Ajit Karn
Oleksandr Shamshur, 41
Kyiv: Oleksandr Shamshur, 41, is one of the tens of thousands of volunteers defending the skies over Ukraine against Russian strikes while working as a hairdresser during the day.
As the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion on February 24 approaches, Shamshur takes pleasure in his country’s ability to shoot down Russian missiles and drones launched at cities far from the front lines.
In response to air raid warnings in and around Kyiv, members of his territorial defence team, including a lawyer and a businessman, attempt to shoot down Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones using a machine gun from World War Two that has been refurbished.
“I have a wonderful disposition. Why? I am protecting our Ukrainian people because I am defending my nation “Shamshur spoke as he scanned the moonlight skyline of the nation’s capital using a thermal camera and a rangefinder from his perch atop a rooftop.
A fellow fighter was nearby fixing the “Maxim” machine gun’s green barrels, which were built in the Soviet Union.
Shamshur said, “Yet at the same time, I can go to the salon and work with the people, perform the work I know, cut hair, and converse with clients.
He said that when tens of thousands of Russian armoured soldiers stormed into a bewildered Ukraine last winter and started shelling Kyiv and other towns, it never occurred to him as a civilian to “go away and hide somewhere.”
I had to act in defence since the adversary was just at my door, he added.
Shamshur claimed that his rooftop unit fired down two drones above Kiev on the night of December 29–30. His team has also taught other units how to use the abilities they have acquired.
Shamshur wears numerous badges on his camouflage outfit, including one that reads “Drone Hunters” in English and another that reads “Ronin” in Ukrainian, the nom de guerre of a feudal Japanese fighter.
Shamshur, an army reserve before the war, joined the territory defences after learning that Russian shelling had already damaged his military post. At first, he provided food to residents and assisted with evacuations.
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He claimed he tries not to talk to his clients about the war, describing it as “black” in contrast to the “bright” in the calm portion of his life, while at work at his salon styling a client’s hair while still donning military khaki.
