A FEAT WORTH THE HIGHEST HONOR: A SOLDIER OF THE 23RD SEPARATE MECHANIZED BRIGADE AWARDED THE “CROSS OF COMBAT MERIT”
The hero of this story is named Serhiy, callsign “Kvas.” He is the senior combat medic of a mechanized battalion company. His duties include providing first aid, evacuating the wounded, and accompanying infantrymen to positions. As a team leader, he receives assignments from his commanders, boards a MaxxPro armored personnel carrier with his comrades, and heads to the location of the combat mission. 🚑 Read about the combat work Serhiy recently carried out in the next post, and let’s wish him success, good fortune in battle, and a safe return home, so he can once again make delicious Ukrainian kvass for us! 🇺🇦💙💛
Continuing the story of bravery: Serhiy has been in service for a year and a half. Before the war, he worked as a beverage production specialist, which is how he got the callsign “Kvas.” He made kvass at a factory and had no prior connection to the military, not even serving conscription. The path from food industry worker to combat medic, already decorated with multiple awards, was typical for many Ukrainians: he received a draft notice, completed basic training under the “VOS-100” program (rifleman), and joined the 23rd Separate Mechanized Brigade.
Serhiy personally requested to join this unit, as the brigade was then fighting in the Zaporizhzhia direction — his home region. He wanted to be closer to home and protect his native lands. 🏡🇺🇦 After a month, the brigade’s units were transferred to the Donetsk direction. There, Kvas received his first injury — a fairly serious shrapnel wound: as a result of a mine explosion, two fingers on his hand still cannot bend.
After treatment and recovery, he was sent to platoon combat medic courses. After completing the training, Kvas continued his service and later actively participated in the defense of Chasiv Yar, where he distinguished himself both as an infantryman and as a combat medic. He repeatedly found himself in difficult situations, sustained another injury, and was awarded state honors. Returning to the ranks again, Serhiy assumed the position of company combat medic. He jokes that now he has more responsibilities: visiting hospitals, filling out documents, and handling other organizational tasks. But he still performs the role of the group’s “guide” on the positions. 📝
One of the incidents happened recently in the Kurakhiv direction, where Kvas’s unit is holding the defense. His task was to lead a group to a position, lay mines, move to the edge of the grove, and return the next morning. On his way back, Serhiy came across enemy “camouflaged positions.” He left the position alone but suspected that enemies might be nearby, as he had heard them moving on motorcycles the day before. Therefore, he approached the situation carefully and acted very cautiously.
Serhiy was lucky: the occupiers were asleep. At first, he saw an enemy raincoat and thought someone was hiding under it, watching him. Preparing for combat, he noticed two rifles under a tree, quickly assessed the situation, and neutralized two Russians. ☠️ The other two occupiers, who were further into the grove, did not react properly to the gunfire.
Overall, their behavior was careless: they had entered the rear, positioned themselves, and simply fallen asleep. Kvas discovered and quickly neutralized these two as well, noticing a St. George ribbon on one of them and reacting instantly. ☠️ The appearance of a Ukrainian soldier came as a surprise to the occupiers, and they paid for it with their lives.
While waiting at the edge of the grove to be picked up and taken to the unit’s assembly point, Serhiy heard gunfire on the other side of the field. A radio message reported that the enemy was moving in his direction. Kvas spotted them and eliminated the threat. ☠️ Taking a prisoner or dealing with them was impossible: Serhiy was alone, and the number of enemies in the area was unknown.
When Kvas returned to his unit, it became clear that his actions had saved the unit from an ambush. If he had not cleared the grove of the four occupiers, they could have fired on the infantry during the next operation. This could have ended in tragedy. Serhiy’s motivation to defend Ukraine is strong. First, he has a family — a wife, children, and his mother. Second, his family home is currently under occupation and awaits liberation. 🏠✊
Heroes like Serhiy, by protecting their loved ones, simultaneously defend the entire Ukrainian people from the Russian aggressor and confidently bring our victory closer. Let us wish him success, good fortune in battle, and a safe return home, so he can once again make delicious Ukrainian kvass for us! 🇺🇦💙
On May 6, on the Infantry Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky presented soldiers who demonstrated exceptional bravery with one of the highest state awards — the “Cross of Military Merit.” This award is the second most prestigious after the Gold Star of the Hero of Ukraine and is given for outstanding personal contributions to the defense of our country. Among the awardees is Junior Sergeant Serhiy Prin, a combat medic of the mechanized battalion of the 23rd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces.
His story is an example of true heroism, resilience, and selflessness. During a combat mission near Novomykhailivka, Serhiy fell into an enemy ambush. Staying calm, he engaged in the fight and eliminated two occupiers. Under enemy fire, he slowed their advance, detected sabotage-reconnaissance groups, repelled assaults, and held positions, risking his own life.
During the battles, Serhiy was wounded three times, yet even under these extremely difficult conditions, he did not give up — he provided first aid to himself, saved a wounded comrade, and organized his evacuation from the battlefield. He also cleared a two-kilometer stretch of forest, personally eliminating seven enemy combatants. This feat is not just an act of courage by one individual but a symbol of the strengt
