Andrii "Loki": How a Candidate of Sciences (PhD) Became a Tank Platoon Commander Without Losses

A winding path: from the laboratory to the combat vehicle

Before the start of the full-scale invasion, Andrii "Loki"'s life followed a typical career script. The man held a PhD in biology, lived in Kyiv, and occupied a senior position in an international agro-holding. However, the events of 2022 radically changed his trajectory. At the territorial recruitment centre, they even jokingly offered him the position of head chef, citing his height of 195 centimetres. The logic at the time was simple: a serviceman of such height physically would not fit inside a tank.

Nevertheless, "Loki" not only fit into the hull of the combat vehicle but also took up the post of tank platoon commander in the 5th Slobozhanskyi "Scythian" Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. His working environment changed from the pristine walls of a laboratory to the harsh reality of the army, dominated by heavy armour, bitumen, and soot. Instead of a flexible business environment where decisions are discussed, he was surrounded by strict military discipline.

Main source of pride – zero losses

The commander's primary source of pride is that throughout the period of intense fighting, his platoon has operated without any losses. Andrii considers this fact to be his most important achievement.

«Це важка техніка, а отже – важка щоденна праця. Тут усе вагоме: від снарядів до елементів конструкції. Грязь, мазут, копоть – це наші реалії. Але головне – це наш колектив, як на підводному човні» (This is heavy equipment, and therefore – heavy daily work. Everything here is weighty: from shells to structural elements. Mud, bitumen, soot – these are our realities. But the main thing is our team, like on a submarine), notes "Loki".

A pragmatic view on the war

The combat veteran does not romanticise the war and maintains a clear, pragmatic stance regarding his presence at the front line.

«Моя головна мотивація – повне розуміння, що ворога треба зупинити тут і зараз. Або це зробимо ми, або передамо цю війну дітям й онукам. Відкату не буде – їх треба зупиняти» (My main motivation is the full understanding that the enemy must be stopped here and now. Either we do it, or we pass this war on to our children and grandchildren. There will be no retreat – they must be stopped), Andrii emphasises.