On February 15, to the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, a meeting of Rostyslav Loyenko, a former soldier of the 26th artillery brigade named after Colonel-General Roman Dashkevych, with the students of the fifth and third grades of the Korsun-Shevchenkivsky Gymnasium took place in the Military museum of the Reserve.
Rostyslav linked his life with ZSU back in 2020. After signing the contract, he served in one of the units stationed in the city of Berdychiv. The first trips of the young fighter to the OOS zone began in 2021. After the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, he was constantly on the front line: he was the loader of the “Krab” self-propelled artillery installation (Polish 155 mm self-propelled howitzer). In June 2023, while performing a combat mission, Rostyslav was seriously wounded. He was undergoing treatment for a long time, now he is undergoing rehabilitation.
During the meeting, the defense attorney talked about Military service, everyday life at the front, the scope of his duties, food in combat conditions, and about the self-propelled howitzer. His story was accompanied by photos and a video of the howitzer in action. The children had many questions for the 22-year-old defender. They received comprehensive answers to all of them.
The speech of Rostyslav’s mother, Kateryna Loyenko, our colleague, who spoke about mother’s anxiety, pain, long sleepless nights, spent waiting for news from her son from the war, was very touching.
The event was held in a sincere and frank atmosphere. Thanking Rostyslav for his protection, for the opportunity to live and study, the children presented him with flowers and a souvenir. All participants of the event left the museum with the belief that Victory will surely come and only together we will defeat the enemy.
