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Ukrainians mobilized: A nation transformed by war
When Russian airstrikes struck Ukraine on 24 February 2022, thousands of civilians abandoned their daily lives to enlist in the military. Four years later, the conflict has reshaped identities, careers, and personal priorities for those who took up arms-some voluntarily, others through conscription.
The nightclub administrator turned pilot
Olena once managed a Prague nightclub, envisioning a future filled with endless possibilities. Now, she serves as a Ukrainian military pilot after enlisting in December 2024. Reflecting on her transformation, she describes her past self as "calmer, more naive."
"My old life was a relentless race-to achieve, earn, and prove myself," she says. "Now, the only thing that matters is that my comrades survive enemy strikes." The silence following news of losses, she admits, is often harder to endure than the explosions themselves.
Olena draws strength from her family, who endure power outages and cold but remain hopeful. "My place is here," she asserts, "as long as the enemy occupies my homeland."
From NGO worker to reluctant soldier
Oleh, a publishing graduate and former NGO employee, froze in fear when the invasion began. "I never saw myself as a soldier," he recalls. Yet within a month, he enlisted, trading board games and fiction writing for combat.
"You're trapped in a shrinking mental space, watching life continue outside while you have no way out."
Oleh, Ukrainian soldier
The war shattered his belief in positive thinking. "It doesn't protect you from armed thugs," he says. "The only way to help now is through action-not words."
A barista's awakening to war's realities
Anastasia, a former barista, found purpose in drones after joining the army in March 2025. As an FPV operator, she faces skepticism as a woman in uniform. "You constantly prove you're as capable as the men," she explains.
Eleven months of service have redefined her values. "Happiness is simple now: time with loved ones, love, and not fearing you won't wake up tomorrow."
The bio-engineer who traded surgeries for frontline medicine
Roman, once a leading bio-engineer designing 3D facial reconstruction models, volunteered as a medic in 2022 before being mobilized. "I might have moved to Copenhagen," he says. Instead, he now serves in an unmanned systems battalion, living day-to-day.
"I'll rest after the war," he jokes, then pauses. "Actually, there'll be countless surgeries to perform then. Maybe after that."
Veterans' scars: Captivity and loss
Viktor, a veteran who had left the military before the invasion, returned to Ukraine from Poland in 2022. "I had no choice," he says. Side-by-side photos of his pre-war self reveal a stark contrast: "I barely recognize that young man."
Most of his comrades from those early days are dead. "It's like looking at a stranger," he reflects, "but I'm still me-just someone who didn't know what lay ahead."
Serhii, a former government employee, was captured during the Azovstal siege in Mariupol. Held for over two years, he describes captivity as "the worst experience of my life." The uncertainty of survival forced a reckoning: "You start rushing to live." Now in rehabilitation, he reflects on his pre-war self: "Oh, kid, you had no idea what awaited you."
Kyrylo, another former prisoner, lost his home, family, and plans to the war. "While you fight, you're someone," he says. "When you stop, you're nobody."
A generation redefined
For these soldiers, the war has erased old ambitions and replaced them with a single, unifying purpose: defending their country. As Olena puts it, "Everything became simpler-what matters is that my brothers-in-arms survive."
