Dmytro Yashchenko's Role in the Defense of Pokrovsk
Dmytro Yashchenko, a soldier of Ukraine's 25th Separate Airborne Brigade, has recounted his experience defending the city of Pokrovsk for nearly 90 days. For extended periods, he was forced to hold his position entirely alone, completely cut off from communications, water, and food. His situation became dire after his position in a house was destroyed by enemy FPV drones, leaving him in an extremely precarious state.
Combat and Hardships
The first firefight began unexpectedly when Russian soldiers, dressed in civilian clothing, appeared in the courtyard. 'We didn't even know they were there. In the morning, we look and see Russians calmly coming into the yard for water, carrying rifles but in civilian clothes. We reported it to command, they told us it was the enemy, and then the battle started,' Yashchenko recalls.
When the clash began, he opened fire and, using only four rounds, managed to eliminate the invaders.
After his position was destroyed, the fighter was left without communications for three days. 'I reported by radio that I was moving, and then my radio just died. I had no charger, no power bank. And I lived for three days completely cut off, just on my own,' he explains. During this time, there were stretches of up to five days without any water or food: 'You just sit and wait. You can't do anything. The worst was the thirst, that was the hardest part.'
The battles Yashchenko fought in were exceptionally difficult. One of the most intense firefights lasted over an hour and a half. 'They assaulted my position for about an hour and a half. At one point I realized I was running out of ammunition, almost nothing was left—no grenades, nothing. I just ran out, fired, and kept running. It was a moment of now or never,' he states.
During one engagement, Yashchenko was wounded in the head: 'After one explosion, I felt something burning in my head. Then I looked and saw blood flowing. When I came to a bit, I felt around—there was a piece of metal sticking out. I just pulled it out myself, bandaged it up, and kept going.'
Despite all hardships, Yashchenko managed to escape Pokrovsk in dense fog, leading a wounded comrade out. 'The fog was incredibly thick, you couldn't see ten meters ahead. And that really helped us—we were able to get through,' he says. The escape was perilous: 'I was just walking across an open field. I could hear shooting from the left, from the right, but I just kept walking. It was a matter of luck. And it turned out I was lucky.'
Yashchenko emphasizes that a will to live and avoiding panic helped him endure all the trials: 'What kept me going was the desire to live. The main thing is not to panic and not to lose your composure.' He believes the defense of Pokrovsk was a true hellscape: 'It was hell. I never imagined it could be that hard.'
After receiving treatment, he plans to return to the front lines: 'I'll get treated and go back. What else is there to do? That's what everyone is doing.'
Yashchenko's ordeal highlights the brutal conditions Ukrainian soldiers face in this grinding war of attrition. His story underscores the extraordinary resilience and courage of troops who, despite critical shortages and overwhelming odds, continue to hold the line. The defense of cities like Pokrovsk has become a symbol of the tenacious struggle defining the current conflict in Ukraine.