PR or Confession? How Ukrainians Reacted to Marcus's Video Appeal.

Former sergeant major of the 47th separate mechanized brigade 'Magura', Valeriy Marcus, has become known to the public for the first Time in a year and a half. The serviceman recorded four videos, three of which have already been published, in which he talked about conflicts with the brigade leadership, in particular with the current deputy commander of the brigade, Ivan Shalamaha.

Valeriy Marcus was well-known even before the invasion began. He participated in the ATO and published a book 'Traces on the Road', where part of the events takes place in Donbass during the Russian-Ukrainian war.

After the start of the Russian invasion, Marcus returned to the front and became the sergeant major of the newly formed 47th battalion. Eventually, together with like-minded people, he announced the goal – to create a new unit. Over time, the 47th battalion turned into a stormtrooper regiment, and then into a mechanized brigade.

Marcus spoke about how the idea of creating an innovative unit with motivated fighters, new strategies, and interaction between the military in the brigade came about. However, according to him, this was not achieved due to the actions of the deputy commander of the brigade, Ivan Shalamaha, and Colonel Oleksandr Sak.

On July 11, 2023, Valeriy Marcus published a post in which he stated that he was 'stepping down to the lowest position of his own accord' and transferred from the brigade. After that, he disappeared from the public space. Therefore, when on December 11 he published three videos on his YouTube channel, it sparked a lot of discussions.

In the comments under Marcus's videos, one can notice the joy of Ukrainians who 'finally received a word' from the soldier and will be able to hear what happened.

The video heard almost unanimously provoked reactions in the comments that the army needs changes, and Marcus failed to break the system.

Among public figures, the opinions were divided. Journalist Yanina Sokolova, who had previously interviewed Marcus, wrote that what happened is a verdict on the system that 'urgently needs to be changed.'

Former leader of the 'Right Sector' Dmytro Yarosh stated that Ivan Shalamaha is 'one of the best young commanders in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.' However, not all servicemen stood by Valeriy Marcus; many of them believe that he is just promoting himself.

At the moment, Ivan Shalamaha has not commented on Marcus's videos. The press officer of the 47th separate mechanized brigade, Anastasia Blyshchik, called Marcus's video 'a spoiled kid.'

Serviceman Valeriy Marcus has stepped into the information space for the first time in a long time. He published a video in which he talked about conflicts with the brigade leadership, in particular with Ivan Shalamaha.