Oleksii, Bohdana Self-Propelled Howitzer Commander: "It's an Incredible Experience. Where Else Would You Ever Get the Chance to Fire a 155 mm Round at a Target?"
How Ukrainian Artillerymen Learn, Fight the Enemy, Support One Another, Dream of Victory—and Bring It Closer
Ukrinform spoke with Oleksii, a sergeant and commander of a Bohdana self-propelled howitzer crew in the 50th Separate Artillery Brigade.
Oleksii is one of the many young Ukrainians from the temporarily occupied territories who made a conscious choice to stand with Ukraine. We speak with him while he and his comrades are at their position in eastern Ukraine, taking a brief break after completing a combat mission.
"WHO WILL DO IT IF NOT US?"
"I could tell you were young, capable guys... How would you like to try artillery?" Sergeant Oleksii recalls a recruiter asking him when he was mobilized.
"My friend and I thought it over—and said yes," he says.
Oleksii excelled as a gunner during training and combat integration exercises and was later promoted to gun commander. He says he has never regretted that decision.
"First of all, it's an incredible experience," Oleksii says with a smile. "In civilian life, you might get to fire an assault rifle at a shooting range or while hunting. But where else would you ever get the chance to fire a 155 mm round at a target? The Bohdana is a remarkable piece of equipment. And the people in artillery are outstanding—they're highly skilled and know an incredible amount."
Twenty-seven-year-old Oleksii is from the east bank of the Kherson region. Before the full-scale invasion, he had been working in the European Union and returned home briefly in February 2022.
"I needed to take care of some paperwork," he recalls. "I finished everything and was getting ready to leave again. But two days later, the Russians occupied my hometown."
He eventually managed to escape the occupation and settled in western Ukraine. So when he received a draft notice while walking the streets of Lviv in 2024, he accepted it calmly.
"I dream of returning to civilian life someday," the artilleryman says. "I want this war to end and those mad 'neighbors' to be driven off Ukrainian soil once and for all. But tell me—who's going to do that if not us?"
For the young man from occupied southern Ukraine, the Russian invaders are not merely an enemy—they are a deeply personal one.
"IT LOOKED AS IF WE HAD LIT A GIANT SPARKLER"
Every Ukrainian artilleryman has combat missions that stand out in his memory. Oleksii recalls one of his.
"Not long ago, we landed a good strike on Russian equipment. The enemy now uses heavy equipment less often and does a much better job of concealing it. But one day, our drone operators spotted a towed artillery piece the Russians had hidden in a forest," Oleksii says. "They passed us the coordinates, we moved into position, and opened fire. We scored a direct hit and set the whole area ablaze."
The Bohdana crew not only reduced the Russian gun to scrap metal but also struck a nearby dugout occupied by Russian troops and a field ammunition depot. As the ammunition cooked off, rounds detonated in every direction, showering sparks and igniting everything around them.
"After the mission, the drone operators showed us the footage," the commander recalls. "It looked as if we had lit a giant sparkler in the middle of the forest."
Another major recent target was a command post used by Russian UAV operators.
"The Russians had set up in the basement of a ruined church. They wanted to direct drone operations against our positions from there. The basement was heavily reinforced, so we kept pounding it until the entire structure finally collapsed. Those Russian drone operators went straight to hell," Oleksii says.
TECHNOLOGY, SKILLS, AND MUTUAL SUPPORT
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian artillery has been evolving continuously. That evolution is reflected not only in the growing experience and professionalism of its crews, but also in the steady modernization of weapons, technology, and battlefield tactics.
"We were originally trained to operate the Soviet-made 2S1 Gvozdika and 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled howitzers, both equipped with 152 mm guns," Oleksii says. "Then one day, we received the new Bohdana self-propelled howitzers. I can tell you—the difference was immediately obvious."
Based on his own experience, he highlights the Bohdana's key advantages:
* 155 mm caliber—the NATO standard, compatible with a broad range of Western ammunition.
* A high-quality barrel, providing noticeably better performance than Soviet-era systems.
* Accurate fire at ranges of up to about 40 kilometers (25 miles).
* High mobility, enabling the crew to deploy, fire, and relocate in a matter of minutes.
* Designed for the realities of modern warfare, making it well suited to today's battlefield.
"One of the things we really like about the Bohdana is its open-mounted gun and the absence of a turret," the gun commander explains. "It allows us to keep an eye on the sky while we're firing. We don't have to climb out of the vehicle to react if a Russian drone appears. Another advantage is how quickly the system can be deployed and packed up, whether manually or automatically. Its simplicity and reliability allow us to carry out our missions even under difficult conditions."
Another key element of modern warfare is the close integration of artillery and unmanned systems.
According to Oleksii, the 50th Separate Artillery Brigade has a dedicated reconnaissance and target acquisition unit that operates both quadcopters and fixed-wing drones. These aerial scouts not only provide precise target coordinates but also give artillery crews a real-time view of the effects of their fire. Just as important is the synchronization of artillery strikes with drone operations.
"Not long ago, we carried out a very successful mission together with one of our neighboring FPV drone teams. They're experienced guys—they deploy quickly and know exactly what they're doing," the artillery sergeant recalls. "The Russians moved into a tree line, and the drone operators immediately started hitting them. The enemy then tried to move along the shelterbelt, and that's when we brought artillery fire down on them. Later, the survivors came out of a dugout, and the FPV crews kept picking them off while we continued shelling the same position. We could actually see our teammates' kamikaze drones and our artillery shells hitting and detonating on the target at exactly the same time. I really liked the way we worked together."
BROTHERS-IN-ARMS: A SHARED MISSION, A SHARED DREAM
Who are the men serving alongside Oleksii in the Bohdana crew?
Most are mobilized soldiers from different parts of Ukraine—Zakarpattia, Rivne, Kharkiv, Kherson, and beyond. They come from different walks of life and civilian professions, but they all share determination, resourcefulness, and physical resilience. Handling 155 mm ammunition is demanding work, and whether they intended to or not, they have all become stronger because of it.
What binds them together is mutual trust and the ability to function as a single team.
"Each of us is an individual, but together we're like a small family," the gun commander says. "Everyone knows one another's strengths as well as weaknesses. And everyone is ready to help a comrade and shoulder the burden together."
There is no room in the unit for an "every man for himself" mentality, Oleksii says bluntly.
"Only by understanding one another and helping each other do we stand a chance of surviving and winning this war. Artillery is a great branch to serve in. I wouldn't say we're never afraid—everyone feels fear. What keeps us going is knowing why we're here."
The men of the Bohdana crew also share the same dream.
"We all want victory. We want the occupiers defeated so we can return to peaceful civilian lives. As for me, maybe I'll start a business someday. I can't plan too far ahead—everything changes so quickly in war. What matters most is that we're doing our part to preserve Ukraine and liberate our land. After that, we'll rebuild everything."
1st Information and Communications Support Center, Ukrainian Ground Forces
Photos courtesy of the 50th Separate Artillery Brigade, the 15th Army Corps, and via the soldier's personal archive.
The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the official position of the news agency