It Will Actually Be Worse Further - November 29th 2023

November 29th 2023

Yuriy recounts a powerful story of his friend, a former soldier, who fought against Russia and the challenges he faced after the war. From rebuilding relationships to finding a new identity, Yuriy explores the difficult journey of reintegrating into civilian life after experiencing the horrors of war.

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TRANSCRIPT: (Podbean app users can enjoy closed captions)

It is November 29. 

I have a close friend who fought against Russia in 2014 and 2015. He's from Crimea, the same peninsula with Russia occupied in early 2014. Just to remind you, the war has been going on in Ukraine since then, but until last winter it was localized in a relatively small area in the east of the country. In 2014, the Russians had already occupied part of a foreign country, had already killed people on the foreign soil but we were lying, but it was not wha, but it was a civil war and the world pretended to believe them. Because otherwise it would have to find new sources of oil and gas supplies, new markets for its goods and in general, it would have to admit that the people in power in Russia are not reliable responsible partners, but cannibals, the world was not yet ready for it at that time. 

So my friend did not agree with the occupation of his native Crimea, went to give, joined the Army and fought against Russians for two years. He left the army not of his own free will, but due to injury. He was badly cut by shrapnel, he spent a lot of time in the hospital and then he underwent rehabilitation for several more months after the injury. It was very difficult for him to return to normal life. The war changed him so much that his wife even left him, he became a completely alien person to her, not like then one she married. 

Before the army, my friend worked as a director on television. He tried to return to his profession, but he did not last long. He said, "I cannot shoot cheerful holidays and loud concerts when people continue to die at the front." So he went to work as a truck driver, he said that it was a meditative occupation that distracted him from his heavy thoughts. After the start of a full scale invasion, he tried to return to the army, but he was refused due to the injury- he was recognized as unfit for service. 

Now, he sometimes calls me to ask about when use and give advice. This week he called again and warned: No matter how difficult it is now, the hardest and most painful will be after the war. After you have to find yourself in your normal life again. You will need to find a job again, rebuild relationships, destroyed by war, and a long separation even with the closest people. He says that it'll be very difficult to look at those who did not go to the army and made a great career while you were protecting them, sacrificing your career. 

It'll be difficult to persuade employers to hire you with your many years of absence from the profession while there are many people on the market who have not been to the Army and have continuous experience, have not forgotten anything and do not have disorders that are always present in veterans in civilian life. After a long absence from it, it is very easy to get lost rules of existence where are very quickly forgotten. Values change even where understanding of what relationships between people in a team should be after the army will be completely different from what they were before the army.

You know, from time to time, there are stories in the news about how some prisoner was released from prison after many years behind bars and immediately got hit by a car or by a tram because he simply forgot how to live a normal life. Even such simple things as a crossing the street. In army in action, this is also forgotten very quickly. I remember how I myself got confused when in the first summer of a full scale invasion, I came to Kyiv from the front for a few days and couldn't remember how to pay for a subway ride. This is a very simple thing, I did it thousands of times, but suddenly I got lost. I just stood and looked at the closed turnstile until the subway workers opened  it for a strange person in a military uniform. Therefore, I have almost no doubts, but it'll actually be worse, further. But first we still have to win.