Five days on the front, five days in the rear. This is how the life of the soldier Sergei, who requested anonymity, has been organized since he decided to enlist in the summer of 2024, after a breakup. The 30-something former television presenter in Ukraine is among the privileged − those who benefit from regular rotations, while others sometimes spend weeks on the front. He has been fighting for over eight months in the Zaporizhzhia region, in southern Ukraine, a region divided by war and which the Kremlin has claimed full sovereignty over ever since a sham referendum of annexation to the Russian Federation in September 2022.

Sergei's days and nights on the front involve launching reconnaissance and attack drones on Russian positions. His time in Zaporizhzhia, the regional capital under Ukrainian control, is spent taking care of the cat he shares responsibility for with another soldier, going to the movies, resting and trying to live a "normal" life, despite everything. His breaks at the rear are also an opportunity to catch up on current events. Regarding the US administration's efforts to end the conflict, Sergei remained skeptical: "This war will last another 10 years," he said, convinced that Vladimir Putin has not abandoned his goals.

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