Yulia Mykytenko

2 weeks ago | irishtimes.com | Yulia Mykytenko |Lara Marlowe

For a month, I thought I might never see them again. I’ll use their call signs, because the names of enlisted men are not supposed to appear in newspapers. Frosty, Hrynia and Yakut are my brothers-in-arms from another platoon. Their harrowing escape under fire from beneath a collapsed building on the front line was the most important thing that happened to my company in March. Frosty’s cold demeanour earned him his nom de guerre.

1 month ago | irishtimes.com | Yulia Mykytenko |Lara Marlowe

February was a cruel, cold month for me, for my comrades in the 54th mechanised brigade and for Ukraine. Painful losses on the battlefield were compounded by the apparent defection of our most important ally, the United States. I last saw Denys on December 23rd, 2024. He accompanied a pastor from his church and volunteers to my reconnaissance platoon on the front line in Donetsk.