Author: Anna Shkolna, polygraph examiner, member of All-Ukrainian Association of Polygraph Examiners

The combat success of assault brigades is based not only on weapons, equipment or the number of personnel, but also on mutual trust and internal security in the unit, which is ensured, among other things, through polygraph tests. Assault brigades are a cutting edge where coherence, discipline, and loyalty must be impeccable.

Timely detection of a traitor or unreliable element means saved lives, saved operations, and completed tasks. This quiet and often inconspicuous work is an integral part of the front.

In the conditions of rotations, psychological stress, hostile information and psychological operations, the polygraph is an effective way to preserve the team from the inside. A professional polygraph examiner can detect hidden disloyalty, conspiracy, preparation for desertion, sabotage, or lack of inner willingness to serve faithfully before these factors have fatal consequences. Polygraph tests do not guarantee absolute truth, but they provides a unique opportunity to ask the right questions at the right time and learn what is not said out loud.

It is especially important to conduct tests using a polygraph when selecting recruits, because not only motivated patriots are trying to get into assault units, but also people with a hidden criminal past, dangerous addictions, and those who maintain ties with the enemy. The task of a polygraph examiner is to identify them, to correctly assess the level of risks, and to assist the command in making informed decisions.

The polygraph is also used to investigate internal incidents: disappearance of property, leakage of official information, conflicts, violations of discipline or moral and ethical norms – all of this requires a quick, objective, and fair response. The results of polygraph tests allow us to eliminate assumptions, refute false testimony, and show the real picture of the event.

The biggest challenge for polygraph examiners is field conditions. Instead of silence and predictability, there is noise, stress, and danger. Instead of a comfortable office, we work in dugouts, mobile stations, to the roar of generators, in a constantly changing environment. Respondents often come for testing after difficult rotations, emotionally exhausted, with high levels of anxiety or aggression. All this requires much more from a polygraph examiner than just mastering the technique: you need to be flexible, psychologically stable, and able to work “on the edge.”

It should also be taken into account that polygraph examiners work in conditions of potential danger to themselves. After all, the violations identified may affect people with an aggressive character, those who enjoy authority and influence in the unit, criminal connections, etc. There is a risk of pressure, revenge, attempts to discredit, or even threats of physical violence. Given this, the specialist must be careful, prevent the disclosure of the information received, and must have direct access to commanders.

Working under fire, in difficult conditions, with increased risk, the polygraph examiners of the Defense Forces are those who are already strengthening our army from within. The war will end, but there will be no less work for polygraph examiners. We do not hold weapons in our hands, but we are responsible for the truth. The combat resilience is built on this truth, as on the foundation.

The All-Ukrainian Association of Polygraph Examiners has been assisting the Defense Forces since the first day of the full-scale invasion by conducting polygraph examinations on a volunteer basis, training polygraph examiners for combat units, and providing them with the necessary up-to-date scientific and methodological literature. Polygraph examiner courses of the All-Ukrainian Association of Polygraph Examiners are courses for future professionals, dedicated specialists who can solve tasks of any complexity!