“I knew 100% that a full-scale war would start, I just didn’t know when…”
Ukraine’s war with Russia began ten years ago in 2014. At the end of February of the same year, Russia invaded Crimea with the aim of seizing the peninsula. Since then, the so-called war in Donbas in the East of the country has been going on, where attackers tried to capture Donetsk and Luhansk, but no one declared war. Unfortunately, Crimea is still under occupation to this day, but this was not enough for the Russian Federation. On February 24, 2022, a full-scale invasion took place with the aim of capturing the capital Kyiv in three days. “I was coming from a bar where I watched the Chelsea fight, fell asleep at home in a good mood, and then I got a call on the group chat and was informed about the begging of war,” says a soldier who I had the opportunity to interview.
Russian invasion of Ukraine map 2014
Background information
The Government of Ukraine recognizes February 20, 2014, as the date marking the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war, which also saw the first recorded incursion of Russian troops into Crimea, violating established agreements and international norms. Although Crimea and the city of Sevastopol were illegally occupied and forcefully annexed by Russia, it did not immediately trigger a large-scale conventional war. Instead, it was this covert military action—rather than the later declared “special military operation” of 2022—that ignited the largest war in Europe since World War II.Following the occupation of Crimea, the conflict escalated in the Donbas region, where, in early April 2014, the first signs of protracted conflict emerged. The annexation of Crimea was not driven by internal political shifts within the peninsula, but rather by an audacious external military operation, constituting a clear act of war. From April 2014 to February 2022, the Donetsk region became a site of both high and low-intensity conflicts, marking a distinct and ongoing chapter in Russian-Ukrainian relations. However, this phase of hybrid warfare in Donbas was only one part of the broader war initiated by Moscow on February 20, 2014— a war that continues to unfold. The occupation of Crimea by Russian forces was part of a pre-planned military operation, marking the beginning of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This violent and illegal expansion of Russian territory at Ukraine’s expense was the catalyst for the Russian-Ukrainian war, a conflict that has had profound and lasting consequences for the region and the world.
Way back to home
“I came from abroad, I was in Bulgaria, I came back two days after the start of the full-scale war… I went by bus to Bucharest, then to a small town on the border of Ukraine and then about 10 kilometers walk because there were columns of cars in both directions to leave the country… it was on the weekend and on Monday I went to the military registration and enlistment office… on February 28, 2022, I started serving,” the soldier talks about his bold decision to return to his homeland and defend it from attackers. He, like most of the Ukrainian army, is a volunteer. From the very first days, the people realized that they had to fight for their land and should not expect help from anyone else. Many Ukrainians who were abroad at the time, despite the difficult journey home, returned to defend Ukraine.
How Ukraine prepare soldiers to the war
“At first, we spent a month at checkpoints, then a month in training, and then we went to the front to Bakhmut and from there to Soledar…. During a month of training, about 80% of the information received was unique, you learn the most necessary things on the spot in battle… in Soledar there was a front line (zero point ), this was the first mission lasting 81 days…”, unfortunately, the mens who went to fight voluntarily did not have enough skills and the training provided by the country did not help much, so they had to learn themselves directly during the battle and mission to the front line.
Life at the front line
“The second time we came to Bakhmut it was the hottest spot on the planet, but we stayed for 21 days, although according to the plan we were supposed to stay only one day…on the 15th day I got concussion and was evacuated, it was -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) at night, the building where we were without doors and windows, the temperature outside and in the room was the same, we slept for two hours and four were fighting, there were only two sleeping bags for eight people. . we were very sleepy … several times there was no water, in winter we had to eat snow to quench our thirst, in September or October we drained the water from the pipes and luckily, we had pills that purified it for drinking … you can survive without food for a long time under stress, but the lack of water and sleep was always present …” This is how a soldier talks about the terrible days when their units were on missions at front line and until the mission was over, they had no way to return or communicate outside the combat zone. Sometimes they did not have enough water and food, but they fought tirelessly. Every day they hoped for the best because every day on the front line is different.
