Four years after Russia's invasion, Ukrainian soldiers are 'tired, but we're holding strong'
"Denys," a soldier in the 1st Separate Unmanned Aerial Systems Center, on a street in Dnipro, Ukraine, on February 1, 2026. VIRGINIE NGUYEN HOANG/HL/HUMA FOR LE MONDE "Only the dead will see the end of the war," the man called "Denys" said with a fatalistic smile, paraphrasing a famous quote (origin unknown, though it is often attributed to Plato). Despite the intense spate of international diplomatic activity that has occurred since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, it was pointless to look for a Ukrainian soldier who believed that now, four years after the Russian invasion began, peace was coming soon. "Denys" – who did not wish to either share his real name or his nom de guerre, as it is too recognizable – spent two years on the front lines with the Ukrainian naval infantry special forces before joining the 1st Separate Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Center, created by Major Boris Martynenko. The unit is an elite formation of the Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS). "The soldiers truly believe that only the dead will see the end of the war, because if you start thinking about life after the war, you favor the desire to live over the will to fight," he said, speaking at a café in the eastern city of Dnipro. He paused, then added, "We are like samurai, we have accepted our own death in advance." You have 83.95% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.
