The two men, wearing socks and sandals, nervously finished their cigarette in front of the entrance to the building, a former Soviet spa planted among the pines on the outskirts of Kyiv. The Lissova-Poliana mental health and rehabilitation center offers soldiers and former POWs a welcome respite from the fury of the trenches and the torture endured in Russian jails. A stay, lasting from three weeks to two months, is intended to allow them to regain their composure and soothe their invisible wounds – post-traumatic stress, concussion or nervous disorders – before returning to the front. Since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, the 220-bed center has welcomed over 10,000 soldiers.

But since the US has begun to move closer to Russia, and Donald Trump is putting pressure on Volodymyr Zelensky, who he called a "dictator," to force him to sign a ceasefire agreement as soon as possible, healthcare professionals are struggling to keep their patients in this protective bubble.

"We hear everything that's going on. This crazy situation is an additional source of turmoil for the soldiers, who have already been through a lot physically and psychologically after three years of war," said Ksenia Voznitsyna, the institute's director, which is run by the Ministry of Health. "But they are striving to be even more united and focused to keep their fighting spirit."

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