According to Oleksii Vasyliuk, he owes his ability to work for results in extremely difficult conditions and to take responsibility for decision-making in critical moments, saving people's lives, to the Ukrainian Leadership Academy, which he graduated from and which influenced his formation as a personality. This experience allows him to make better decisions, support his brothers-in-arms, and strategically influence the local course of the war.

Serviceman Oleksii Vasyliuk shared with "Tvoe Misto" the principles and meanings he gained from the Ukrainian Leadership Academy that help him during the war, spoke about why it is so important to build trust within military units, without which a long struggle is impossible, and also about why leaders are needed in a country in a state of war and transformation.

"You cannot change the country from within if you have not joined its defense against the enemy"

The idea of studying in a community of active youth who develop and shape the country came to Oleksii in his youth. That is why he enrolled in the Ukrainian Leadership Academy and never once regretted making this choice.

"Students from different regions of Ukraine studied at the academy, and this broke stereotypes about the west and east," – Oleksii says. – "It created strong personal connections and a unified space of values. We implemented hundreds of social projects. And this" indicated that youth can change the country, that changes begin exactly with our own initiative, and not by waiting for the authorities' actions. The Academy gave me a very clear understanding that everything that exists in the world was made by completely real people and that you can also achieve any goal". 

Responsibility, critical thinking, and belief in the power of team action, he says, were instilled back during his studies at the Leadership Academy. After graduating in 2019, Oleksii worked as a tutor – a teacher-mentor in a private school. 

"The children loved me very much, my first class," – he recalls warmly. – "It was my best job. But I understood that I had to move on".

In 2021, Oleksii signed a contract for service in the Marine Corps. He wanted to be where he was needed most: on the line of contact, to defend Ukraine. At that time, he was 20 years old:

"Back then, the war was not full-scale like it is now, but it was a war. And it was close. I had friends who were fighting. Some of them died… For me, it was a completely understandable logical step. You cannot change the country from within if you have not joined its defense against the enemy. I started studying service formats and eventually found the unit with which I signed a contract."

It was the legendary First Separate Marine Battalion "Salty Dogs", which participated in the defense of Mariupol, in the battles for Bakhmut and at the Vremivka salient at the junction of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

Our interlocutor began his path in the Armed Forces of Ukraine side by side with his mentor from the Ukrainian Leadership Academy, Hlib Stryzhko, who heroically defended Mariupol after the start of the full-scale invasion, was seriously wounded, and was taken prisoner.

"The Invictus Games are an opportunity to show the world the resilience of Ukrainian warriors"

Oleksii Vasyliuk served in the Marine Corps for more than 2.5 years. He was an aerial scout, serving in a unit that supported assault operations with drones. During combat operations, he received two wounds. The first was a shrapnel wound to the chest in October 2022 near Vodiane, close to Donetsk. It was severe. An enemy tank was firing at our positions. At one point during the battle, an explosion rang out near Oleksii: 

"I felt like my arm had been torn off. Then I noticed that the arm was in place, but it was hanging somehow strangely. I started coughing up blood. My brothers-in-arms provided help." 

More than three months of treatment and rehabilitation. Then a return to the Marine Corps battalion. 

He received a second wound in the summer of 2023 during the counteroffensive in the Zaporizhzhia direction: 

"There is still a fragment in my neck. I was lucky to survive. It happened during the counteroffensive. A battle began, an explosion rang out, the commander ordered us all to get out of the APC. And it immediately started burning. We had many wounded then. And the fallen… Comrades with whom I had served for a long time. The worst thing was that I couldn't do anything to help them."

In 2025, the serviceman represented Ukraine at the "Invictus Games" in Canada. This is the world's largest international sporting event of adaptive sports for service members and veterans who suffered injuries, wounds, or illnesses while performing their duties.

At the "Invictus Games" in Vancouver, Oleksii Vasyliuk participated in three types of competitions – indoor rowing, snowboarding, and wheelchair rugby. He was the youngest participant in these games. 

