More of the story of the Ukrainian who fell out of the boat during the operation to disable air defenses on the oil rig.
"I really wanted to live": the story of a special forces officer of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine who fell out of a boat and swam for 14 hours in the open sea.
In mid-August, a fighter with the call sign "Konan" from the Artan battalion of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine was carrying out a special operation in the Black Sea. When the Defenders were returning back, an enemy Su-24 came on their trail. Trying to evade fire, their boat began maneuvering. That's how "Konan" ended up overboard.
Shortly before that, the special forces officer decided to put on a life jacket and remove all his equipment, leaving only a diving thermal suit. In 20 minutes he was already 130 kilometers from the shore.
The fighter admits that at first he panicked, but decided to swim. The landmark for him was one of the gas rigs, which was located about 20 kilometers away from him.
"Konan" swam despite dehydration and fatigue. Only thoughts of his family added to his strength. At one point he saw a boat approaching. There were his brothers-in-arms who had tracked him down with the help of the Bayraktar.
"The first thing I did when I felt the solid ground under my feet, I wrote a message to my wife, but I still haven't told her about what happened" - said the Defender in an interview with UP.