‘Time Was Running Out’: Ukrainian SOF Commander Reveals Azovstal Operation Details For The First Time

The general admitted that he had to make difficult decisions.

The commander of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SOF), Viktor Khorenko, spoke for the first time about the special operation at Azovstal.

In a new interview published on the SOF YouTube channel. Khorenko admitted that the soldiers volunteered to defend Azovstal and he had to make difficult decisions.

“Our main task was to deliver ammunition by helicopter. But when 10 volunteers come and say ‘We want to defend Azovstal,’ then we have to make difficult decisions. What to deliver: ammunition, medicines, communications equipment, or fighters. We had 15 tons of cargo, but one helicopter could only take about 2 tons. The time to complete the operation then took minutes, unloading should not exceed 10 minutes,” Khorenko noted.

The major general noted that there were seven successful SOF sorties. Khorenko kept in touch directly with the commander of the Azov special forces brigade, Denis Prokopenko (Redis), who did not even realize that he was communicating with the SOF commander at that time.