Combat Engineer (Sapper)
Requirements
- Fitness for military service in terms of health and moral and psychological qualities
- Composure and stress resilience
- Ability to adapt quickly to the situation and make considered decisions
- No alcohol, drug or gambling addiction
- Knowledge of methods and techniques for explosive reconnaissance and demining will be an advantage
- Ability to work with different types of explosive devices will be an advantage
- Having a military occupational specialty (VOS) related to 166 will be an advantage
- Experience serving as an explosive ordnance technician in other agencies will be an advantage
Responsibilities
- Taking part in engineering works, laying and clearing obstacles
- Detecting, identifying and neutralising ammunition, mines and explosive devices
- Demining the routes used by military vehicles and units
- Observing military discipline and carrying out combat orders
- Following internal rules and safety instructions
Terms
- Mobilisation until the end of martial law, or contract service
- Basic and specialist training as required
- Pay: base pay of UAH 21,000 + an additional bonus of up to UAH 100,000 for carrying out tasks in the combat zone — up to UAH 121,000 per month in total, depending on the duration and area of the tasks
- Full social package
- Full provision of protective equipment and military property
- Opportunity to obtain combatant status (UBD)
Vacancy: Combat Engineer (Sapper)
The combat engineer opens the way. Where the sapper has been, people and vehicles can move — and that is the shortest explanation of the whole specialty.
The work has two parts. The first is engineering: preparing positions, laying obstacles, preparing the route. The second is demining: finding and neutralising what the enemy has left behind so that the route becomes passable.
This is a position for people with a cool head. Speed is not what is needed here — what is needed is a methodical approach, attentiveness and the ability to work to protocol. Every action has its order, and it is sticking to that order that makes the work predictable.
One more thing worth knowing: sappers will be needed after the war too. Clearing the land of mines is work for decades, and specialists with combat experience will always be in demand.
Who can become a Combat Engineer (Sapper)
Experience is not mandatory. Knowledge of explosive reconnaissance and demining methods will be an advantage, but we teach from scratch — and that is how most people come in.
What really matters:
- Composure. The key quality in this specialty: working calmly and in the right order
- Attention to detail. A sapper notices what others miss — and this is what takes longest to teach
- Ability to make considered decisions without rushing
- Discipline. Here, protocol is not a formality but what keeps the work under control
- No addictions — to alcohol, drugs or gambling
- Medical fitness — determined by the military medical board (VLK)
Experience in construction, working with tools, electronics, or any practice where precision matters will come in handy.
What a Combat Engineer (Sapper) does in the 141st SMB
Main tasks:
- Engineering preparation of positions and routes
- Laying and clearing obstacles
- Detecting and identifying explosive ordnance
- Demining routes used by vehicles and units
- Working with detection equipment and protective equipment
- Working with other units: the sapper often goes first, and when the others can move depends on their work
The work is always done to protocol and as part of a team. This is not a specialty where people act at their own discretion and alone — and that is exactly why it stays under control.
How you will be trained
You will be trained from scratch. You do not need a sapper VOS (military occupational specialty) or any military training at all. The path is the same for everyone: 51 days of basic military training, then the brigade's own adaptation course — 14–15 days, followed by specialist training in your specialty.
The adaptation course is run by our instructors with combat experience. These are not lectures: a 12–15 kilometre march with drills for different situations, including reacting to drones. Training continues at night too.
Tactical medicine is drilled separately until it is automatic: tourniquet, bandage, helping a brother-in-arms — on training mannequins until the movements become habit. Our instructors' principle is short: the priority is to survive.
Sapper specialist training is the longest part of the path, and rightly so. Training is not rushed here: skills are drilled until they become automatic and turn into habit. Training does not end after the course either — the enemy changes tactics, new types of devices appear, and you need to know each one.
What you will be provided with
You will be fully kitted out. The brigade provides everything you need — from gear to specialist equipment and protective equipment. On top of the standard kit, 141st soldiers also get what the brigade develops and tests itself: an enemy drone detector and camouflage against thermal imagers.
