๐ณ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐ - ๐ถ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐
๐ณ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐
๐ - ๐ถ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐
๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐
Oleksiy first began fighting with friends against Russian forces in April of 2022 but by September of that year, his team would become an official volunteer fighting group, which was also operating in conjunction with the AFU Armed Forces of Ukraine.
His group, now a unit, is known as โBlind Furyโ, with Oleksiy โMowgliโ being the unit commander, has grown from its initial 5-10 fighters to 60 volunteer fighters. Some of his volunteers operate full time while others have day jobs in the civilian world and then go on missions when they can.
โWe are volunteers. We are not soldiers with contracts or salaries, we get a lot of support and donations that help us. We are a small group but help where we can,โ He began to laugh, โWe are like pirates you seen, sometimes we just come in and find work with a unit.โ
The Blind Fury team operates as a fire support group, originally using only mortars in the beginning but since branching out into artillery and using drones both aerial surveillance and FPV drones. They provide fire support to Ukrainian units at the zero line but also engage in teaching / instructing on weapons and tactics.
When asked if he thought about signing a contract with the AFU, he replied; โI donโt think so. They are good soldiers, but myself and my team enjoy working by ourselves, it provides us freedom of movement and freedom of action, I have say and control over my guys.โ
He told us about two members of his unit, a father and a son. They worked together, but rotated missions so that they both werenโt out on the line at the same time. Unfortunately, the son ended up leaving the Blind Fury unit and signed a contract with the AFU, he was killed in action at 19 years old.
His father has vowed to continue fighting until he is also killed, feeling the vengeance any father would at the loss of a son or daughter. โI better die myself.โ He said, meaning he wish it were him instead of his son.
โI donโt know whatโs more difficult, to go to the front or to come backโฆโ
โMentally and morally it is difficult leaving the front and coming back to our civilian jobs here. Itโs difficult doing this, having some of your teammates still in their position, or having friends who were lost. Maybe there will be some peace mentally when the war is over.โ He said.
We asked him about his initial thoughts when the Russian troops first invaded, he said; โI will admit, it was a scary time, but I was a professional fighter, body builder and in jiu jitsu before, if you make your life about combative you have to hold yourself to that standard. If I had fled during the invasion, all of my life before would have been me lying to myself.โ
Oleksiy used to play air soft before the war with a lot of his friends, some of the best in the country he said. โYou have military guys teaching you tactics,โ he continued, โof course you can learn useful things even in this environment, but air soft is also not real life, there is no respawn,โ he said laughing, โyou donโt need plastic balls you need steel balls.โ
Oleksiy, like many people we talked to expressed that the biggest problem in Ukraine currently is ammunition. ย In comparison to the Russian forces Ukraine does not have an equal match of mortar shells, artillery shells and missiles. This is one major factor in enabling the Ukrainian forces to be able to hold the line against advancing Russian forces.
โThe biggest changes from 2022 to 2024 Iโve seen have been drones, especially FPV drones. Planes have had to change tactics as well. Air defense has forced their planes to fire from a distance. The FAB aerial bombs have also become more popular. When they hit a house itโs like a fairly take,โ he laughed, โthe wolf come and blow down the house, you are the piggy.โ
Oleksiy began sharing experiences from some of his missions;
โIn one operation we were sheltered in a basement enduring heavy shelling, this country is full of stray dogs but there was one in the first line of trenches. When we were leaving the area I took him with me.โ โฆ
โIt was ridiculous,โ he said while laughing, โI was running through this field while under grad strike with a dog in each hand. I just couldnโt leave them behind. โYou are a crazy motherfxck3r!โ one of my guys said. Seeing the animals hurt out here makes me sad, you know they have no say in this war, nor do they participate in the fighting but they are hurt all the same.โ
Oleksiy will rescue dogs if and when he can, rescuing over 20 dogs since he began fighting, giving them to an organization that provides shelter for them, some of which have been reunited with their owners. On more than one occasion the organization has reached out and sent him videos and pictures of the dogs being reunited.
