On Saturday, September 28, the apartment door opened to reveal the distressed, tired face of a 24-year-old soldier. It had been seven days since Serhiy Hnezdilov took the radical step of publicly announcing his decision to "leave without authorization" the 56th Motorized Infantry Brigade unit "until clear service conditions are established" or until his 25th birthday, the legal age for mobilization. This desperate act of protest aims to highlight the lack of demobilization prospects for soldiers who have been serving since the beginning of the invasion, while the army continues to struggle to recruit enough men to replace them. "We can’t continue like this: One man is forced to defend the country for the rest of his life, while another continues to live normally," said Hnezdilov.
The message, posted on Facebook, triggered numerous reactions on social media, as well as in the country's media. Some saw it as a welcome gesture, while others criticized it as an irresponsible decision that could encourage further desertions at a time when Kyiv's armed forces continue to retreat in the face of Russian army assaults on the Donbas front.
His actions had even more impact because the man, who volunteered in 2019 during the Donbas war to fight on the Pisky front in the Donetsk region, was already relatively well-known as an activist and soldier thanks to his Facebook page. Moreover, he was also recognized for his lengthy interviews with Ukrainian public figures, often politicians or activists, which he conducted as a journalist for the Ukrainian media outlet Hromadske and for his involvement in organizing a national culture festival in the south of the country. These activities have now drawn a great deal of criticism on social media as to his legitimacy as a fighter. "I always did these during my vacation time," he expressed calmly.
Since his return to the capital, Hnezdilov has changed phones and apartments regularly, fearing that the authorities will arrest him and send him back to the front. "They're looking for me," he said while chain-smoking and anxiously observing the movements in the parking lot. Hnezdilov hopes for a high-profile trial to continue drawing attention to the issue. As evidence of the delicate nature of his case, he claims that four lawyers have already refused to take it on.
It took months of discussions and fruitless warnings about the need to grant soldiers time off before Hnezdilov finally resolved to make this ultimate decision. His gesture, he explained, was as much about getting the authorities to react as it was about waking up the civilians who stayed behind and refused to enlist. "Don't tell me there's no one to mobilize," he said while looking down at the traffic below his building.
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