Dear friends, the story of our today’s hero is too big to fit into one post. This is just the beginning of the story of an outstanding warrior who has come a long way – from volunteer to professional military.
Marlen Misiratov: from the Right Sector to frontline battles
Marlen Edemovich Misiratov, known by his call sign “Tatar,” was born in 1978. His military career began in the Dnipropetrovs’k branch of the Right Sector, where he proved to be a brave and determined leader. Thanks to his qualities, he quickly gained the respect of his comrades and became the commander of the reconnaissance group of the Dnipro-1 battalion.
On August 12, 2014, during a combat mission, Marlen was ambushed, seriously wounded and captured. The story of his release from captivity is a separate drama full of incredible courage and will to live.
An ambush battle and the horrors of captivity: Marlen Misiratov’s “Tatar”
August 12, 2014, was a tragic day for a group of volunteers, including Marlen Misiratov, commander of the reconnaissance group of the Dnipro-1 battalion, known by his call sign “Tatar.” Their goal was humanitarian – to exchange four Russian prisoners for a fallen Ukrainian soldier. However, the trip turned into an ambush, in which most of their comrades were killed.
The route to the trap
13 fighters of the Right Sector set off in the direction of Donetsk. Ahead of the convoy was a Niva with Tatarin and his two comrades. They were followed by a bus with other fighters and prisoners. Armed only with assault rifles and without body armor, they were not prepared for combat, as they were on a peaceful mission.
As the group approached a checkpoint fortified with sandbags, they were hit by heavy fire. Russian-separatist forces opened fire with automatic weapons and grenade launchers. The fire was so intense that the chances of survival seemed slim.
Fight
Within minutes, most of the Ukrainian soldiers were killed. Out of 13 people, only three survived: Marlen Misiratov and brothers Oleg and Andriy Martynov. They were seriously wounded but survived. Marlen was shell-shocked and wounded, but he injected himself with painkillers and tried to continue shooting. When his strength was exhausted, he was captured.
Captivity: torture and attempts to break the will
For Marlen, captivity was an ordeal that not everyone can handle. He was beaten, interrogated and intimidated.
“They tried to get a confession out of me: who I was, where I was from. I firmly replied that I belonged to the Dnipro-1 battalion. If I had admitted that I was a fighter with the Right Sector, they would have shot me on the spot,” – Marlen recalls.
Prisoners were forced to sleep on the ground while other prisoners lay on beds with white sheets, creating conditions for hatred between them. They tried to abuse Marlen morally and physically. He was taken to the pseudo-strata and shot over the head to break his morale.
An additional challenge was that the Caucasian mercenaries who fought on the side of the occupiers offered money for the public execution of the “Tatar” as a Muslim. However, the Russian officer in charge of the prisoner exchange refused to sell the prisoner, citing principles of military honor.
Exchange: the struggle for freedom
Eventually, an exchange was organized for Marlen. He, along with two of his comrades-in-arms and a lieutenant colonel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, were exchanged for 12 separatists and a Russian major. However, even at the time of the exchange, the situation remained tense.
“When I heard that the exchange could take place without me, I couldn’t stand it and ran to my friends. I ran naked, with a catheter in my body. The terrorist driver rushed after me, shouting for me to stop. When he was getting ready to shoot, our fighters got ahead of him. That moment was my salvation,” – Marlen says.
When he reached his own men, he had the strength to approach the Russian officer and say:
“Tell your people that they lost a Tatar.”
For his exchange from captivity, he is personally grateful to the Hero of Ukraine Valentyn Mykolayovych Manko, with whom he has been defending the state side by side since then and to this day!
Source: BIGCATS.info division channel
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