Andrii Sushko (Khimik)
Captain of the 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade, programmer.
Author of the short story “On the historical – and not quite” in the collection Voices Of Defenders vol.1, where he reflects on war as a part of human history, on heroism, baseness, comrades-in-arms, and the defense of freedom.
“[Before heading into the Kursk operation] the emotions were overwhelming. When they first laid out the mission to us, I even felt a chill run down my skin. Because I understood what kind of wild story we were becoming part of. No one had ever stormed a nuclear state before or fought on its territory. When they explain the whole mission to you, you realize the full complexity and all the consequences. At times it was pretty frightening. But there’s a mission — and it has to be carried out.” (from an interview for Suspilne Lviv).
Military Life
Andrii is 33 years old. He was born and lives in Lviv.
He served in the 53rd Separate Mechanized Brigade and the 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade, and currently holds the rank of Major.
He fought in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) zone: in 2015–2016, as part of the 53rd Brigade, he took part in the defense of Avdiivka and Toretsk. With the start of the full-scale invasion, he joined the 80th Brigade. He fought in battles in the South near Zelenodolsk and in the defense of the Bakhmut–Lysychansk highway near the village of Berestove, where he was wounded. In 2023–2024, he took part in the liberation and defense of Klishchiivka. In 2024, he became a participant in the Kursk operation, where he was wounded again.
He has been awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, 3rd class, the Presidential Award “For the Defense of Ukraine”, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s honorary badge “Silver Cross.”
“[In the Kursk region] the local population was terrified — for them, the war came unexpectedly. Although, there were also some funny moments. We were storming a village, and there was this grandmother riding back and forth on a moped, because she had to look after her chickens and deliver some eggs to someone. It was so amusing to watch her run out of the house, hop on the moped, and drive off to another part of the village. Then she’d come back. And at the same time, our assault groups were clearing the village. And you’re standing there thinking: what is even happening? Meanwhile, there’s artillery and a tank rolling around.” (from an interview for Suspilne Lviv).
Civilian Life
In 2024, Andrii had a son. Despite being wounded during the Kursk operation, he resumed service in the 80th Brigade after rehabilitation.
By education, he is a biologist, having graduated from Lviv Ivan Franko National University, and worked in the IT field. He has been interested in history, practiced cycling, traveled, and hiked in the mountains, because, as he says, “The mountains — that’s love.”
How He Started Writing:
He always wrote little notes, but there was never a need to write anything even slightly longer.
Favorite Books, Music, and Films:
Music: Johann Sebastian Bach, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Gustav Holst, Pierre de la Rue, Carcass, Cattle Decapitation, Cannibal Corpse, Nile, 1914, The Tiger Lillies, Dakhabrakha, Komu Vnyz.
Books: The Garden of Gethsemane and Tiger Catchers by Ivan Bahrianyi; Aeneid by Ivan Kotliarevsky; The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer; The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri; memoirs of Carl Gustaf Mannerheim.
Films: Works by Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, Park Chan-wook, and Takeshi Kitano.
We will prevail thanks to unity, intelligence, and courage.