Most people would not be eager to go to war. Such a desire is often related to some youthful romanticism or, in some cases, a kind of mental disorder.
In Ukraine the defense of our country was the fatal necessity that prompted most of us to take up arms. And we’ve held the line for three years (or, to be more precise, almost 11 years).
We have held the line, despite what it has done to our bodies and our lives. Tens of thousands have been killed, and many more have been injured — like the soldiers in these images. Why do we fight? Because this is our country, and we have no other.
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Vadym Iliushko, left, a sergeant in the 108th Territorial Defense Brigade in the Ukrainian Army, said he was hit with shrapnel near Zaporizhzhia in July 2023. “When I woke up, my comrades were standing by my bed,” he said. “I couldn’t lift my head. After the surgery, I asked, ‘Is my leg still there?’ They were silent. I understood.”
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