Latest news with #NGU
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
I'm a ballroom dancer who joined Ukraine's special forces. The war took my leg, but I have no regrets signing up.
Serhii Nazarenko, a Ukrainian special forces officer, was a ballroom dancer before the war. He joined the NGU's Omega group in early 2024, training for six weeks before fighting Russian troops. Nazarenko told BI what it was like to lose his right leg to a land mine in October. This is as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Serhii Nazarenko, a 31-year-old Kyiv resident who taught ballroom dancing for 11 years before the war. He is now an officer and machine gunner of the NGU's elite Omega group. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. I was wide awake when I lost my leg. We were in Luhansk, and my squad was ordered to assault a Russian position in the treelines. All I could see was the soil flying as I toppled over. Then I remember seeing my commander frozen, shock in his eyes, as I lay on the ground. Three seconds later, he started shouting. I'd stepped on a land mine. "Apply your tourniquet on your leg," he yelled. Emotionless, I dug my tourniquet out of my vest and tied it around my right leg. Or what was left of it. By the time we retreated and I was evacuated to the hospital, I knew that almost everything below my right knee was gone. We were incredibly lucky. Everyone else in my squad was safe and with no injuries, and we returned home that day. I've been part of the Ukrainian National Guard's Omega group since early 2024. As special forces, we're deployed to assist different brigades along the front lines, conducting rescue missions, reconnaissance, and raids. As a machine gunner, my job was to provide suppressive fire and sometimes lead portions of an assault with light machine guns such as the Soviet PKM or NATO-standard M240. That was until October, when I was sent back to Kyiv, my hometown, to recover from my leg injury. I never thought I'd join the military. Before Russia invaded in 2022, I was a sales relations manager for a customer service company headquartered in Arizona. While working full-time, I also taught ballroom dancing — a craft I'd been pursuing since my mother took me for lessons when I was 12. For over 10 years, I performed onstage and trained students at a dance school in Kyiv. In 2021, I was also a choreographer for the Ukrainian version of "Dancing with the Stars." When Russia invaded my country in 2022, I joined Ukraine's National Guard. Our first mission was to defend Hostomel as Russian paratroopers tried to take the airfields, though I was at the rear because I was new. Then, we were assigned to attack the infamous Russian column of armored vehicles stuck on the road to Kyiv. After the Russians retreated, I was mostly sent to patrol areas that Ukraine had already retaken, keeping the peace in cities under our control. I felt like I could do more. I kept thinking that I hadn't done my job for my country yet, so I applied to Omega. The process to join took several weeks. I had to apply through a Google Form, participate in an interview, and take a physical test. Omega accepts members from many walks of life, but it is selective. The most important skill they looked for was my capacity to learn quickly. I had some combat experience, but I had to be proficient in various weapons beyond my standard-issue assault rifle, such as machine guns and grenade launchers. I spent about six weeks training with Omega and integrating into my unit. You can train for as long as you like, but the real combat situation is when you show your real ability to fight. Your best test is the front line. A key part of being an Omega member is being able to adapt. Each day, you're learning new information about your equipment, about weapons, about tactics, about strategy, about drones, about reconnaissance. My deployments with Omega were different from my time protecting cities in the rear. We rotated with other Omega soldiers on the front line, often fighting in close contact with the enemy, like clearing multistory apartment buildings, floor by floor, in Zaporizhzhia. War is nothing like in video games or Hollywood. It's messy. Out of all my missions, one left the deepest impact. We were sent to help the crew of an armored vehicle that came under Russian mortar fire. Even though we warned them to wait for us, they got out of their vehicle to repair it, and a mortar round struck them. One of them died, and we were forced to change our mission to focus on evacuating the wounded. We see every day how warfare is changing. Even though I'm in the special forces, not everything depends on your skill. When a drone comes to attack you, you hide. It doesn't matter who you are — the drone or mortar just hits you, and that's it. The biggest pressure in Omega is to be reliable for your teammates, so we all know we can depend on each other. When I stepped on the land mine and lost my leg, my first thought was: "I'm the bad person because I didn't do my job. Now we have to go back because of me." After October, I was given a prosthetic leg, and now I've been back at my unit for the last three weeks. So far, I'm helping out with public events and other tasks away from combat, while waiting for my sports prosthetic so that I can start training to run again and hopefully fight one day. When the war is over, we'll need to rebuild Ukraine's cultural scene. So many of our dancers and artists have died. Losing my leg will severely hurt my dancing ability, because although I have a prosthetic leg, I've lost my right foot. Still, if given a choice, I'd do it all again: Joining the National Guard in 2022 and then Omega in 2024. I know why I'm doing my job, for my family and homeland; I have a wife and a five-year-old daughter in Kyiv. For now, we can't think about dancing when our country's children are dying. But I want to return to the ballroom when the fighting is done. At least, I'll try. People will probably be able to tell that I'm wearing prosthetics, but I still want to perform. Hopefully, it will be a beautiful dance. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
30-05-2025
- Business Insider
I'm a ballroom dancer who joined Ukraine's special forces. The war took my leg, but I have no regrets signing up.
