“Four members of my family are fighting: My mother, my two younger brothers and me” — The story of Olha Bihari, a Ukrainian soldier known by the call sign “witch”

Olha Bihari, Ukraine’s drone commander

Thirty-four-year-old Olha Bihari, who goes by the call sign “Witch,” heads the Unmanned Systems Directorate of Ukraine’s 20th Army Corps. Before joining the military, she studied neuroscience, later earned a law degree and worked in human rights advocacy.

After Russia’s full-scale invasion, Bihari went to the recruitment office with her mother and younger brother. Her other brother has been fighting since 2015. Today, four members of the family are at war.

In an interview with the Ukrainian publication Hromadske, Bihari spoke about her family, commanding troops, losses, unmanned systems and why a modern military must rely on technology and data analysis.

Based on a report by Hromadske

Kramatorsk, family and war

Olha was born in Kramatorsk. She says Ukrainian identity was an important part of her family history.

Her paternal grandfather was an engineer and a dissident from the Prykarpattia region of western Ukraine. His family had ties to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). He was monitored by the KGB, never joined the Communist Party and continued to speak Ukrainian.

In the 1990s, her grandfather joined the People’s Movement of Ukraine and campaigned for the country’s independence. He later became involved in public life in Kramatorsk.

Her maternal grandmother came from a Cossack family in the Poltava region. The family maintained Ukrainian traditions at home, sang folk songs and celebrated traditional holidays.

---

• ‘In Kramatorsk, we look to the sky’: Life in Ukrainian city under Russian air strikes
• Freedom was not so simple: How a defender of Mariupol is learning to live after captivity
• ‘My idea of happiness is 120 dead Russian soldiers a day’: Ukrainian drone unit commander Saratsyn

---

Olha wanted to become a scientist and studied neuroscience. But after the Maidan, she decided not to leave the country to pursue a scientific career abroad. She earned a law degree and, starting in 2019, worked in human rights advocacy.

After Russia launched its full-scale invasion, on Feb. 25, 2022, Olha, her mother and her younger brother went to a military recruitment office. By then, her other brother had already been fighting since 2015.

▇ “No one even considered not serving. How could we? You are either a victim or a defender.”

Before the war, Olha’s mother worked as a journalist. She later trained as a military psychologist and now serves in Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces.

Her younger brother was studying law and went to war at 18. Olha suggested that he finish his studies first.

“Olya, what’s the point of studying to defend people’s rights? If the Muscovites come for us, it won’t help,” he replied.

“We knew very well what occupation was like and, in general, what that whole romance of Russian unity among peoples smelled like,” Bihari said. Photo courtesy of Hromadske.

When the whole family is at the front

According to Bihari, serving together helps the family understand one another. They have a family group chat where they share photos and news every day.

Once, Olha ran into her younger brother in a village near the front. Knowing that his sister barely slept and sometimes did not have time to buy food, he came to cook her dinner and leave enough food for several days.

But when family members are in danger, professional composure cannot keep fear at bay.

During the fighting for Bakhmut, one of Bihari’s brothers found himself surrounded.

“I thought I was going to lose my mind. In those days, I lived on coffee. I had no right to show my emotions, because I could demoralize my troops.”

She did not call her brother. Instead, she called his commander, trying to find out what was happening and whether there was a way to evacuate him.

Bihari generally does not tell her family about her own dangerous missions. If a guided aerial bomb lands nearby or an FPV drone strikes her vehicle, she tells them about it only after she returns.

From neuroscience and law to command

In the spring of 2022, Bihari began serving in the territorial defense infantry near Kyiv. She had no military experience.

According to her, much of what happened in those first weeks was driven by initiative. About 200 people joined the unit, most of them civilians. There was not even a complete personnel roster.

Bihari began gathering data, establishing communication with the command and learning how to navigate military documentation.

▇ “Whoever was willing to take responsibility did so.”

That was how she gradually found herself in a command role.

