“Volodya became a battalion commander at the age of 23 in 2016, when Arsen died. And he participated in hostilities from the age of 20. At the age of 23, he already had solid experience, including experience in managing a unit. After all, when Arsen was wounded, Volodya, as his second, took command of the battalion.”
“What was it like to obey him? You know, we never had this question. We served in the same unit, and the father-son relationship took a backseat. We were two military men who performed certain tasks. And family relations very rarely manifested themselves in an environment informal. For example, on rare happy weekends, when we could go for a ride on ATVs and motorcycles, which Volodya loved. I almost never heard the words “dad” or “father” from him and myself. “It didn’t include my paternal authority. Openly, in any case. Yes, being the chief of staff, I sometimes helped him make some decisions. But in fact, Volodya was wise and experienced beyond his years. This is a special experience that comes “When friends and comrades die, the blood of civilians is shed. Thank you. With such experience, a person grows quickly. We understood each other perfectly perfectly. Maybe because we were kindred spirits. In a way, Volodya is very similar to I, in a way, I am like him. Somewhere I took an example from him, somewhere, he is with me. And this helped to successfully carry out combat operations and organize daily life of the battalion,” said Artem Zhoga.
