In just three months our battalion earned respect of the entire sector in Sarajevo…

May 27, 2010 // Defence Intelligence of Ukraine Public Affairs Service
Dedicated to the International UN Peacekeepers Day

In 1992, the fire of the civil war between various religious and ethnic groups was spreading over the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia. The UN Security Council addressed world nations in order to stop the bloodshed in the SRY. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine answered this address on July 3, 1992 by its Resolution “On the participation of the battalions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the UN peacekeeping forces deployed to conflict zones in the former Yugoslavia”. This is how Ukraine became a participant in the international peacekeeping operations.

Just before the UN peacekeepers Day we had the honour to speak with LTC (Ret.) Valeriy Markin who was among the first Ukrainian soldiers to put on the azure UN peacekeeper’s beret.


Born in 1964, Valeriy Markin graduated with distinction from Tashkent Combined Arms Military Academy in 1985. He served in the intelligence corps in the South force command, Odessa and Kyiv military districts and rose from reconnaissance platoon leader to deputy army corps commander for intelligence.
- Valeriy Volodymyrovych, how did you join the first Ukrainian peacekeeping mission?
- Since that was the first time for the Ukrainian troops to participate in a UN-led PKO, a number of problems arose concerning manning and equipping the contingent. Ukrainian Armed Forces Command decided that reconnaissance personnel should form the core of the peacekeeping battalion as the most trained and skilled soldiers. I remember how the division commander came to our battalion’s base (I was deputy battalion commander at the time) and asked if anybody wanted to participate in a peacekeeping mission. The enrolment was solely voluntary, and the entire battalion stepped forward. That’s how the 240th special battalion (240 spbn) was taking shape to become Ukraine’s first ever peacekeeping contingent. In addition, this was the first and only UN peacekeeping unit that incorporated enlisted personnel. The 240th spbn was comprised of two companies and separate platoons. I was put in charge of the 1st special company. 


- What was the reaction of your family when they learned about your new appointment?
- The news was very hard for my wife, of course. It was sad for her to know that her husband was about to leave on a long-term assignment to a country with war going on. But she got it all right, being a true officer wife... Noteworthy were our command’s efforts to ensure that we keep in touch with our families: letters from Motherland were delivered via air mail, and radio transmissions between us and our wives were arranged several times. This was quite an encouragement both for us and our families.

- Could you please tell us something about the functions of the Ukrainian contingent?
- The 240th spbn was part of the UNPROFOR group. Our contingent was in charge of patrolling the indicated area of responsibility, controlling how the combatant sides respect seize-fire agreements, convoying humanitarian aid transports. Further on, Ukrainian peacekeepers also took part in the reconstruction of schools, hospitals, roads, power lines and helped providing medical assistance to local citizens.

- Can you remember your first impressions upon your arrival to the mission?
- Bosnian Serbs were in the middle of Sarajevo siege. It took us a long time to get into the city, since Serbian units refused to let us in. When we actually did enter the city, we learned that it was extremely difficult and dangerous to move ahead. Most of the streets were mined, some mines lay open right on the pavement. We were ordered to put on body armour. And once our convoy was first fired at, we realized that it was a real war we came to.


- What other contingents operated in the area besides Ukrainians? What were their missions?
- When we arrived to Sarajevo, there were French, Canadian, and Egyptian units there. As a matter of fact, it was the Canadian battalion that delegated us the area of responsibility. Very tough guys they are, we liked them very much.

French peacekeepers were in charge of protection of the sector HQ and the airport. Egyptians secured the humanitarian aid distribution posts and other public facilities, e.g. hospitals, schools, post and telegraph offices. Since Egyptians were Muslims, their presence in the zone of conflict which was religion-based, too, was some sort of “psychological stabilizer”.

The proficiency of our troops has been noticed immediately. In just three months our battalion earned respect in the entire sector. We began undertaking the most difficult tasks.

- What can you remember best from your time on the mission?
- Sad moments when our boys died are carved in my memory forever. While I was in Yugoslavia, 5 soldiers died and another 45 were injured. I will never forget how our equipment burned: a shell hit the parking area and 12 vehicles were destroyed in one fell swoop. All deliveries were assigned to my company after the incident. Another thing that I remember are the eyes of children that ran towards our APCs every time. We always gave them sweets…

- What was the atmosphere inside your unit?
- At first, all of us were united by an extremely strong spirit of patriotism and excitement. Further on, we became even closer to each other due to all the difficulties and losses that we all went through together. 



The relationships inside the battalion in general were very warm and trust. There was plenty of work to do, and not so many men to do it, so we simply didn’t have any time for sorting out anything insignificant. Each and every one of us – from private to officer – was fully aware of the responsibility he bore. This taught us quite a bit of discipline.

- There’s this phrase: “I’d go on patrol with this guy”. Who would you go on patrol with?
- Only with someone who is fully aware of his every function, knows what people want from him, knows what I want from him and can clearly explain what he wants from me. This is a guarantee of a 100-percent success in any mission.

- In your opinion, what good is participation in the PKOs for our soldiers?
- Involvement of our troops in the peacekeeping activities enables them to gain invaluable combat experience, impossible to achieve during any training. Experienced personnel mean professional, reliable army which every nation must have. Therefore I fully support our country’s participation in the peacekeeping operations.

A boy literally sleeping with his weapon becomes true man. When a strong-willed, experienced, self-confident man comes to the civilian life, every job is a success. Therefore a country that produces true men wins twice – both in the military and civilian fields.

- What would you like to say to our peacekeepers on the occasion of their holiday?
- To those currently in missions or preparing for them I would say may they always stay ready to undertake any task. To my comrades I would say may they have good health, long lives, and all the best.