10 years of War
Not many foreigners know that Russia’s war with Ukraine has been going on for 10 years. Most people consider a full-scale invasion in 2022 to be the beginning of the conflict, but it is wrong. “The war in 2014 and in 2022, although it is one conflict, the intensity of the war is enormously different… the war is changing very quickly, the difference between our first and last mission is very large… the war has changed since 2014 and there was no such intensity as now, so even those who served in the army lacked skills… drones have changed reality – a $500 drone can neutralize a tank worth a couple million dollars…the war is developing and changing every day,” adds the soldier. Over the 10 years of war, there have been many battles of different intensity, but they are all one conflict. At the moment, with new equipment and technologies, the war is progressing very quickly. Tanks have always had a powerful force and advantage over other types of weapons, but at the moment, much cheaper drones can neutralize an enemy tank.
Mobilization
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, general mobilization of citizens has begun. General mobilization is the replenishment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with new military personnel throughout the country. During this period, all citizens aged 18 to 60 who are able to perform military duty are subject to mobilization. Employees of military registration and enlistment offices (TCR) pick up civilians on the streets, force them into buses and take them to training and then to the front line. A soldier expresses his opinion on such actions: “I am categorically against full mobilization, the TCR takes too harsh measures. They gather people who don’t even know how to shoot, and then experienced military personnel have to constantly monitor them because they don’t know how to do anything, they are afraid and don’t want to learn anything. They want to get out of there as soon as possible… this mobilization is not actually legal.” All civilians agree with the soldier’s opinion because the legal situation in the country has not been established and involuntary mobilization is a violation of personal rights.”Now the legal situation declared in the country does not correspond to what is happening, we are at war, not a large-scale aggression, which they are trying to call any word but not war,” adds the soldier.
The “voluntary” mobilization
Life in cities and at the front line like two realities
The situation on the front line and in cities far from front line it is very different. Despite the daily air raids and shelling in the cities, people are trying to live a normal life. In the center and West parts of the country, people visit restaurants, clubs, celebrate birthdays and other events. This behavior outrages many military mens because while some are having fun others are dying. A soldier commented on this situation: “A lot of guys are shocked that people in cities can have fun, but I always say, what are we fighting for? For them to walk around all sad? I am happy when I see that people in the cities live a normal life, although for the most part it pisses off the military, for them it is a trigger and a difference between two completely different realities… there were two guys in our unit who were 20 years old, if I had seen what they saw when I was 20, I would probably begin to go crazy and I don’t know if I could have returned to normal life even after the war, so I can understand them… there are people who dream about the horrors of war every day and it is difficult for them to understand this difference between the two realities. “
Last fight
Unfortunately, in addition to the need for food, sleep and water, the front line is sometimes short of weapons. “Six months after the beginning of the war, there was a shortage of artillery weapons, the ratio was 1 to 10, we shoot once and they shoot 10 times, now the situation is a little better and we have advantages,” the soldier describes the situation. He once found himself in this kind of situation, “For 12 hours I reported to the command that the enemy was concentrating in front of me, we had nothing to shoot with, neither mortars nor artillery… as a result, I lost a leg and two other guys 200, and we had to give up our positions and move back 200 meters, they overwhelmed us with numbers.” (the number 200 in Ukraine refers to the dead and the number 300 is responsible for the wounded), unfortunately, in this battle the soldier lost his leg and was evacuated…
“I was promoted to the rank of senior lieutenant after being wounded,” the soldier concludes.
Volunteers
The soldier is currently undergoing rehabilitation in the United States. Volunteers from the “Our Foundation” take care of the wounded soldiers. They provide them with housing, prosthetics and rehabilitation. The goal of this foundation is to return the guys to a normal life, so when they return home they can walk and take care of themselves. Ukraine is not resting on its laurels and is defending its land to the last due to volunteers – those who voluntarily started fighting, those who provide the military with everything they need-from clothes to weapons, those who take care of families who have been left homeless, those who help wounded soldiers.The Ukrainian people never give up, so we will stand to the last with the hope that soon it will be over and we will forget this as a bad dream. Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Armed Forces of Ukraine!
By Sofiia Sysak
References
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