Seven brothers serve together in Ukraine’s 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, all having independently chosen to join the military and defend their country following the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Source: 3rd Separate Assault Brigade

Details: A soldier who goes by the alias Moisha says there are 11 children in their family – eight sons and three daughters. The eldest brother is 35 and the youngest is 21.

The oldest sibling, who goes by the alias Staryi, recounted the moment he realised the full-scale war had begun.

"My brother called me on 24 February and said, ‘Did you see the helicopter?’ I said, ‘Yes, it’s one of ours.’ And he said, ‘What? The Russians are approaching Hostomel!’" Staryi recalled.

The second-oldest brother, Sirko, was the first to enlist. One by one, the others followed his lead to defend Ukraine.

"I told my wife that it wouldn’t have sat right with me not to go with my brothers," said the fourth brother, a soldier known as Dzhoni (Johnny).

The youngest, a 21-year-old soldier with the alias Menshyi, also joined the brigade.

"My mum wasn’t happy, but she knew no one would harm me because my older brothers were there," said Menshyi.

Sirko says that when they are on duty, family ties are set aside – but during downtime, the brothers sometimes meet up for a coffee.

"Sirko usually gives us tasks or calls out to keep us alert. He might ask me to keep an eye on him, check an area from a drone, or help him find something," says Moisha.

In addition, the brothers shared a story of how they participated in an operation on the Zaporizhzhia front.

"I said: ‘Let me go first. I’ve got more experience.’ We’re all behind. I was hanging back a little because I had the machine gun. We were advancing, waiting, waiting. Then we reached a point where the terrain wouldn’t let us move any further – we were already in the open. So it was decided to hold our position there," Staryi recalls.

The brothers fought side by side near Bakhmut, defending the approaches to the village of Andriivka.

Their mother, however, does not fully know which of her sons is serving in which unit. The brothers have reassured her by saying they are stationed in "rear" positions.

"I’m thrilled to have so many brothers and sisters and a loving mum who raised us this way. I’m proud to be part of such a big family," Menshyi said with a smile.

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