Ukrainian soldiers returning from the front lines in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region — where Russia is waging a heavy offensive — describe life during what has turned into a grueling war of attrition as apocalyptic. In interviews with The Associated Press, some complained of chaotic organization, desertions and mental health problems caused by the relentless bombing. Others spoke of high morale, the heroism of their colleagues and a commitment to keep fighting, even as the better-equipped Russians control most of the battle zone. Lieutenant Volodymyr Nazarenko, 30, second-in-command of the Ukrainian National Guard’s Svoboda battalion, was with the troops that retreated from Sievierodonetsk on orders from military leaders. During a month-long battle, Russian tanks obliterated any possible defensive positions and turned a city with a pre-war population of 101,000 into “a scorched wasteland,” he said. “We were bombarded every day. I don’t want to lie about it. But these were barrages of ammunition on every building,” Nazarenko said. “The city was leveled methodically.” At the time, Sievierodonetsk was one of two major cities under Ukrainian control in Luhansk province, where pro-Russian separatists declared an unrecognized republic eight years ago. By the time the order to leave came on June 24, the Ukrainians were surrounded on three sides and defended by a chemical plant that also housed civilians. “If there was a hell on Earth anywhere, it was in Severodonetsk,” said Artem Ruban, a soldier in Nazarenko’s battalion, from the relative safety of Bakhmut, 64 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of the since-occupied city. “The inner strength of our boys allowed them to hold the city until the last moment.” “These were not human conditions they had to fight in. It’s hard to explain to you here, how they feel now or what it was like there,” Ruban said, blinking into the sunlight. “They fought to the end there. The task was to destroy the enemy, no matter what.” The story continues Nazarenko, who also fought in Kyiv and elsewhere in the east after Russia invaded Ukraine, considers the Ukrainian operation in Sievierodonetsk “a victory” despite the outcome. He said the defenders managed to limit casualties while stalling the Russian advance for much longer than expected, draining Russia’s resources. “Their army suffered huge losses and their ability to attack was eliminated,” he said. Both the lieutenant and the soldier under his command expressed confidence that Ukraine would take back all the occupied territories and defeat Russia. They insisted morale remains high. Other soldiers, most with no combat experience before the invasion, shared more downbeat accounts while insisting on anonymity or using only their first names to discuss their experiences. Oleksiy, a member of the Ukrainian army who began fighting against Moscow-backed separatists in 2016, had just returned from the front with a severe limp. He said he was wounded on the battlefield in Zolote, a town the Russians have also since captured. “On TV, they show beautiful images of the front lines, solidarity, the army, but the reality is very different,” he said, adding that he did not believe handing over more Western weapons would change the course of the war. His battalion began to run out of ammunition within weeks, Oleksiy said. At one point, the relentless shelling prevented the soldiers from getting up in the trenches, he said, exhaustion showing on his lined face. A senior presidential aide said last month that 100 to 200 Ukrainian soldiers were dying each day, but the country has not provided a total death toll in the battle. Oleksiy claimed that his unit lost 150 men during the first three days of battle, many from blood loss. Because of the relentless shelling, wounded soldiers were evacuated only at night and sometimes had to wait up to two days, he said. “Commanders don’t care if you’re mentally broken. If you have a working heart, if you have arms and legs, you have to come back,” he added. Mariia, a 41-year-old platoon commander who joined the Ukrainian army in 2018 after working as a lawyer and giving birth to a daughter, explained that the level of danger and discomfort can vary greatly depending on a unit’s location and access to supply lines. The front lines that have existed since the conflict with pro-Russian separatists began in 2014 are more static and predictable, while the places that have become battlegrounds since Russia sent its troops to invade are “a different world,” he said. Maria, who declined to share her last name for security reasons, said her husband is currently struggling in such a “hot spot”. Everyone misses and worries about their loved ones, and although it’s heartbreaking, her subordinates have kept their spirits high, she said. “We are descendants of Cossacks, we are free and brave. It’s in our blood,” he said. “We’ll fight to the end.” Two other soldiers interviewed by the AP — former office workers in Kyiv with no prior combat experience — said they were sent to the front lines in the east as soon as they completed their initial training. They said they observed “terrible organization” and “absurd decision-making” and many people in their battalion refused to fight. One of the soldiers said he smokes marijuana every day. “Otherwise, I would lose my mind, I would give up. It’s the only way I can cope,” he said. A 28-year-old former teacher in Sloviansk who “never imagined” he would be fighting for his country described Ukraine’s battlefields as a completely different life, with a different value system and emotional highs and lows. “There is joy, there is sadness. Everything is interconnected,” he said. Friendship with his colleagues provides the bright spots. But he also saw fellow soldiers succumb to extreme fatigue, both physical and mental, and develop symptoms of PTSD. “It is difficult to live under constant stress, lack of sleep and malnutrition. To see all these horrors with your own eyes – the dead, the torn limbs. It is unlikely that anyone’s psyche can withstand this,” he said. However, he also insisted that the motivation to defend their country remains. “We are ready to endure and fight with gritted teeth. As hard and difficult as it is,” said the teacher, speaking from a fishing shop turned military distribution center. “Who will defend my home and my family if not me?” The center in the city of Sloviansk provides local military units with equipment and supplies and gives soldiers a place to go during short respites from the physical horrors and horrors of combat. Tetiana Khimion, a 43-year-old dance choreographer, set up the center when the war began. All kinds of soldiers come through, he says, from specialized special forces and war-hardened veterans to civilians-turned-combatants who just recently signed up. “It can be like this: The first time he comes, he smiles widely, he can even be shy. The next time he comes and there is emptiness in his eyes,” Khimion said. “He’s been through something and he’s different.” Behind her, a group of young Ukrainian soldiers taking turns from the front line sit sharing jokes and a pizza. The boom of artillery can be heard a few miles away. “Mostly they hope for the best. Yes, sometimes they come a little sad, but we hope to lift their spirits here as well,” said Khimion. “We hug, we smile at each other, and then they go back to the fields.” On Sunday, Russian forces captured the last Ukrainian stronghold in Luhansk province and stepped up rocket attacks on Donetsk, the Donbas province where the center is located.
Valerii Rezik contributed to this story.
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