The specialty of Oleksii's preparation for them was that he combined exhausting training with service in the Unmanned Systems Forces, where he deals with analytics and operations planning:

"It's not just sports. It's an opportunity to show the world the resilience of Ukrainian warriors, it's proof that life after an injury continues and can be bright, full of victories. Participants – are already winners, primarily through their strength of spirit. It is the belief in one's own strength that is the most valuable outcome of these competitions. Sports return the feeling that you can again control your body and, despite physical limitations, achieve set goals."

For his contribution to veteran sports, the President of Ukraine awarded Oleksii Vasyliuk the Order 'For Courage' III degree.

Formed one of the most effective teams, which destroyed over 1,000 enemy targets

Currently, Oleksii Vasyliuk is an intelligence and planning officer of the 412th separate unmanned systems brigade Nemesis. During the war, he graduated from the Zhytomyr Military Institute. He serves in the Zaporizhzhia direction:

"I started in the Marine Corps as a seaman, then I was a sergeant, a squad leader, and now an officer. I have been with Nemesis since the very beginning of its creation and contributed to the development of this unit. Nemesis evolved rapidly, going from a battalion to a regiment, and from November 2025 it became a brigade."

The brigade specializes in delivering high-precision night strikes and is considered one of the most effective among other aerial reconnaissance and strike UAV units.

Oleksii Vasyliuk formed one of the most effective teams that destroyed over 1,000 enemy targets. Nemesis is known for its masterful use of heavy night drones 'Baba Yaga', which allows for effective mining of logistics routes and destruction of enemy reserves during the dark hours. As a specialist in the analytics section, he contributed to the implementation of innovative planning – a systematic approach to target selection. This turned the unit from individual crews into a coordinated mechanism operating based on real-time intelligence data. 

Thanks to these successes, the brigade's experience is now being scaled to other units of the Unmanned Systems Forces. 

In 2025, Oleksii Vasyliuk was included in the Forbes Ukraine '30 Under 30' list in the 'Military' category. This project recognizes young Ukrainian men and women who have achieved outstanding results in their field. 

There must be an excitement for development, new knowledge, and experience 

"I try to develop all the time, learn something new, not to stand still. These principles, laid down back at the Leadership Academy, help me move forward. If you want to move, you have to learn a lot. Whoever does not learn throughout their whole life, degrades. There must be an excitement for constant development, new knowledge, new experience," – he believes. .

In 2022, Oleksii entered the National University of 'Ostroh Academy' for a major called "National Security". In 2025, he completed his bachelor's degree. 

"This year I plan to apply for a master's program at the Ukrainian Catholic University for the 'Administration' specialty," – the interviewee shares his plans. – "I want to devote time to studying military strategy and staff operations, as well as improve my English."

He also signed a new officer's contract for two years – until the end of 2027.

His wife Anna is also a service member, serving alongside him:

"In the summer of 2021, I proposed to my girlfriend, and five days later I signed a contract with the Marines. For a long time, Anna could not accept the situation that I was at war. It was very difficult for her. Currently, my wife is serving with me in the army. She also graduated from the Ukrainian Leadership Academy. Since September of last year, we have been serving together in the same brigade. My wife is a UAV operator."

"Responsibility for every soldier, not personal ambitions"

Oleksiy Vasyliuk believes that even in the most difficult conditions, a commander must remain a pillar of support for his soldiers:

"War is a constant process of decision-making. And in war, these decisions cost more. Sometimes even lives. The main thing is to take responsibility for them. True military leadership is primarily responsibility for every soldier, not personal ambitions."

In addition to responsibility, his comrades-in-arms value such strong traits in Oleksiy as perseverance and determination. According to his commanders, he is able to unite personnel, inspire by his own example, and make decisions in non-standard situations.

Oleksiy himself believes that responsible military leadership should combine military discipline with flexible thinking, which allows the army to quickly implement technological innovations. 

"Leaders must be generators of ideas, capable of integrating the latest knowledge into military practice," – he is convinced.

After the war, Oleksiy dreams of becoming part of the driving force that will build a strong Ukraine.