{"id":1459990,"date":"2026-10-31T13:35:28","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T11:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/military-personnel-like-children-have-a-huge-need-for-care-says-a-former-childrens-choir-director-about-serving-in-the-war\/"},"modified":"2026-10-31T13:38:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T11:38:08","slug":"military-personnel-like-children-have-a-huge-need-for-care-says-a-former-childrens-choir-director-about-serving-in-the-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/military-personnel-like-children-have-a-huge-need-for-care-says-a-former-childrens-choir-director-about-serving-in-the-war\/","title":{"rendered":"“Military personnel, like children, have a huge need for care,” says a former children’s choir director about serving in the war."},"content":{"rendered":"

Before the full-scale invasion, children’s choir director Olga Brezhneva’s daily routine consisted of childish smiles, choral scales, and rehearsals. Today, Olga Brezhneva is a captain in the 5th Separate Kyiv Assault Brigade. In this interview for the “Ode to Fortitude” project, she talks about combating stereotypes about creative women in the ranks and explains why creative experience becomes a true superpower on the front lines. She also shares a surprising parallel: why do battle-hardened assault troopers sometimes look so much like children?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you remember your family’s reaction to your decision to join the defense forces? How did your former students from the children’s choir and the “Smailik” ensemble react to their teacher becoming a service member? Do you keep in touch with them now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This decision was a difficult ordeal for my family. They didn’t know much about my service, and I didn’t want them to be even more nervous or worried. Six months into my service, I was already in a combat zone. It was incredibly stressful for both me and my family. My parents have been and remain my greatest supporters. No one understands me better than they do. After several years of service, my mother once said, “The day you signed your contract was the most terrifying day for me…” But they accepted my choice with respect and immense love.<\/p>\n

But with the children from the choir and ensemble, it was different and much more painful. They were very worried that I would simply walk away and abandon them. It was hard for them to understand: how their teacher, with whom they sang and laughed, would suddenly give up everything and go to war. They were afraid they were losing me. So I had to explain at length that I was leaving not because of them, but for them, to protect their right to sing in a free country. And yes, I am in touch with many of my students; they are now adults, very supportive and proud of me.<\/p>\n

[cut_in_image_fullwidth img=”https:\/\/prm.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/whatsapp-image-2026-09-21-at-11.44.29-am.jpeg” img_id=”1459972″ caption=”Little ones<\/p>\n

Music demands deep emotion, and military service demands strict discipline. How did your personal transformation unfold, and what was the most difficult part of adapting to the realities of the military?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In fact, music and the army are closer than they seem at first glance. A good musician knows what strict discipline is: hours of rehearsals, iron-clad precision, and the ability to work in a team where everyone listens to everyone else. My transformation was that my emotionality simply shifted direction. In the army, you don’t stop feeling, but you learn to bury those emotions deep inside so they don’t interfere with following orders.<\/p>\n

Adaptation occurred on several levels, each with its own triggers. At first, it was a purely mundane shock: the complete absence of familiar life, comfort, and a completely irregular schedule, where you no longer have control over your time.<\/p>\n

But later came a far more difficult test\u2014losses among my personnel, my fellow soldiers. In music, you’re used to sharing emotions with people, sharing with the living. In the army, you have to see that life cut short. Musicians perceive the world with raw nerves, but here I had to build up my “armor” so that the pain of loss wouldn’t paralyze me, but would instead transform into cold discipline and rage. That was a difficult transformation\u2014learning to hold the line when pain was tearing you apart from within.<\/p>\n

Does your civilian experience help you in your military service today?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, it helps a lot. Leading a children’s choir is like leading a military unit: you have to see the big picture, but listen to each individual. My civilian experience taught me the most important thing\u2014working with people and uniting them for a common goal. The only difference is that before, our goal was to sound good on stage, and now it’s to precisely execute combat missions for victory.<\/p>\n

As a servicewoman and officer, what stereotypes about women in the army have you encountered, and how have your comrades’ attitudes toward you changed during your time serving together?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The main stereotype is the doubt that a female artist can display the rigor of an officer. At the beginning of your service, there’s always a period of “getting used to it,” when you’re viewed with a certain distrust and humiliation. But in the army, your actions determine everything. Attitudes changed as we overcame difficulties together. When you prove your professionalism, skepticism disappears. Today, we are a single organism, where there are no “men” or “women,” but rather service members who perform their duty together.<\/p>\n

Can you compare military personnel in a unit to children in a choir? What similarities do you see\u2014the need for care and emotional support\u2014and what are the fundamental differences?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I see similarities in basic human needs. Military personnel, like children, desperately need care and emotional support, although grown men would never admit it. A commander, like a choir director, must notice when someone is “off key,” not because they’re incompetent, but because they’re tired or experiencing an internal crisis. Both children and soldiers need a sense of security.<\/p>\n

But the fundamental difference is responsibility and the cost of failure. In a choir, we work for the sake of art and applause, and a mistake can be corrected at the next rehearsal. In the army, we work in dangerous conditions, where your decisions as an officer depend on much more\u2026<\/p>\n

Music heals the soul. Is there room in your current life for singing or music?<\/strong><\/p>\n

These days, my musical life is divided into a minimum and a maximum. The basic minimum is my phone and a playlist of music from my past life, which saves me during difficult times at work. And the luxurious maximum is the chance to attend a choral concert or an organ concert during my vacation. Live sound, the majesty of the organ, and the harmony of voices are the best therapy, bringing me back to life and giving me the strength to continue serving.<\/p>\n

If you had the opportunity now to address your fellow musicians or teachers who are unsure about their place during the war, what advice would you give them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you feel an inner calling to act more decisively, don’t fear the army. Creative discipline, the ability to listen to the team, and work toward the shared goal you’ve achieved in music will become your superpower. The main thing is to find your place, where your potential will contribute most to our shared Victory.<\/p>\n

How do you see Captain Olga Brezhneva after our Victory? Do you plan to return to teaching solo singing and directing a choir?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The thing is, this damned war has changed me profoundly. It has profoundly reshaped my inner values and burned away the carefree ease necessary for working with children. That’s why I understand that I can’t go back to the same river.<\/p>\n

Music will always remain my personal refuge and soul-soothing, but my professional future after Victory Day will likely involve helping those struggling to adapt to the war. I’m needed here…<\/p>\n

Also follow “Pryamy”<\/strong> on Facebook<\/a> , X<\/a> , Telegram<\/a> and Instagram<\/a> .<\/p>\n

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Before the full-scale invasion, children’s choir director Olga Brezhneva’s daily routine consisted of childish smiles, choral scales, and rehearsals. Today, Olga Brezhneva is a captain in the 5th Separate Kyiv Assault Brigade. In this interview for the “Ode to Fortitude” project, she talks about combating stereotypes about creative women in the ranks and explains why […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":1459971,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[76874,77138],"class_list":["post-1459990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-war","category-interview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1459990","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1459990"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1459990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1459992,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1459990\/revisions\/1459992"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1459971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1459990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1459990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}