You will not be on your own. Sappers work as a team, to protocol, with mutual checks. The whole training system is built around the team coming back at full strength. "One for another" is not a slogan on a T-shirt but how the work is organised here.
What the terms include:
- Pay and additional payments for carrying out tasks
- Full provision of gear, protective equipment and military property
- The social package provided for service members
- Opportunity to obtain combatant status (UBD)
Where you can grow
Combat engineering is a specialty that opens up a long path, including after your service.
- Senior sapper — your own team, more complex tasks
- Squad leader — your own people, your own decisions, NCO positions and higher base pay
- Instructor — teaching newcomers what you can already do yourself
- Civilian prospects — humanitarian demining. This is a field in which Ukraine will be short of specialists for years, and combat experience is valued most highly here
In the 141st, rank is an entry in your military ID. What counts is competence, a cool head and readiness to take responsibility. Your career here depends on results, not length of service.
There is also a distinct culture of recognition: our patches are not handed out for length of service but earned for specific deeds — green for combat work and lives saved, blue for assault actions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Logic and process: we answer the key questions about enlistment, training and status.
Apply for this positionDo I need experience with explosives?
+No. Knowledge will be an advantage, but we teach from scratch — and most people come without experience. Sapper specialist training is the longest precisely because skills are drilled until they become automatic.
What is the key quality for this job?
+Composure and a methodical approach. Speed is not what is needed here — what is needed is doing everything in the right order and not rushing.
Will this specialty be needed after the war?
+Yes. Clearing the land of mines is work for decades, and experienced specialists will always be needed.
I have no military experience. Can I still join you?
+Yes. Most of our best specialists were civilians yesterday. What matters to us is your motivation. We’ll match a role to your skills: if you understand machinery — you’ll go to the mechanics; if you know electronics — to UAVs or communications. Everything military — we’ll teach you.
How long does training take before deployment to the unit?
+Every recruit completes Basic General Military Training (BGMT) at a training center. After that — additional specialized training depending on the chosen role. We send only the prepared to the line of contact — that is our core principle.
What happens after I fill out the form?
+Your application goes to the recruiting center. Within 24 hours our specialist will call — it’s not an interrogation, just an introduction and answers to your questions. If we’re a match, the brigade issues an official request and our liaison helps you get through the TRC and MMB as fast as possible.
Can I transfer to the 141st SMB from another unit?
+Yes, we consider transfers — including via the Army+ app. Fill out the form and select the status “Active service member” — a recruiter will advise on your real chances and the steps involved.
I am AWOL (SZCh). Can I join?
+The law allows a return to service. If you’re motivated to fight in a sound team — fill out the form and state your status honestly. Our specialists will advise you individually on legal ways to return. Confidentially.
Do you provide uniform and equipment?
+Yes. The brigade fully provides basic kit, body armor, helmets and weapons. Plus — thanks to a strong volunteer network, we have additional technological support: drones, EW, transport.
Similar positions
Didn’t find your role?
The brigade has more specialities than the site describes, and some roles are not written up yet. If yours is missing, fill in the form and tell us which position you are looking for. A recruiter will check what is open right now and answer straight.
Tell us which role you wantWhat happens after you apply
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01
A call within 24 hours
Your application goes to the recruiting centre and a specialist calls within a day. It is not an interrogation — just an introduction and answers to your questions.
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02
Interview and choosing a role
Together we look at what you can do and where it is most useful. If we are a match, the brigade issues an official request for your transfer.
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03
Enlistment office and medical board — with support
Our liaison helps you get through the enlistment office and the military medical board as fast as possible. You do not navigate the queues alone.
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04
Training first, then the unit
Basic general military training takes 51 days, followed by the brigade’s 14–15 day adaptation course with instructors who have combat experience. We send only prepared soldiers to the front line.