Invisible Ally of Russian Occupiers - December 14th 2023

December 14th 2023

Yuriy shares a poignant encounter with a fellow soldier, reflecting on their time defending Kyiv from the Russian offensive. They delve into the toll of the war, discussing the losses, injuries, and the constant stress that affects them both. This conversation sheds light on the invisible struggles faced by soldiers on the frontlines.

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TRANSCRIPT: (Podbean app users can enjoy closed captions)

It's December 14. 

This week, I met by chance, a person with whom I stood in line at the military enlistment office and served in the same unit in the very first weeks of war where we together defended Kyiv from the Russian offensive. This man is about 20 years older than me. He had already served in the Soviet army, so he was our senior in the first hours before our first officers arrived to take command. 

After the liberation of the Kyiv region, he was assigned to a unit that was fighting on the very border with Russia. We had not seen each other for about a year and a half. And when we accidentally ran into each other in one of our headquarters, we exchanged news and immediately started discussing our mutual acquaintances with whom we served together in the first days and weeks. 

It was a very sad conversation. Most of these people are no longer fighting. Some were killed, some were captured, and at least two of 25 to 30 people with whom we signed up for the army together are missing. Many of you're discharged from the army due to illness and injuries.

Even rear service did not guarantee people a peaceful life. One of our friends became a military cook relatively far from the front line, but a Russian missile hit the building where his kitchen was located, and he was seriously injured. 

In general out of those who came with us only about half are stealing the ranks. Even less. And we, those who remained, have changed a lot since the beginning of the war. That friend of mine, whom I met by chance the other day, has lost a lot of weight. He has lost at least a few of his own weight. This is despite the fact that the army feeds really testing and nutritious.  This is how constant stress, a constant feeling of danger reflects on him.

The stress also affects me very much, but in a different way. I'm losing my teeth since the beginning of the war, in less than two years, I've lost eight of them. Stress becomes an integral part of your life, but it's impossible to get used to it. You just live each day aware. Whatever step you take, every breath you take could be your last. As long as the war continues, there are no safe places or safe times. The stress sometimes gets stronger, sometimes weaker, but it never goes away completely. It becomes a part of you and it works together with Russian occupiers- while we're trying to destroy you from the outside, stress destroys you from the inside and does it very skillfully.