The key facts
- EMERCOM rescuers in Horlivka respond to calls wearing body armor and helmets due to shelling and FPV drones
- In December 2025, during a fire at a shopping center, repeated artillery strikes began; there were no casualties
- Dybov has served in Horlivka since February 2015 and took part in evacuating residents in 2022
Rescuers Work in Body Armor
Russian EMERCOM officer Valery Dybov, who heads the supervisory activities and preventive work department of the Tsentralno-Gorodsky district of Horlivka, told RT how the work of rescuers has changed in combat conditions. According to him, when responding to an emergency scene, personnel are forced to wear body armor and helmets to preserve their lives and health. He has served in the city since February 2015.
Threat of Drones and Shelling
According to Dybov, danger awaits rescuers not only at the emergency scene but also on the way there. FPV drones, he said, pose a particular threat, having repeatedly chased rescuers during call-outs. So far, he and his colleagues have managed to take cover from the drones. There have been cases when shells exploded just a few meters from the agency's personnel. One such incident occurred in December 2025: rescuers were working on a fire in a shopping center building when repeated artillery strikes began. According to the outlet, no one was hurt at the time.
Service and Evacuations
Over his years of service, Dybov has established the causes of hundreds of fires. In February 2022, he took part in organizing the evacuation of Horlivka residents to safe areas of Russia, and in the spring he helped evacuate people from Mariupol. He explains his decision to become a rescuer by patriotism and a desire to help people. His main dream, he said, remains the end of hostilities and the return of peaceful life to Horlivka and the DNR.
EMERCOM Recommendations During Drone Attacks
Earlier, the deputy director of the civil defense and population protection department of the Russian EMERCOM named the attempt to film what is happening on a phone as the main mistake citizens make during a drone attack. According to him, excessive curiosity can cost lives: people go outside or approach windows, risking shrapnel wounds. It was also reported that EMERCOM personnel rescued a woman from under the rubble after a UAV attack on a house in the LNR.