In 2023, Bihari went to Bakhmut as the acting commander of an infantry platoon. It was there, she said, that she fully understood the importance of planning.

“Casualties are not a matter of chance. They are the result of how well you planned the logistics, scheduled the time of deployment and organized the actions of your units.”

She later completed leadership courses at the Ukrainian Ground Forces Academy.

Bihari has served in infantry, artillery and unmanned systems. She considers organizing units and training personnel her greatest achievements.

“Most casualties are the result of poor planning”

Bihari believes one of a commander’s main responsibilities is to understand each person’s capabilities.

She recalls a serviceman who was afraid to go out to positions. After talking to him, she realized the problem was not that he was unwilling to serve. In her view, he had simply been assigned to the wrong role.

Bihari transferred him to electronic intelligence, where he became a successful specialist.

“Everyone has their strengths. If a commander has problems with personnel, I always step in.”

She connects her approach to command with her scientific background: analysis, methodology and forecasting.

▇ “Most casualties in the military are either the result of emotions taking over and you acting reactively rather than proactively, or a failure in planning.”

“Most casualties in the military are either the result of emotions taking over or a failure in planning,” Bihari said. Photo courtesy of Hromadske.

“We can no longer fight a war in excel”

These days, Bihari’s day begins at around 5 a.m. with a briefing to her senior commander on the situation at the positions.

After that, she always sets aside 10 minutes for coffee and planning. From the many tasks before her, she chooses one priority that she intends to devote most of her resources to.

Bihari describes unmanned systems as a “delivery service.” Drones can carry out strikes, remotely mine areas, deliver ammunition, food, fuel and water, and robotic systems are also used to evacuate the wounded.

A significant part of her work involves data analysis.

Bihari says she digitized military management processes because it is impossible to handle such a volume of information manually.

▇ “We can no longer fight a war in Excel. We have to see earlier, understand faster and act ahead of events, because the enemy has the advantage in numbers, while we have to rely on intelligence and technology.”

She analyzes thousands of strike, logistical and other tasks, identifies weak points and then works with specific units.

She receives around 300 phone calls a day. The fewest she can remember having in a day is 128. On top of that come video conferences and meetings.

Bihari does not use artificial intelligence to analyze military data. She says much of the information is classified or intended for official use only, making it impossible to upload it to external systems.

Three hours of sleep, a son and a manicure

Bihari says she is not very emotional. When a problem arises, her principle is simple: find a solution first, reflect later.

During an especially difficult period, she slept an average of three hours and 40 minutes a day for three months.

“I went to the car, closed the doors, screamed it out, came back — and that was it. I was fine. I could keep working.”

She has no days off and has not taken a vacation in more than a year. She unwinds by reading books on military leadership and planning, and by driving and riding her motorcycle.

She barely sees her son now. When they do meet, they speak to each other in English.

At the same time, Bihari has kept a habit instilled by her grandmother in childhood — taking care of her nails. She does her own manicures, sometimes sacrificing two hours of sleep to do it.

“Nails are actually very useful. I’ve used them to fix a car and even to pull a fragment out of my leg.”

Injuries and attitudes toward sexism

Bihari has not officially reported her injuries. She says she feels uncomfortable going to a military hospital with a minor shrapnel wound when there are soldiers there who have undergone amputations.

She also says her hearing has deteriorated following concussions.

Asked about sexism in the military, Bihari says she tries to analyze not the comments themselves but the reasons behind a person’s behavior.

She responds to flirting and inappropriate compliments with a direct question.

“What do you want? Why did you say that? Are you trying to build some kind of relationship with me, or do you just want to chat?”

She says such conversations usually stop after that.

Bihari also uses her public profile to raise money. One charitable campaign raised six million hryvnias for winter uniforms for female service members.

She considers financial independence essential. She started working at the age of 12.

“If you want to see people around you rather than resources, you need to be able to stand on your own. And that is the principle I live by.”

Exchange