This is as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Serhii Nazarenko, a 31-year-old Kyiv resident who taught ballroom dancing for 11 years before the war. He is now an officer and machine gunner of the NGU's elite Omega group. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. I was wide awake when I lost my leg. We were in Luhansk, and my squad was ordered to assault a Russian position in the treelines. All I could see was the soil flying as I toppled over. Then I remember seeing my commander frozen, shock in his eyes, as I lay on the ground. Three seconds later, he started shouting. I'd stepped on a land mine. "Apply your tourniquet on your leg," he yelled. Emotionless, I dug my tourniquet out of my vest and tied it around my right leg. Or what was left of it. By the time we retreated and I was evacuated to the hospital, I knew that almost everything below my right knee was gone. We were incredibly lucky. Everyone else in my squad was safe and with no injuries, and we returned home that day. I've been part of the Ukrainian National Guard's Omega group since early 2024. As special forces, we're deployed to assist different brigades along the front lines, conducting rescue missions, reconnaissance, and raids. As a machine gunner, my job was to provide suppressive fire and sometimes lead portions of an assault with light machine guns such as the Soviet PKM or NATO-standard M240. That was until October, when I was sent back to Kyiv, my hometown, to recover from my leg injury. Before I fought the Russians, I danced I never thought I'd join the military. Before Russia invaded in 2022, I was a sales relations manager for a customer service company headquartered in Arizona. While working full-time, I also taught ballroom dancing — a craft I'd been pursuing since my mother took me for lessons when I was 12. For over 10 years, I performed onstage and trained students at a dance school in Kyiv. In 2021, I was also a choreographer for the Ukrainian version of "Dancing with the Stars." When Russia invaded my country in 2022, I joined Ukraine's National Guard. Our first mission was to defend Hostomel as Russian paratroopers tried to take the airfields, though I was at the rear because I was new. Then, we were assigned to attack the infamous Russian column of armored vehicles stuck on the road to Kyiv. After the Russians retreated, I was mostly sent to patrol areas that Ukraine had already retaken, keeping the peace in cities under our control. I felt like I could do more. I kept thinking that I hadn't done my job for my country yet, so I applied to Omega. The process to join took several weeks. I had to apply through a Google Form, participate in an interview, and take a physical test. Fighting in Ukraine's special forces Omega accepts members from many walks of life, but it is selective. The most important skill they looked for was my capacity to learn quickly. I had some combat experience, but I had to be proficient in various weapons beyond my standard-issue assault rifle, such as machine guns and grenade launchers. I spent about six weeks training with Omega and integrating into my unit. You can train for as long as you like, but the real combat situation is when you show your real ability to fight. Your best test is the front line. A key part of being an Omega member is being able to adapt. Each day, you're learning new information about your equipment, about weapons, about tactics, about strategy, about drones, about reconnaissance. My deployments with Omega were different from my time protecting cities in the rear. We rotated with other Omega soldiers on the front line, often fighting in close contact with the enemy, like clearing multistory apartment buildings, floor by floor, in Zaporizhzhia. War is nothing like in video games or Hollywood. It's messy. Out of all my missions, one left the deepest impact. We were sent to help the crew of an armored vehicle that came under Russian mortar fire. Even though we warned them to wait for us, they got out of their vehicle to repair it, and a mortar round struck them. One of them died, and we were forced to change our mission to focus on evacuating the wounded. We see every day how warfare is changing. Even though I'm in the special forces, not everything depends on your skill. When a drone comes to attack you, you hide. It doesn't matter who you are — the drone or mortar just hits you, and that's it. The biggest pressure in Omega is to be reliable for your teammates, so we all know we can depend on each other. When I stepped on the land mine and lost my leg, my first thought was: "I'm the bad person because I didn't do my job. Now we have to go back because of me." Returning to the war after losing a leg After October, I was given a prosthetic leg, and now I've been back at my unit for the last three weeks. So far, I'm helping out with public events and other tasks away from combat, while