A professional violinist from Chernivtsi, a graduate of the Lviv National Music Academy, left the stage at the start of the full-scale war and joined the Shkval unit within the border guard service. Before enlisting, he played to packed halls, performed in orchestras and toured various countries, but decided that in wartime he had to be at the front.
The fighter with the callsign “Musician” admits that it is impossible to combine professional violin playing with military service, so instead of an instrument he took up arms. At first he served as a heavy machine-gunner on a large-calibre DShK, and since the end of 2023 he has been an anti-aircraft FPV drone pilot, intercepting enemy aircraft.
In his new specialism, he is helped by his well-developed fine motor skills, honed over years of playing the violin. This allows him to control the interceptors with great precision and guide them onto targets. In the crew where Musician serves, all fighters are interchangeable and can pilot drones if needed, but behind the spectacular footage of shoot-downs lies extensive engineering work, on which the crew’s safety depends.
The border guard says their positions are carefully fortified, thanks in particular to the experience of their commander with the callsign Holmes, who worked as a chief engineer on construction projects before the war. Constant work with explosives is closely linked to bomb disposal, and the fighters face risks every day. Musician himself has already been wounded by the blast of an enemy FPV drone that exploded nearby, but, as he says, he got away with only small fragments and scars.
According to the defender, because of the effective work of Ukrainian interceptors, Russian operators try to disguise their drones: they paint the wings in Ukrainian colours or leave inscriptions asking not to shoot them down. Despite this, the fighters do not relax their vigilance and constantly improve their skills, because, as Musician says, the enemy is learning too, and there are many of them.
The crew follows a strict target identification rule: before engaging, the fighters carefully check to make sure it is not a Ukrainian aircraft. Thanks to this discipline, throughout their service the crew has not had a single incident of shooting down their own drones.
Musician’s violin now remains at home. He does not seek publicity, calmly carrying out combat missions and dreaming of the day when the war will end and he can return to peaceful life, go to the cinema with his daughter and wife, who are waiting for him.