It has been over a year since Russia invaded Ukraine. As a result of the war, chaos spread throughout the attacked country and the world as nations were caught off guard by this unexpected turn of events. Eastern Europe's security situation has deteriorated dramatically. Therefore, many countries have decided to join the operation „Free Ukraine”. Unforgivable atrocities that were not meant to happen in the 21st century united people around the world.
For that reason, tens of thousands of military people worldwide came to fight for a free Ukraine. Among them were Poles who decided to risk their lives selflessly. To participate in a war that was not theirs. They wanted to feel like they were fighting to defend the free world against the menace of Russian imperialism. Unfortunately, some of them paid the highest price. On November 25, during frontline fighting, a tragedy occurred. On that day, a Polish soldier, Daniel Sztyber, lost his life. On December 20, 2022, the last farewell to the Polish hero took place.
Young Ukrainians draped in their nation’s flag and aging World War II veterans joined Sztyber’s parents, sister, and childhood friends in mourning him. But who was Daniel exactly? As his father, Mirosaw Sztyber, said, Daniel was an extraordinary person who cared more about others than himself.
“Daniel was a smart man. Sensitive, balanced, and calm. He brought value to our family. He was our pillar. But he had his views, and I learned a lot from him. He was just smarter than me. One thing I did was maybe I raised him too well. I gave him a sense of dignity and honor. Daniel was doing great in life. He was respected and known in the world of veterans of the Warsaw Uprising and World War II. He was a member of the authorities of the Home Army Foundation”.
Daniel, after volunteering for combat in Ukraine, served in Kyiv’s elite special forces as a reconnaissance team member. He had three university degrees and extensive military training, including at Poland's elite special-forces unit GROM.
“Daniel was a diver, a combat shooting instructor, a parachute jumper, a motor hang glider, a radio operator, a drone operator, and a rescuer. All this made him such a good soldier, ready for any operation. He decided to participate in fightings in Ukraine consciously. He told me, Dad, I can't look at these atrocities. I have to do something else” – Mirosław Sztyber said.
During one of the missions, a sapper teammate walked into a trap. Daniel, walking behind the sapper with the rest of the team, suffered deadly wounds from the explosion.
Mirosław Sztyber shared details about what made his son want to fight in Ukraine and help its people.
“Ukraine, which bleeds, fights for our freedom, democratic freedoms, Europe, and the free world. Daniel told me that over the summer. He was outraged by people's ignorance. Initially, he took women and children from the front area and sent me pictures of them running away. He showed me those bombed roads. That's where it all started, with humanitarian aid”.
Even though Mirosław was in constant contact with his son, Daniel could not say much about what was happening on the front. Daniel was an excellent soldier who prioritized this mission over everything else, said his father Mirosław.
“When I asked him, Daniel, where are you and what are you doing? In response, he sent me a picture of a uniform patch I didn't recognize. We communicated on Signal, an encrypted messaging service for instant messaging. It was the only way to reach him. I was forbidden from calling. And I wrote to him again, Daniel, what are you doing, and all he said was, Dad, my job”.
Daniel was only 12 days away from his contract being over. He was supposed to return home to his parents for Christmas. He was, however, doomed to a dramatic fate. Daniel’s father recalls the last message he sent his son.
“I regret a bit my last message to him......He sent me a poem by Herbert, a famous Polish poet. There was a certain doubt in this piece, and the author described how no one would repay him, and that he would be mocked for what he had done. After reading it, I was stressed I felt that he needs me, so I wrote to him, "Son, you were the last to doubt. Be brave, you are fighting the army of darkness and you are on the side of good". And he answered me, Finally, Dad, thank you. I think I gave him permission to sacrifice himself. I think about it and ask myself, why I didn't write to him to be careful and not to risk it".
“I respect what he did and have respected it from the beginning. He made his choice fully aware that he was taking a risk, but he wanted a free nation, protection of Poland, Europe, and the world,” Mirosław Sztyber added.
Prepared by: Ada Janiszewska