It is difficult to find recent estimates but in July of 2022 it was estimated that over 500,000 dogs had become strays as their owners fled the country from the invasion. You will find strays wandering the streets of villages and cities everywhere, the majority of which appear at first glance to be well fed with the exception of those in more remote or contested areas. AFU soldiers and civilians alike will feed them.
โWhile we were conducting an operation into what we thought was a friendly village that had already been liberated we took contact from Russian SOF, close contact. The enemy was in a house very close by, they were an FSB and GRU mixed unit, probably a reconnaissance unit. The closed on the house quickly and killed the enemy.โโฆ
โThe firefight and munitions used ended up setting the house on fire, my teammate took a photo of me,โ he laughed, โit reminded me of the meme of the little girl standing in front of the burning building smiling.โ
โWhen it comes to war you change a lot, especially mentally. You need to live every day as if it was your last day. You should not wait, if thereโs something important to say or do, say or do it now, do not wait for tomorrow, do it today,โ he said, โmaybe tomorrow doesnโt exist, sad but true, like Metallica.โ he said, laughing.
So far Oleksiy has fought or operated in various regions; Kharkiv, Kostyantynivka Direction, Sumy, Luhansk specifically but also all around the Donbas Region as a whole.
โItโs not just about fighting though. War is not for everyone, of course everyone should contribute to the war effort, but it is not exclusive to fighting. If you donate, or make gear or even stay home and cook, you are part of the battle.โ
โI think a way we could improve our fighting forces is by putting people in the best place for them. If you are an engineer in the civilian world maybe you are not good in infantry, we have jobs for you, we need people for different jobs and you may have a skill that best relates to that job.โ
As we finished up our interview he shared his personal outlook on the situation and advice for others;
โWhen Victory day comes, it will not be a joyous day for me. It will be sad for me, thinking back to my friends I have lost. For those who are no longer with us. You need dark humor to remain sane in this conflict, in most conflicts, itโs a defense mechanism of the mind.โ
โPeople need to be aware of the history of this region; this is not exclusive to Ukraine. You can see the aggression in Georgia, destabilization of Moldova-Transnistria as well as the history of the Soviet Union. This is something that historically spreads. This is not a fairy tale, this is not a scary movie, this is our reality.โ
๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐
Oleksiy first began fighting with friends against Russian forces in April of 2022 but by September of that year, his team would become an official volunteer fighting group, which was also operating in conjunction with the AFU Armed Forces of Ukraine.
His group, now a unit, is known as โBlind Furyโ, with Oleksiy โMowgliโ being the unit commander, has grown from its initial 5-10 fighters to 60 volunteer fighters. Some of his volunteers operate full time while others have day jobs in the civilian world and then go on missions when they can.
โWe are volunteers. We are not soldiers with contracts or salaries, we get a lot of support and donations that help us. We are a small group but help where we can,โ He began to laugh, โWe are like pirates you seen, sometimes we just come in and find work with a unit.โ
The Blind Fury team operates as a fire support group, originally using only mortars in the beginning but since branching out into artillery and using drones both aerial surveillance and FPV drones. They provide fire support to Ukrainian units at the zero line but also engage in teaching / instructing on weapons and tactics.
When asked if he thought about signing a contract with the AFU, he replied; โI donโt think so. They are good soldiers, but myself and my team enjoy working by ourselves, it provides us freedom of movement and freedom of action, I have say and control over my guys.โ
He told us about two members of his unit, a father and a son. They worked together, but rotated missions so that they both werenโt out on the line at the same time. Unfortunately, the son ended up leaving the Blind Fury unit and signed a contract with the AFU, he was killed in action at 19 years old.
His father has vowed to continue fighting until he is also killed, feeling the vengeance any father would at the loss of a son or daughter. โI better die myself.โ He said, meaning he wish it were him instead of his son.
โI donโt know whatโs more difficult, to go to the front or to come backโฆโ
โMentally and morally it is difficult leaving the front and coming back to our civilian jobs here. Itโs difficult doing this, having some of your teammates still in their position, or having friends who were lost. Maybe there will be some peace mentally when the war is over.โ He said.
