Sofia Davydenko21:48, 16.08.26

One of the soldiers just celebrated his anniversary at the position.

For more than five months, soldiers of the 31st Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Lieutenant General Leonid Stupnitsky held the defense on the front line , being only 30 meters from enemy trenches. Their story was published by the brigade on its YouTube channel.

Both defenders are originally from the Lviv region. Before the full-scale invasion, they lived some 40 kilometers apart, but met only at the front. They decided to keep their names and call signs secret.

The fighters took up the position back in February. Only the first month seemed calm – later the dugout was under continuous enemy assaults. The occupiers covered the neighboring area with fire almost every day, but the soldiers steadfastly held their line. As the soldiers themselves recall, there was no choice left: “Either he will kill you, or I will kill him.”

The defenders most remembered the episode of close combat, when the invaders came close:

“We called our commander, he said, ‘Don’t let anyone in, that’s all.’ So when three of them entered the bunker, they were immediately killed… And one came to me in slippers – in slippers! Because there they were, and here was our dugout – we slept just 30 meters apart.”

During the fierce fighting, the defenders were wounded – the occupiers threw a grenade right inside the bunker. Despite this, the fighters did not retreat and continued to fulfill their combat mission. By the way, one of the soldiers celebrated his anniversary right at the position: in March he turned 50 years old.

The soldiers completed all their assigned tasks to the end. They have now left the front line and are undergoing treatment, after which they will go home to their families.

(C)UNIAN 2026