Andrii Kovalchuk

“…Around 9 a.m., General Kolesnik contacted me. He asked, “Andrii, what’s the decision?”

I said that the first option was to hold out until nightfall, to retreat under the cover of darkness.

Daytime retreat was impossible, there were open fields all around – we would be in full view for the enemy. The second option was surrender, but this… I’d rather shoot myself. You’re no commander anymore, it’s a lifetime of disgrace, for you and your ancestors too. As a commander, you’re dead. I mean, not just as a serviceman, but as a citizen of your country. But surrendering would save lives. And not just one life – a whole hundred of them. I told [General Kolesnik]: “If you don’t ditch us here, if you give us artillery support, we will hold until dark.” And we immediately started giving target coordinates outside the airport.”