Today, our Guard of Light, Anton Kirichek, had a peaceful and quiet life before the full-scale invasion. He had worked at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant for ten years, and in 2020 joined the team of the Affiliate of JSC “NNEGC Energoatom – SS “Scientific and Technical Center”. He had his own goals, dreams, and plans, all of which were put on hold indefinitely because of russia’s invasion.
On February 23, 2022, at 04:00 a.m., the nuclear employee returned to Kyiv from Energodar. An ordinary working day lay ahead, and that evening a friend sent him a brief message: “The war will start tomorrow morning.” At that time, he did not take the message seriously.
“I went to work and spent the whole day there,” the Guard recalls. “At around 10 p.m., a friend ofmine texted me saying the war would begin the next morning. However, I did not pay much attention to that. I thought, if it starts, it starts.”
At 05:00 a.m. on February 24, his frightened wife awakened Anton Kirichek. He tried to calm her. Since the family lived near a railway line, he explained that the rumbling was simply the sound of a train passing by. His wife insisted those were explosions.
“At that moment there was no information in Internet,” the military says. “Then we heard several more impacts. I started reading the news and realized that the war had begun. My initial plan was simple: buy groceries, leave my wife and children at home, and go to work. However, very soon I understood that our normal life was over. We left Kyiv.
Friends advised us to move from the left bank of the city to the right bank. We went to stay with friends who lived near Hostomel… That turned out not to be the best decision. After spending one night there, we moved on – first to Cherkasy, and after that to the Lviv region.
There, people told me to register so it would be clear where everyone was staying. When I arrived at the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center, they told me I was joining the army. My position was simple: if my country needs someone like me, I am ready. And everything unfolded naturally from there.”
Therefore, in March 2022, the nuclear employee became a military despite having had no previous military experience. He admits that the hardest part was not the beginning of his service, but the conversation with his wife. She was left to care for their young children in a new city amid complete uncertainty.
“We were given three days to prepare,” the Guard explains. “During that time I tried to explain everything as calmly as possible so that my wife would have a clear plan. I wanted her to know where all the documents were, what to do, where to turn, and whom to call if she needed help.”
The army changed Anton Kirichek’s life completely. First of all, it taught him to trust people and delegate responsibilities. He says that despite the chaos of the first months of the war, it was people who became the greatest strength of the Ukrainian Forces. There were representatives of almost every profession. Everyone shared their experience – some in management, others in construction. This is how the Ukrainian Armed Forces were forged, and they continue to defend the country
today.
The defender of Ukraine says that despite the years of service and exhaustion, one simple thought keeps him going: “Everything is worthwhile if Ukrainian children can live and sleep safely in their own homes.”
He emphasizes that at the front one truly understands the value of people’s support—and not only the support of loved ones.
“Consider vehicle repairs, for example. Yes, the state repairs military equipment as well, but it takes a long time. By the time the tenders, procurement procedures, and repairs are completed, two or three months may have passed. During that time, a unit cannot fully carry out its missions.
When people step in to help, repairs take only a few days or a week. The unit is then ready to operate again. That has a direct impact on the military’s combat capability. In addition, I clearly remember how, at the beginning of the full-scale war, we were guarding bridges. Local residents brought us food, removed seats from their own cars so we would have somewhere to sit, and brought barrels so we could keep warm. That meant a great deal to us.”
According to Anton Kirichek, the military’s greatest need today is drones, as they save the lives of Ukrainian defenders. Most of them are single-use, and during enemy attacks, dozens may be deployed at once. That is why the Armed Forces need as many unmanned aerial systems as possible – from interceptor drones to deep-strike UAVs.
The Guard also recalls his military service in one of the rifle battalions and the battles for Bakhmut. It was there that he witnessed the true strength of Ukraine’s defenders – their courage, resilience, and humanity.
“It was probably the hardest period for my family because the situation there was extremely difficult,” the nuclear employee recalls. “But it was in Bakhmut that I saw the incredible things my brothers-in-arms were capable of. They risked their lives to recover the body of a fallen comrade. They made their way almost into enemy-controlled territory for the sole purpose of bringing a fallen Hero home. There were many difficult moments at the front, but it was then that I gained the deepest understanding of what true trust means. It means knowing with absolute certainty that, no matter what happens, your comrades will do everything possible – and impossible – for you.”
At the end of the conversation, the defender of Ukraine no longer speaks about himself but addresses Ukrainians:
“The war is not happening somewhere far away – it is everywhere now. Over these years, many people have retreated into their comfortable cocoons and chosen to pretend that nothing is happening. Nevertheless, I want all of us to remember who we were four years ago. Remember how united we were and how firmly we stood by one another. We need to regain that spirit of solidarity that defined us in 2022.”
Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Heroes!
