
The most important source of motivation for Marian remains his two daughters. The border guard himself emphasises that he is fighting for the sake of their future.
“First and foremost, it’s the children. I want them to live in a free country,” the border guard says.
Marian believes that everyone who is wondering whether to join the army must honestly answer for themselves what kind of country they want to live in. His main dream today is the end of the war and the chance to spend more time with his family.