We asked him about his initial thoughts when the Russian troops first invaded, he said; โI will admit, it was a scary time, but I was a professional fighter, body builder and in jiu jitsu before, if you make your life about combative you have to hold yourself to that standard. If I had fled during the invasion, all of my life before would have been me lying to myself.โ
Oleksiy used to play air soft before the war with a lot of his friends, some of the best in the country he said. โYou have military guys teaching you tactics,โ he continued, โof course you can learn useful things even in this environment, but air soft is also not real life, there is no respawn,โ he said laughing, โyou donโt need plastic balls you need steel balls.โ
Oleksiy, like many people we talked to expressed that the biggest problem in Ukraine currently is ammunition. ย In comparison to the Russian forces Ukraine does not have an equal match of mortar shells, artillery shells and missiles. This is one major factor in enabling the Ukrainian forces to be able to hold the line against advancing Russian forces.
โThe biggest changes from 2022 to 2024 Iโve seen have been drones, especially FPV drones. Planes have had to change tactics as well. Air defense has forced their planes to fire from a distance. The FAB aerial bombs have also become more popular. When they hit a house itโs like a fairly take,โ he laughed, โthe wolf come and blow down the house, you are the piggy.โ
Oleksiy began sharing experiences from some of his missions;
โIn one operation we were sheltered in a basement enduring heavy shelling, this country is full of stray dogs but there was one in the first line of trenches. When we were leaving the area I took him with me.โ โฆ
โIt was ridiculous,โ he said while laughing, โI was running through this field while under grad strike with a dog in each hand. I just couldnโt leave them behind. โYou are a crazy motherfxck3r!โ one of my guys said. Seeing the animals hurt out here makes me sad, you know they have no say in this war, nor do they participate in the fighting but they are hurt all the same.โ
Oleksiy will rescue dogs if and when he can, rescuing over 20 dogs since he began fighting, giving them to an organization that provides shelter for them, some of which have been reunited with their owners. On more than one occasion the organization has reached out and sent him videos and pictures of the dogs being reunited.
It is difficult to find recent estimates but in July of 2022 it was estimated that over 500,000 dogs had become strays as their owners fled the country from the invasion. You will find strays wandering the streets of villages and cities everywhere, the majority of which appear at first glance to be well fed with the exception of those in more remote or contested areas. AFU soldiers and civilians alike will feed them.
โWhile we were conducting an operation into what we thought was a friendly village that had already been liberated we took contact from Russian SOF, close contact. The enemy was in a house very close by, they were an FSB and GRU mixed unit, probably a reconnaissance unit. The closed on the house quickly and killed the enemy.โโฆ
โThe firefight and munitions used ended up setting the house on fire, my teammate took a photo of me,โ he laughed, โit reminded me of the meme of the little girl standing in front of the burning building smiling.โ
โWhen it comes to war you change a lot, especially mentally. You need to live every day as if it was your last day. You should not wait, if thereโs something important to say or do, say or do it now, do not wait for tomorrow, do it today,โ he said, โmaybe tomorrow doesnโt exist, sad but true, like Metallica.โ he said, laughing.
So far Oleksiy has fought or operated in various regions; Kharkiv, Kostyantynivka Direction, Sumy, Luhansk specifically but also all around the Donbas Region as a whole.
โItโs not just about fighting though. War is not for everyone, of course everyone should contribute to the war effort, but it is not exclusive to fighting. If you donate, or make gear or even stay home and cook, you are part of the battle.โ
โI think a way we could improve our fighting forces is by putting people in the best place for them. If you are an engineer in the civilian world maybe you are not good in infantry, we have jobs for you, we need people for different jobs and you may have a skill that best relates to that job.โ
As we finished up our interview he shared his personal outlook on the situation and advice for others;
โWhen Victory day comes, it will not be a joyous day for me. It will be sad for me, thinking back to my friends I have lost. For those who are no longer with us. You need dark humor to remain sane in this conflict, in most conflicts, itโs a defense mechanism of the mind.โ
โPeople need to be aware of the history of this region; this is not exclusive to Ukraine. You can see the aggression in Georgia, destabilization of Moldova-Transnistria as well as the history of the Soviet Union. This is something that historically spreads. This is not a fairy tale, this is not a scary movie, this is our reality.โ