"It could cost me my position and rank": a servicewoman said she is being persecuted for supporting protests

The command of the Unmanned Systems Forces tried to find out where Dmytro Kozyatynskyi serves

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17 Jul 2026

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The head of the medical service “Ulf” of the “Wolves Da Vinci” battalion, Kyiv council deputy and public figure Alina Mykhailova said that she received a call from the Command of the Unmanned Systems Forces which tried to find out where Dmytro Koziatynskyi — who urged people to join actions against the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov from the post of Minister of Defense — is serving.

She reported this on 17 July 2026 on her Facebook page.

At first Alina Mykhailova described the call from the Command of the Unmanned Systems Forces.

“‘Repressions’ in 2026 in the army are when the Unmanned Systems Forces Command calls with a very urgent desire to find out in which unit the guy who writes online about protest actions and urges people to join serves. And, as you understand, not in order to give him or me, as his commander, a commendation.”

She emphasized that Dmytro Koziatynskyi had long since left the service.

“For context. Dmytro Koziatynskyi is a combat medic of the Ulf medical service of the Wolves Da Vinci battalion, who left the army A YEAR AGO. So he no longer has any relation to the Armed Forces.
But just as the command often does not know what is actually happening at the positions, it obviously does not have an up-to-date understanding of who long ago left the military.”

Mykhailova then spoke about pressure on service members who openly express their position.

“What this is all about. That today they are chasing down service members who express their opinion. Who, God forbid, also go out to peaceful demonstrations. Yes, even while on their lawful leave. Because we are enslaved serfs here.”

She urged civilians and the media to understand the risks faced by service members.

“I really want civilians, veterans (who may have somewhat forgotten how the army mechanism works) and the media to understand what supporting such actions actually costs an active service member.”

Separately, Alina Mykhailova mentioned her participation in a rally in support of NABU and SAP in Dnipro.

“When I went out in Dnipro to a rally in support of NABU and SAP, they personally said almost nothing to me. But my leadership received quite a lot of ‘attention’ at that time.”

According to her, supporting protests can have serious consequences for service members.

“For many service members, supporting protests can cost them their position. Rank. Reprimands. Closed prospects. Or simply a ‘preventive conversation’ so that the person does not forget where they are and to whom S E R V E. And this is the biggest problem.”

The service member emphasized that the right to one’s own opinion must remain even for those who defend the state.

“Because the army defends not only territory. It defends a state in which citizens have the right to their own opinion. If a service member who risks their life daily for this state begins to be afraid to express their civic position — it is not the problem of an individual. It is the problem of the state itself.”

Alina Mykhailova also criticized attempts to force service members to keep silent.

“Fear has never been a sign of strong power. Fear is a sign of insecurity. And attempts to force everyone to be silent have never created trust. They only accumulated resentment and a sense of injustice.”

At the end she addressed the General Staff and the Office of the President.

“Therefore I sincerely wish the General Staff and the Office of the President to find crisis managers who are able to think several steps ahead and understand the consequences of their decisions. Because we are not in Russia.
And you will not drive the Ukrainian army into a silent stall. Because a Ukrainian service member is not just a person in uniform. They are first and foremost a citizen who took up arms to defend freedom. And it would be strange if, while defending freedom for everyone, they themselves did not have the right to it.”

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