Junior Sergeant Mykola Ivakhnenko from the Kherson region has been continuously on combat positions on the Kharkiv direction for more than 180 days. According to his sister Maryna, the serviceman has no full rotation, and all the family’s appeals to the command and state bodies have so far yielded no result.
This was reported by Suspilne Kherson.
According to Maryna Ivakhnenko, her brother has been on the positions since December 27, 2025. She provided journalists with a voice message that the serviceman sent to the command.
“I ask to be replaced on the position. I have been on the position for more than six months. We are not eating enough, not drinking enough, we are thirsty. I am already exhausted, I need rehabilitation, recovery. I am already tired here, I ask to be replaced,” the serviceman’s appeal says.
The family appealed to the Ministry of Defense, the military ombudsman and the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada for Human Rights. In its response, the Ministry of Defense stated that the serviceman is alive, provided with everything necessary, and rotation will be carried out “at the first opportunity.”
Mykola’s former commander, the platoon commander of military unit A4860 Vyacheslav Velykyi, confirmed that the soldier has been on the position for more than 180 days.
“The leadership answered my inquiries that there is no possibility to replace him — there are no people, no possibility due to the operational-tactical situation. There were moments when it was better for him to be there on the position, because adjacent positions there were dismantled, and the logistical routes were mined. As of today, for more than a month now, our neighboring units probably enter there without problems to set up new positions that are located nearby. So there are logistical routes for exit and for bringing in people,” he said.
According to the commander, two months ago the supply situation was critical, but now supplies have been partially restored.
“Two months ago everything there was very bad. They had to find water wherever they could. He was already on the edge psychologically. They sent me his voice message — he appealed to me asking to carry out a rotation,” the commander said.
Vyacheslav Velykyi also said that, along with Mykola, two soldiers remain on the position — they have already been there for ten months. As Mykola’s sister told journalists, due to the lack of proper supplies on the position three soldiers have already died.
The command of the 30th Marine Corps of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine told journalists that they are aware of the situation and plan to carry out a rotation as soon as the combat situation allows.
“Rotation and withdrawal of the soldiers will be carried out at the first opportunity. The thing is that there is currently a very high intensity of combat and strong enemy resistance. This includes artillery shelling and constant hostile actions by reconnaissance UAVs and strike UAVs. At the moment it is impossible to withdraw them because we would lose even more people. Therefore for now we are waiting for an opportunity to withdraw them,” said the spokesman of the 30th Marine Corps Pavlo Drohal.
According to him, the servicemen who are on this position are supplied with resources and communication is maintained.
“This situation exists, but the thing is that it did not occur now. It occurred much earlier than our unit entered there and began to operate. The command of our military unit knows about this situation. They keep it under control. Communication with the group of these servicemen is constantly maintained. The supply of provisions, medicines, and ammunition is carried out with the help of UAVs and when possible, that is, under appropriate weather conditions,” Drohal tells journalists.