«The army and IT have something in common — you have to constantly develop», — says a fighter with the 12th Special Forces Brigade «Azov» with the call sign «Gimli». Before the full-scale invasion, he worked as a tester, built a career in IT and, oddly enough, studied military affairs. When the war broke out, he immediately joined the Defense Forces — but even in the army he continued to work with technology.
ITC’s editorial team explains how working in IT helps «Gimli» in the service and why he recommends civilians to search for a place in the army now.
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He has been interested in military affairs since childhood
I was born into a large family of doctors: three brothers, I am the youngest. Our childhood was not a wealthy one, and we often wanted a better life. My elder brother followed in his parents’ footsteps and became a therapist, while my middle brother, 10 years older than me, decided to change the family tradition and chose a specialty that allowed him to develop in IT.
After graduation, he started working in IT, and I realized that it could provide a stable future. That’s why I also chose the Faculty of Computer Engineering. My older brother had already graduated from university and completed his internship at that time and also went into IT.
Interestingly, in the 9th grade, I wanted to enter the Odesa Military Academy. My parents discouraged me, but in the end, fate brought me back to the military anyway.
If you have the desire and motivation, but no experience, Azov will teach you everything you need for further service. Fill out the application form at the link.
First job — helping my brother
I can’t say that I was serious about my studies. I attended only those lectures where the teachers were really interesting. Everything else I closed at the «level so as not to be expelled from the» university. In his second year, he started working as a freelancer: he helped his older brother with projects. One of them was related to medicine — it was an online platform for testing doctors «KROK». At that time, there was no resource where all the tests were collected in one place. My brother created the website from scratch: frontend and backend. It was possible to take these tests online.
I helped him with simple tasks, and then we developed this project together. Then I used it as my graduation thesis, and I think it still exists.
After graduation, it was hard to find a permanent job: it was 2019, the heyday of IT, and juniors were not particularly needed. I got a job as a manual tester in an Odesa company, decided to work there for a year to gain experience and look further. The plan worked — over time, recruiters started contacting me.
Find out information about the peculiarities of joining and serving in the ranks of «Azov», announcements of training, lectures, specialized events can be found here.
My things were already partially packed, her brother came to pick up the girl, and they left. And my friends and I gathered at the apartment we had arranged in advance and discussed further actions. We tried to mobilize through the TCC, but it was a mess everywhere, people were not admitted, there were huge queues.
«Azov» — not a TCC. Only motivated volunteers are accepted to join the brigade. Fill out the application form at the link and join the unit.
Then we contacted the military, whom we met at the shooting range. They invited us to join them and we stayed with them for a few days, and then got to Odesa TRO.
Only people with combat experience were accepted there, so we lied about having it. They believed us because we had some equipment — we looked prepared against the others.
I stayed in the TRO for a month: I was on duty at checkpoints, train stations, and patrolled the streets. But we wanted to fight.
The transfer papers were prepared in a few days
Meanwhile, the situation in Mariupol was unfolding. I was following the «Azov» commanders on social media, I was subscribed to Bohdan Krotevych. One day, he posted that they needed help and were recruiting.
My friends and I applied, and in just a few days we received our transfer papers. Our company of four went to Zaporizhzhia, where a unit was being formed to go to the de-blockade of Mariupol. That’s how I ended up at «Azov».
The first days were very stressful: different people were constantly arriving, often completely civilians. Out of ten people, only one had real combat experience. We were lucky because we had a guy with us who had served in «Azov» during the ATO, and he told us a lot.
Active training lasted for several weeks. Compared to the TRO, the difference was enormous. Motivated people came to TROs, but often older ones. In «Azov», the majority were young guys with a fierce motivation. Everyone was eager to go to combat, even though they did not know what it was.
I remember my first combat trip in the Zaporizhzhia sector. We were sent to an area where a fierce tank breakthrough was taking place, where our National Guard was stationed. We were traveling in a company, riding in yellow buses. The road was shelled, but we managed to get there. The artillery was working, so we crammed into the basement — it was the only shelter. It was scary, but together we supported each other and went forward.
If you have made a decision join «Azov» — you will receive full support: from the application form to the start of your service.
I have never regretted joining «Azov».
If I had to choose again, I would do the same thing. My military specialty was machine gunner. But over time, my commanders found out that I worked in IT and started offering me opportunities to develop in other areas. I helped with communications in my area, and I was transferred to intelligence. Now I am a platoon commander of a radio reconnaissance unit.
Such cases are commonplace for «Azov» —. They try to put people in positions according to their skills and knowledge. And it works very well. My main motivation is the trust of my commanders. My position obliges me to develop, I have been given a lot of trust. And I don’t want to let my commander and my comrades down.
Get out of your comfort zone, until it contains «tricolors» and «grids».
I plan to return to IT after the victory
There is one thing in common between my position in IT and the army — constant development. You need to constantly learn new things and improve processes. In the army, this is especially important because lives depend on it.
For example, we had a post for collecting information about the enemy, where soldiers were constantly sitting under antennas. These antennas could be detected, and the position was very dangerous. We found a way to automate the process so that the soldiers could work remotely, which greatly increased security. This allowed us to place the posts closer to the front line.
I enjoy doing this. I even thought about staying in the army after the victory, but this is only possible if the army offers competitive conditions with IT.
For example, a salary that can provide for a family, a wife, a cat. If that happens, then maybe I will stay, but for now, I plan to return to IT after the victory.
To the guys who are not yet serving, I would advise them to look for a good place. Many of you will be mobilized anyway. Recently, a man came to us, he wanted to join the unit, but his wife wouldn’t let him go. And recently I found out that he was mobilized to a random unit through the TCC, where everything may not be as good as here.
The enemy is ruthless with things that are dear to you. So actions to avoid losing.
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