waiting for my sports prosthetic so that I can start training to run again and hopefully fight one day. When the war is over, we'll need to rebuild Ukraine's cultural scene. So many of our dancers and artists have died. Losing my leg will severely hurt my dancing ability, because although I have a prosthetic leg, I've lost my right foot. Still, if given a choice, I'd do it all again: Joining the National Guard in 2022 and then Omega in 2024. I know why I'm doing my job, for my family and homeland; I have a wife and a five-year-old daughter in Kyiv. For now, we can't think about dancing when our country's children are dying. But I want to return to the ballroom when the fighting is done. At least, I'll try. People will probably be able to tell that I'm wearing prosthetics, but I still want to perform. Hopefully, it will be a beautiful dance.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Iowa football offers former Division II DB in transfer portal
Iowa football and Hawkeyes chief of staff and general manager Tyler Barnes continue to turn over rocks during the spring transfer portal period. Defensive back Gavin Edwards revealed that he had received an offer from Iowa on Friday. A 6-foot, 180 pound defensive back, Edwards spent 2024 at North Greenville University in South Carolina. Advertisement Edwards played in seven games, totaling 29 tackles and six pass breakups during the 2024 NGU season. The St. Stephen, S.C., product helped lead the Trailblazers to a 6-5 (4-3 Gulf South Conference) mark in 2024. Edwards had transferred to Austin Peay where he spent the spring, but bigger offers have started to roll in since his reentry into the spring transfer portal. In addition to Iowa, Edwards has picked up offers from schools such as Tulsa, East Carolina, Old Dominion, Ball State, Wake Forest and Maryland. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football offers former Division II DB in transfer portal
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine's Azov Special Forces Brigade now led by lieutenant colonel, 31
Lieutenant Colonel Bohdan "Puhach" Hryshenkov has been appointed the new commander of the 12th Azov Special Forces Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine (NGU). Source: Azov Brigade on Instagram Quote: "Friend Puhach is a professional soldier with nearly a decade of service in Azov. He has risen through the ranks – from an ordinary soldier to company commander, chief of staff and battalion commander. The new brigade commander takes over the brigade at the moment of its greatest development. He'll do his best to ensure the unit's effective work in cooperation with other brigades of the 1st Azov Corps of the NGU." For reference: Hryshenkov, 31, was born in the town of Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast and joined Azov in 2015. During the defence of Mariupol in 2022, he commanded one of Azov's companies and was wounded. After leaving the Azovstal Steelworks, he was captured and held by the Russians in the Olenivka penal colony in the temporarily occupied part of Donetsk Oblast. When the Russians blew up a barracks in Olenivka, Puhach sustained shrapnel wounds and lost two toes on his foot. Following his release from captivity and subsequent rehabilitation, Hryshenkov returned to the front, taking part in battles in the Serebrianka Forest and on the Toretsk front. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Yahoo
Ukrainian National Guard officer shows shocking 40kg weight loss in before-and-after photos after release from Russian captivity
Ivan Petrovskyi, an officer with the National Guard of Ukraine (NGU), who was recently freed from Russian captivity, lost 40 kilograms during his detention. Source: Ukrainska Pravda. Zhyttia (Life) Details: Petrovskyi, 30, posted before-and-after photos on Instagram. "I'm home. The difference is 1037 days of captivity and minus 40 kilograms," Petrovskyi captioned one of the photos. Petrovskyi's mother told the Ukrinform news agency that her son had been brought back home as part of a POW swap on 19 March, during which Ukraine liberated 175 defenders. Born in Brovary, Kyiv Oblast, Petrovskyi later moved with his parents to Zhytomyr Oblast. He was drafted into the National Guard in 2015, and after completing his service, he signed a contract to remain in his unit. Later, Ivan moved to Mariupol, where he served in the 12th Operational Brigade. He was involved in defending the city from Russian forces following the onset of the full-scale invasion. Ivan was taken prisoner in May 2022 and spent nearly three years in Russian captivity. His mother noted that he was initially held in the Olenivka penal colony before being transferred to Russia's Volgograd Oblast. During his captivity, Ivan Petrovskyi faced health issues. His parents, wife, daughter and son eagerly awaited his return home. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
