He was given the award of Honoured Worker of Higher Education of the Russian Federation, and a veteran of World War II Ladyga was one of the authors of the Soviet doctrine for using Strategic Missile Troops in combat.

In the early days of the war, as a platoon commander (Lieutenant) of a 45-mm antitank gun battery (in the 173rd individual anti-tank battalion of the 27th Rifle Corps), his unit repelled the attack of Guderian's Panzer Army against the city of Lutsk, and against the town of Torchin on 24 and 25 June where his squad destroyed five enemy tanks.

He commanded the same group of scouts, with partisans of General AN Polesie Saburov of the 18th Guards Rifle Corps, in the assault and liberation of Yelsk.

In February 1944 near Shepetovka, the reconnaissance units under his command infiltrated through enemy lines and captured six Germans who gave valuable information.

During 1944–1945, as part of the 18th Guards Rifle Corps, he was appointed to the post of chief of operations of the Staff of the Infantry Division liberating Izyaslav, Ternopil, Stanislav, Staryi Sambir, Uzhgorod and Bucharest, he was particularly involved in the heavy fighting during the assault on Budapest, in the repelling of enemy armoured counter-attacks in the area of Székesfehérvár and in the capture of Vienna.