A Ukrainian Professor of Probability and Statistics Serving As A Soldier At the Front

So many valuable lives and careers put on hold. JL 

Yaroslav Halas reports in War Translated:

Viktor Beylovich Troshki is a Ukrainian and ethnic Hungarian. He did not complete his military service in the Armed Forces, did not graduate from the military department at the university, and had neither army nor combat experience. In the very first days of the full-scale invasion of Russia, the associate professor voluntarily became a soldier of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade. Viktor Troshka’s story might not be unique if it weren’t for one feature:  this year, the Academy of Sciences of Hungary awarded him the Oreonj Janos Honorary Award for his significant contribution to the development of science for articles on probability theory and mathematical statistics. "I learned about the award at the front."

“Before the war, I had no idea how artillery works, I had never even held a machine gun in my hands.” – Viktor Troshki, PhD in Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Physical and Mathematical Disciplines of the Ukrainian-Hungarian Educational Institute of the Uzhhorod National University. 

Before the full-scale invasion, Viktor Troshki, PhD, teaches various disciplines, including mathematical analysis of the function of one variable, complex mathematical analysis, functional analysis, and probability theory at the University of Uzhgorod (UzhUni), Ukraine.

Now [interview recorded in April 2022] he is a fighter of the 128th Transcarpathian mountain assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 

And Viktor Beylovich [his patronym] Troshki is an ethnic Hungarian. He did not complete his military service in the Armed Forces, did not graduate from the military department at the university, and had neither army nor combat experience. This means that he was not in the reserve or reserve and was not subject to mobilization, so he could continue to lecture students or engage in scientific activities. 

However, in the very first days of the full-scale invasion of Russia, the associate professor of UzhUni voluntarily joined the Military Commissariat and became a soldier of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade.

We met with Victor at the current location of the brigade unit, 1,300km from Transcarpathia. The most optimal place for the conversation turned out to be a small room that the military uses as a woodshed. 

– I was born in the village of Kinchesh near Uzhhorod, – Viktor says, sitting on logs covered with a camouflage net. – Hungarian by nationality. My grandparents on my father’s side hardly spoke Ukrainian, but my parents intentionally communicated in two languages ​​at home – Hungarian and Ukrainian, so I learned both perfectly. 

 

My wife is Ukrainian, she is from another village near Uzhhorod. We studied together in graduate school, so she also teaches at UzhUni. We have two sons: David is three years old, and Daniel is one. And we also speak two languages ​​with them: I speak Hungarian, and my wife speaks Ukrainian. The youngest, Daniel, still doesn’t understand where I went, and David knows that “dad chases away bad guys.”

“The youngest, Daniel, still doesn’t understand where I went, and David knows that “dad chases away bad guys.”

A few days after the start of the war in February, Viktor came to the Military Commissariat to sign up as a volunteer in the Armed Forces. Before that, he told his family about his decision. They were, to put it mildly, not happy. However, they accepted it without objection. 

During the division by military specialities, the Doctor of Physical and mathematical sciences was assigned to the artillery unit of the 128th brigade.

– There was a huge queue of volunteers and conscripts at the military commissariat, – Viktor continues . – When I submitted the documents and told where I work, one of the officers exclaimed: “Oh, we need just such people in the artillery!”. Probably due to the fact that a good gunner must know mathematics well. That’s how I got here. 

Before that, he had no idea how artillery works, he had never even held a Kalashnikov assault rifle. We were shown how to handle small arms, and I learned the intricacies of artillery work already in combat conditions.

Together with his comrades in the unit, the associate professor of UzhUni endures military and field conditions: he sleeps in a sleeping bag, often on the floor in non-residential premises, warms himself using a stove, gets used to living without electricity and a stable mobile phone connection.

– I am happy if I manage to talk briefly with my relatives, and sometimes a simple text message says that everything is fine. 

 

The vicinity of the positions of the artillery unit was repeatedly shelled by the Russians, but, thank God, all our fighters are alive and well. 

 

Hot food and even sweets are brought to us every day (probably from volunteers), – says Viktor . – A field shower was recently installed, so you can wash yourself twice a week. I am not picky, so I consider such conditions to be normal. The commanders treat the soldiers humanely, it even surprised me a little. Morally, I was ready for tougher conditions. 

“My paternal grandmother (the one who hardly spoke Ukrainian) often told me how the Red Army liberated Transcarpathia in 1944. And how Russians treated the Hungarians. It was the same as we see now in Bucha, Irpen, Gostomel and other settlements – exactly the same.” 

– Why did you decide to go to war? – I ask Viktor. 

 

– The events of the last few days in the Kyiv region illustrate this very eloquently. My paternal grandmother (the one who hardly spoke Ukrainian) often told me how the Red Army liberated Transcarpathia in 1944. And how she treated the Hungarians. It was the same as we see now in Bucha, Irpen, Gostomel and other settlements – exactly the same.

 

My grandfather was repressed and sent to Donbas just because he was Hungarian. Then, years later, he was rehabilitated. My grandmother had already died, but when this war began, I remembered her stories very vividly and decided to do everything to prevent such a horror from reaching Transcarpathia again. And to Ukraine too, but for now we have what we have… 

Viktor Troshka’s story might not be worth a unique one if it weren’t for one feature. On March 21 of this year, the Presidium of the Foreign Branch of the Academy of Sciences of Hungary at its meeting awarded Viktor Troshka the Oreonj Janos Honorary Award “for his significant contribution to the development of science. This is one of the highest honours of the Academy of Sciences of Hungary, which is awarded every year to both Hungarian and foreign scientists. 

The honorary award ceremony, as well as a monetary award in the amount of 500 thousand forints [$1350], will take place at the general meeting of the Academy of Sciences of Hungary on May 3-4, 2022 in Budapest. 

– Even before the war, we submitted materials for receiving the award, – explains Viktor Troshki. – These are my scientific articles on the topic of probability theory and mathematical statistics, which are indexed in the Scopus scientometric database and evaluated by impact factor, number of references and other criteria. And I turned out to be one of the winners. 

 

The corresponding letter from the Academy of Sciences of Hungary came to UzhUni, and my supervisor, the director of the Ukrainian-Hungarian educational and scientific institute of UzhUni Oleksandr Shpenyk, sent me a photo of it. 

 

The commanders already know about the award and congratulated me. But I wasn’t interested in whether it was realistic to get a vacation and go to the award ceremony, especially abroad… 

“I learned about the awarding of the honorary award of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences at the front.”