Artillery Battalion Commander - Lieutenant Colonel
Unit: Rocket Artillery Battalion, 126th Separate Guards Coastal Brigade, 22nd Army Corps, Black Sea Fleet, Southern Military District
Cargo ID: #67
Full Name: Mikhail Anatolyevich Ermolin
Russian Name: Ермолин Михаил Анатольевич
Date of Birth: 26 October 1985 (age: 36 years)
Passport Information: Series 9205 № 658714, issued 01.11.2005 by Azino-2 Police Department (Soviet District, Kazan)
Military ID: Series АА № 2301183
Prior Service in: Chechnya, South Ossetia, Stavropol Krai, and Adygea. He participated in special operations in Syria.
Education: Kazan Suvorov Military School (graduated 2002); Kazan Higher Artillery Command School
Awards: Order of Courage (ph.), Medal of Suvorov, Medal "For Distinction in Military Service" 2nd Class, Medal "For Distinction in Military Service" 3rd Class, Medal "Participant of the Military Operation in Syria", Medal "For Service in the North Caucasus", Badge "Officer 2nd Class", Badge "Graduation from a Higher Education Institution", Badge "For Service in the North Caucasus"
Units of the Coastal Defense Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet, leaving occupied Kherson behind, were advancing toward Voznesensk (Mykolaiv Region). On the approach to it they ran into an ambush. To accomplish the task, the main column under enemy fire continued the offensive. But some units were cut off from it and encircled.
One of the officers, who was there, said that they fought in the encirclement for about an hour and a half. All the personnel held a circular defense. Attempts to contact the command had no success. We managed to contact the commander of the jet artillery division Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Yermolin.
"We outlined the situation and he told us to wait. We assumed that units with armored vehicles would come towards us. However, 20 minutes later, we saw a Ural coming toward us at high speed, despite incessant enemy fire. When it sped toward us, in the cab we saw Lieutenant Colonel Yermolin and a contract driver. We quickly got into the car and using the smoke screen from the burning trucks, we evacuated without losses," he specified.
According to the officer, after leaving the encirclement Mikhail Yermolin explained that he had decided to take such a step, as procrastination threatened people's lives and there were no other means of evacuation.
Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Yermolin's heroic act saved the lives of 35 servicemen. But, unfortunately, on the same day, March 2, he was wounded and died.
