“I’d heard about ‘meat storms,’ but I didn’t really believe it until I saw them with my own eyes.” The honest story of an AIT veteran who, despite a serious injury, managed to get a job in IT

About coming to IT

Semen was interested in IT since school — a standard start for many IT professionals: computer science, HTML, CSS, JavaScript. At university, the knowledge was consolidated, but the guy’s dreams then revolved around web design. Semen admits: he didn’t succeed in becoming a junior designer right away.

He entered IT gradually — first as a Data Operator at SQUAD, where he processed data for AI training. Then — User Acceptance Testing, and later QA at the same employer — he started with testing a mobile application — and stayed in this direction.

He came to SQUAD twice. The second time was in March 2022, because a few days before the full-scale invasion, Semen resigned from his previous company. At that time, the man was still thinking about what to choose: the army or IT? And at that moment the choice was in favor of civilian life.

Semen admits: at the beginning of his career, he considered testing as a good option for growth. «However, later I really got involved and I liked this work. I like solving complex problems in testing. By overcoming them, I prove to myself what I am worth as a specialist,» admits Semen.

The army did call.

In 2023, Semen decided that he had to do something to win. In May, he became the father of a daughter, so he decided that he could not join the army directly yet, but the desire to do something did not disappear. «And I found a way out. At that time, the foundation of one of the famous brigades was looking for volunteers — I joined the initiative and started collecting. In addition, my father was mobilized in early 2023, and I also supported him with donations,» says the AIT member.

But the internal conflict did not leave Semyon: on the one hand, he actively supported the army and did important work. On the other hand, the desire for «direct action» did not disappear.

But in 2024, the decision to join the army was ripe. «I’ll be honest: when the mobilization age was lowered to 25, it accelerated my decision. Another serious motivator was the fact that two of my close friends also decided to join the army,» says Semen. The man admits: he realized that if he didn’t dare now, he would regret it later.

Semen ended up in a company of special-purpose strike unmanned aircraft complexes. «At first, I went to the East as a clerk, to replace a guy for a month or two. But, of course, everything dragged on. To some extent, I was bored of being a clerk, and I didn’t feel like I was realizing the same desire for direct action. So I started taking time off to go with the guys to positions where I worked with drones,» he says.

During his service, in addition to clerical work, he was responsible for the work of strike drone crews at the control point and worked in positions within the crew.

Aitivets does not hide: part of his equipment was purchased by a fund organized by SQUAD employees to support colleagues in the Defense Forces. His colleagues also regularly helped him with company collections and supported the soldier’s family.

Semen says that IT experience helped where it was necessary to work with a laptop. «However, I can’t remember anything specific, in the sense that it was the IT experience that helped. From the global skills, I would highlight the ability to work in a team, communicate with people effectively, and the habit of being result-oriented. These are exactly the values ​​that I acquired in the IT field, and which I followed in the army,» the man says.

The army, says Semen, is a complex and ambiguous story in every sense.

What really surprised Semyon was the Russian tactics. «I had heard about ‘meat assaults,’ but I didn’t really believe it until I saw them with my own eyes. Imagine: you dismantle one group that was moving towards your positions across a field. And an hour later, the next one is following the same route. I still haven’t found an explanation for this,» the former soldier shares his impressions.

Injuries and FPV-waiting

Now Semen is a former soldier. As a result of the war, he received a disability. «I was leaving the position, I was supposed to go on vacation in a couple of days, so I was not supposed to go back. However, all plans were ruined by an FPV-jaw on the fiber optic. It was in the evening, we were driving to the ferry in „Padzherik“, when we were informed that there was a wad somewhere near the ferry. Our driver started to reverse. And then I heard this sound, a couple of seconds later — a flash and an explosion. At least, that’s how I remembered these events,» recalls the defender.

According to him, the comrade in the front seat died instantly, and the shaped charge went further — above Semyon’s knee. This injury led to the loss of his leg.

At the stabilization point, Semyon underwent surgery, amputating his leg, and began to infuse donor blood, because the soldier had lost a lot of his own. Then there was a hospital in Kharkiv, intensive care in Kyiv, a bunch of operations, and at the end of October, the man went to a hospital with a rehabilitation department. «All these institutions where I was — state-owned, so the state helped me significantly with my treatment.

The rehabilitation process, to put it simply, is a set of exercises that help you become as independent as possible. In my case, it was successful; I had no additional injuries except for the lost leg and the ruptured eardrum. So after a while, I was more or less sitting, walking, and even starting to play indoor football,» says the veteran AIT player.

Semen remembers with great gratitude and warmth the specialists from the Recovery Center in Khmelnytskyi who helped him rehabilitate. «Memory gradually erases the most emotionally difficult moments. There was pain, there were new difficult feelings that I had to learn to live with, and there was acceptance of what it looks like,» the man shares.

Back to IT

Now Semen has returned to his favorite job at SQUAD. He admits: the first weeks were difficult not physically, but mentally. However, the IT guy was lucky: he did not encounter any problematic situations regarding his veteran status, but he is sure that such cases exist. «Everyone needs to learn to respect each other and calm down a bit. Now you never know who is in front of you — a civilian, a volunteer, a military man on leave, a veteran and many other categories — substitute the right one,» says the tester.

He does not hide that he is not sure that his combat experience will help him in any way in his current position.

Currently, the man says, in his current civilian company, his military experience is neither an advantage nor a disadvantage. But in other circumstances, if the development is aimed at military affairs, participation in combat operations can be a significant privilege.

According to Semen, the modern IT industry should be given a military focus — in the miltech segment, the specialist believes, his experience would be useful, in particular in working with drones.

A big dream of heights

While Semen is recovering from what he experienced and adapting to the new realities in IT and everyday life, he does not stop dreaming. «I really want to go to the mountains! Despite the non-trivial amputation — 3/3 of the thigh with the removal of the bone and joint — I am sure that I will be able to walk. And, accordingly, and conquer the mountains. Of course, I will start with the Ukrainian ones, and then we will see,» says the veteran. «This is not an escape from reality, but a way to learn to look up again.»

Among other plans are to support my fellow citizens, raise children, get back in shape, and develop in the technical field — automation and everything related to it.

«I’m a programmer and I don’t want to just stand around in uniforms.» The story of an IT guy who created an automation system for the army

On the topic

«I’m a programmer and I don’t want to just stand around in uniforms.» The story of an IT guy who created an automation system for the army

Left IT and ended up at Netflix. The story of a former tester who found herself in less than a year after burning out in IT

On the topic

Left IT and ended up at Netflix. The story of a former tester who found herself in less than a year after burning out in IT

Read the country’s main IT news in our Telegram

On the topic

Read the country’s main IT news in our Telegram