Roman Trokhymets

Roman Trokhymets
Born1993
AllegianceUkrainian Armed Forces
Years of service2022–present
RankSergeant
Battles / wars

Roman Trokhymets (born 1993) is a Ukrainian soldier and media personality. In 2014, when pro-Russian separatists attacked Donbas, Trokhymets volunteered to fight in the Azov Regiment. Working as a real estate agent in 2022, he joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces after the full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. While fighting in the war, he started to share his experiences on social media, gaining tens of thousands of followers across different platforms, with one of his videos ″Thoughts and experiences under fire at the front″ gaining over 1.2 million views. The following he gained as a result of his social media activity made the newspaper Blick dub him the ″social media star among Ukrainian fighters″.[1][2][3][4]

In the Armed Forces, Trokhymets is a sniper with the rank of sergeant.[1]

Personal life

Trokhymets was present during the Russian 2023 Kramatorsk restaurant missile strike, which killed 13 civilians seated around him. At the time he was on medical leave and visiting the restaurant with his sister and a friend. Following the attack, Trokhymets has received trauma related mental health treatment.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b "Why a Ukrainian soldier says fighting in Bakhmut is 'horrible, but necessary'". CBC. 19 March 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Video: Ukrainian sniper shares new video of injured fighter 'torn apart by an explosion'". CNN. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  3. ^ Schumacher, Samuel (7 March 2023). "Ukrainer berichtet auf TikTok direkt von der Front". Blick (in German). Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Ukraine facing Easter fall of Bakhmut". Vatican News. 7 April 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  5. ^ Loyd, Anthony (27 January 2024). "The struggle to save the minds of traumatised troops". The Times. Retrieved 27 August 2024.