471 Days Without Rotation: Medic of 30th Mechanized Brigade Explains How to Survive in Dugout For More Than a Year

Serhiy Tyshchenko, a platoon medic with the 30th Brigade, spent 471 days without rotation at one combat position in the Donetsk Oblast.

The soldier told about his experience of trench warfare in an interview with TSN broadcasted on November 20.

He took up his position on August 13, 2024, and held it until October 28, 2025.

After leaving the trench, the medic admitted that the hardest part was getting used to walking in full growth again.

According to him, the height of the room where the military were stationed sometimes did not exceed 1,5 meters.

Due to the destruction of the position, the soldiers had to move only on their knees for several months.

Later, the unit was able to partially dig a shelter to slightly improve their living conditions.

The most difficult part of the digging was removing the earth, as the invaders reacted to any change in the landscape.

The soldiers took out the soil only at night and in small batches, coordinating it with food deliveries.

Before leaving the position, Serhiy was in a dugout with three comrades, although there were up to nine of them before.

The soldier emphasized that life in a trench is not only physically but also mentally exhausting, so the military constantly tried to improve conditions on their own.

Militarnyi previously has reported about the necessary steps to reduce the shortage of infantry.