Kvas is the senior combat medic of a mechanized battalion company. His duties include providing first aid, evacuating the wounded, and accompanying infantrymen to their positions. As the team leader, he receives orders from his commanders, boards a “MaxxPro” armored personnel carrier with his comrades, and heads to the combat mission site.
Kvas has been in the service for a year and a half. Before the war, he worked as a beverage production supervisor, which is how he got his call sign. He made kvass at a factory and had no connection to the military; he hadn’t even completed his mandatory military service. His journey from a food industry worker to a combat medic who has already received multiple awards was typical for many Ukrainians: he received his draft notice, completed basic training in the “VOS-100” (rifleman) program, and was assigned to the 23rd Separate Mechanized Brigade.
Kvas volunteered for this unit because the brigade was fighting in the Zaporizhzhia region at the time—his home region. He wanted to be closer to home and defend the very places where he grew up.
A month later, the brigade’s units were redeployed to the Donetsk sector. There, Kvas sustained his first injury—a shrapnel wound, quite serious: as a result of a mine explosion, two fingers on his hand still cannot bend. After treatment and recovery, he was sent to training courses for platoon combat medics. Upon completing his training, Kvas continued his service and later took an active part in the defense of Chasiv Yar, where he distinguished himself both as an infantryman and as a combat medic. He repeatedly found himself in difficult situations, sustained another injury, and was awarded state honors.
After returning to active duty, Kvas was assigned the role of company medic. He jokes that he now has more responsibilities: visiting hospitals, filling out paperwork, and handling other administrative tasks. But he still serves as the “guide” for the groups at their positions.
One such incident occurred recently in the Kurakhiv sector, where Kvas’s unit is holding the line. His mission was to lead a group to a position, lay mines, withdraw to the edge of the forest, and return the following morning. On his way back, Kvas stumbled upon enemy ambushes. He left the position alone, but suspected that enemies might be nearby, as he had heard them moving on motorcycles nearby the day before. Therefore, he approached the situation with caution and acted very carefully.
Kvas was lucky: the occupiers were asleep. At first, he saw an enemy raincoat and thought someone was hiding underneath it, watching him. Preparing for battle, he noticed two assault rifles under a tree, quickly assessed the situation, and eliminated the two Russians. The other two occupiers, who were further back in the grove, did not react appropriately to the gunfire. In general, their behavior was reckless: they had moved into the rear, set up camp, and simply lay down to sleep. Kvas spotted and quickly eliminated these two as well; he noticed a St. George’s ribbon on one of them and reacted instantly. The appearance of the Ukrainian soldier came as a surprise to the occupiers, and they paid for it with their lives.
While waiting at the edge of the clearing to be picked up and taken to his unit’s assembly point, Kvas heard gunfire coming from the other side of the field. A radio message reported that the enemy was moving in his direction. Kvas spotted him and eliminated him. There was no way to take a prisoner or deal with him: Kvas was alone, and the number of enemies in the area remained unknown.
When Kvas returned to his unit, it turned out that his actions had saved them from an ambush. If he hadn’t cleared the landing zone of the four occupiers, they could have opened fire on the infantry during the next approach. It could have ended in tragedy.
During the fighting, Kvas was wounded three times, but even under such extremely difficult conditions, he did not give up—he treated his own wounds, rescued a wounded comrade, and arranged for his evacuation from the battlefield.
This feat is not merely a display of one man’s courage, but a symbol of the strength and spirit of the Ukrainian infantry. Soldiers like Kvas serve as an example for future generations. We are proud that a member of the 23rd Separate Mechanized Brigade was honored with such a high distinction.
On May 6, on the Day of the Infantry of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented one of the highest state awards—the “Cross of Military Merit”—to soldiers who had demonstrated exceptional bravery. This award is second in importance only to the Gold Star of the Hero of Ukraine and is awarded for exceptional personal merit in the defense of our country.
Among those honored was Kvas, a junior sergeant and combat medic with the mechanized battalion of the 23rd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Army.
Kvas has strong motivation to defend Ukraine. First, he has a family—a wife, children, and a mother. Second, his hometown is currently under occupation and awaiting liberation.
Heroes like Kvas, while protecting their loved ones, are also defending the entire Ukrainian people against the Russian aggressor and bringing us closer to victory. Let’s wish him success, good luck in battle, and a victorious return home so he can once again make delicious Ukrainian kvass for us!
Thanks to defenders like these, Ukraine is holding on. Thanks to them, we are moving toward victory.
