Prisoners of war like Zhenya were to be exempted from returning to battle in accordance with planned legislation
Zhenya's volunteer unit was at five less than one time when the order came to lay down their arms and surrender to the invaders.
This was the beginning of a seven-month ordeal in Russian captivity, including physical and psychological torture.
< p>Prisoners of war, such as Zhenya, must have been exempted from returning to combat under planned legislation, but just five months after his release, the 41-year-old is set to reunite with his brothers in arms in one of the nation's hottest areas. conflict.
“What are you going to do?” he asked. “Haven't we done enough? Because, of course, we are returning PTSD and we need time to recover psychologically.”
Zhenya's recall to service is part of Kiev's desperate attempt to replenish its battle-worn military forces in anticipation of an impending counter-offensive to take back the territory from the occupying Russian troops.
The Ukrainian Women Veterans Movement in Kyiv provides support to female service members and also produces uniforms Photo: Heathcliff O'Malley
Preparing for the fight ahead, officials launched a massive recruiting campaign with hopes of filling the gaps created by tens of thousands of casualties on the field battle.
From British Challenger 2 tanks to long-range Storm Shadow missiles, a huge amount of NATO-standard military equipment has been sent to Kiev, but ordinary infantry will play a key role in overcoming Moscow's forces when the assault begins.
The stakes for Ukraine are high.
Zhenya, who never took up arms before joining the army on the first day of the Russian invasion, believes the conflict could soon freeze and drag on for years if a breakthrough doesn't happen soon.
“They have more ammunition, weapons, people, money – so they think they can finally win a longer war … Of course, I don’t want to believe in decades, but I’m pretty sure about years,” he said in a small Kiev cafe.
Ukrainian volunteers prepare to take part in prayers, blessings and a moment of silence to mark the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Photo: Leon Neal/Getty
Similar calculations have been made by senior politicians in the Ukrainian government if the highly publicized counter-offensive does not produce significant results in Kiev's favor in the coming months.
But for now, their focus is to ensure that the generals have enough men to push out Russian troops from heavily fortified positions in southern and eastern Ukraine.
The scale of the problem recruiters face is enormous.
Official estimates of how many Ukrainians have been lost since Volodymyr Putin ordered the invasion about 16 months ago, no.
A single briefing among many leaked U.S. intelligence documents suggests the number of Ukrainian troops killed or wounded. there may be more than 130,000 of them since the beginning of the conflict.
Recruits of the new brigade of the Ukrainian army practice shooting during military exercises Photo: Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters
Zhenya said he was worried that Ukrainian propaganda was too effective in convincing people that the country had the advantage in the war.
“I don't want people to think it's easy and that the job is already done,” he said.
Vladimir Putin launched several waves of mobilization, including calling in about 300,000 Russians to bolster his forces.
Recruiters for Ukraine are also overloaded. In recent weeks, they have ditched the old bland tactic of delivering call-up notices in favor of more aggressive ways of reaching hiring targets.
Once upon a time, military summonses were sent exclusively by mail to the house. But now uniformed men regularly knock on those doors and conduct spot checks on the streets to check civilians' eligibility to draft.
It is this crackdown on draft evaders that stalled the plan to pass a bill to free ex-POWs from service, as a result of which Zhenya was drafted into the army for the second time.
Recruits begin training in the Kiev region, Ukraine Photo: Julian Simmonds
Zhenya's first ill-fated service in the armed forces of Ukraine began when he joined the 700,000-strong line of volunteers in the country's Territorial Defense Forces.
He was handed a rifle and a grenade launcher even before he was given a uniform, such was the chaos of the first days of the war as Russian troops advanced on Kiev.
Fluent in English, his initial training included reading the US military field manual and then organizing medical and basic tactical exercises with his unit in his spare time.
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Successfully pursued Russian troops north of Kyiv and across the border. with Belarus, Zhenya's unit was withdrawn for its first official exercise, and then sent to the front line in the eastern part of the Lugansk region.
Within a few weeks, he was captured when the cities of Severodonetsk and Lisichansk collapsed and fell. into the hands of the enemy.
The Ukrainian army has long relied on volunteers like Zhenya, but now more is needed as the war with Russia enters a new phase.
Zhenya served on the Northern Front of Ukraine after Russia was ousted from Kiev
In Kiev, the volunteer was told by his commanders that he free from military service.
The only obstacle that can prevent a former charitable worker from returning to the army is the mandatory medical examination that every member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine undergoes.
With a population of over 40 million people, Ukraine has no shortage. men of draft age who could potentially sign up for his place in the armed forces.
But 16 months after the Russian invasion, the situation for Ukrainian recruiters became more difficult.
In line with martial law, which in force since February 2022, men of combat-ready age from 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving the country without a good reason.
Ukraine's mobilization rules state that, in theory, any male in this age range could be drafted into combat.
Practical training, or lack of it
One source close to the Ukrainian military said many potential volunteers fear that their sent to battlefields like Bakhmut with little to no preparation.
Some deliberately avoid the call by stopping at a different address than where they are registered. Ukraine's security services have begun harassing channels on the messaging app Telegram that advise people to avoid or even sabotage HR attempts to hand out call-up notices on the streets.
While others did not register because of overly positive messages from government of Ukraine, which states that the country is on the verge of winning the war with Russia.
There are also a few exceptions, including for students, parents with three or more children, men caring for disabled dependents, and those declared unfit for service for health reasons.
One of the Territorial Defense Units visited The Telegraph, on the outskirts of Kiev, expanded these benefits by not allowing the brothers to serve together on the front lines.
Ready to go to the front
Valery, a local administration representative in the Khotovsky district on the outskirts of the capital, was not allowed to serve in Bakhmut for this very reason .
“I'm ready to go to the front line,” he said, despite being held back to protect critical infrastructure in the capital and his brother serving on the eastern front.
Many soldiers, like Zhenya, do not care about those who have not yet come forward, because Ukrainian troops are fighting to preserve democracy and freedom of choice.< /p>
“But, of course, I have more difficult feelings for those who trying to avoid recruitment,” he added.
“They are simply moved to the lowest level of the hierarchy, because after the war, all those who did not shirk their duties will insist that our voices be heard '.
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