Report from the Ukrainian front: Three years in the trenches

Konstantin Goncharov worked as a journalist for DW until 2022. After the start Russian aggression, voluntarily enlisted in the Ukrainian army. This is his personal account of his experiences after three years of war in his homeland.

Neither international sanctions, loud political threats, nor fear of its consequences could stop the Russian military aggression against Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin did not let his own losses stop him. On the contrary, every defeat on the battlefield forces Russian Federation to seek new opportunities instead of giving up the war.

In almost three years, I have seen how the Russian army changes, how the battlefield changes, how our defense forces adapt to war - like a living organism that has found itself in a hostile environment.

The Ukrainian army has learned not only to survive in this environment, but also to change it to its advantage with the help of the most modern inventions. But no technology can replace the most important thing in this war - a person who, despite fatigue, pain and fear, firmly holds on to his homeland.

From gun to drone

The first arrival at the front is never forgotten: the ground shakes under your feet, the air is torn by explosions, houses crackle in flames, the piercing whistle of shrapnel and distant screams are heard.

In that moment I experienced for the first time real war, its chaos and its ruthlessness.

I remember the first thumps - short, jerky, like continuous blows to reality itself, breaking through tree branches and hitting metal.

The smell of fire and gunpowder filled the lungs and seemed to linger on the tongue – bitter, sulphurous, as if dozens of fireworks were exploding at the same time. But there is nothing to celebrate, it is the bitter reality of war.

My career in the army began in the reconnaissance platoon of the airborne brigade that liberated the Kherson and Nikolaev regions and fought in the Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions. First we fought for every position, then for every street and ruin in the cities destroyed by artillery duels and air bombs.

After being wounded and months of rehabilitation, I was transferred to the radio-electronic reconnaissance unit. Now my weapons are not machine guns, but information.

Analyzing radio signals, we track enemy movements, checkpoints, enemy drones and electronic warfare assets.

Not only did my path in the war change, but the war itself. A new decisive factor appeared on the battlefield. FPV drones equipped with a camera and an operator, which at the beginning of the invasion seemed like forced improvisation and a desperate attempt to replenish artillery ammunition, have now become fully developed and highly accurate weapons.

Trenches, shelters, armored vehicles - everything becomes a target in a kind of pilot competition: Who will discover, reach and destroy the enemy first?

With the development of drones came a new challenge - how to fight them. Electronic warfare, or radio jamming, is advancing at an incredible rate, forcing FPV pilots to change frequencies, improve communication algorithms, and invent new control methods on a daily basis.

No advantage lasts forever. It requires constant hard work by developers and engineers.

The limit of human endurance

However, all this technological progress cannot achieve the most important thing - to restore strength to those who are on the frontline under constant tension.

After three years of war, rotations of infantry units have become a critical problem for the Ukrainian army. Tired soldiers who spend weeks or even months on the front line waiting to be replaced lose alertness and combat morale.

Insomnia blurs consciousness, the body is weakened by lack of food and water. In such moments, you no longer think or analyze, you just function, react to dangers and carry out orders.

Soldiers fight for months and years, they have no chance to return to normal life, even for a few days. Even a short break would allow a return to the battlefield with more stamina. But any combat-ready unit is worth its weight in gold today.

On most of the front lines, the Armed Forces of Ukraine conduct strategic defense, so the commanders simply do not have the right to withdraw part of the troops for rest.

In their place, a gap would open that the enemy would immediately try to exploit. As long as the war lasts, the soldiers remain at their positions, where they endure with superhuman efforts.

Paradoxically, however, the war is often felt even more strongly in the relatively peaceful cities of the hinterland. Deprived of sleep due to endless air raid warnings, peaceful residents live as if they are waiting for some tragedy they cannot prevent.

It's easier on the front, everything is clear here. There is an order, a task and an enemy. The main thing is to be efficient, because not only your survival depends on it, but also how fast you get closer to victory.

Resistance force

The war changed me. Something abstract or incomprehensible has become everyday, in the brutal reality of which there is still room for small joys: a cup of hot tea after a hard day, an opportunity to wash away dirt, a few hours of silence without explosions.

It is a real pleasure to see drones destroying enemy attacks on our positions.

Of course, I want to go back to my family, a quiet life and my favorite activities, to no longer have to pick up shovels, freeze in wet trenches, eat instant noodles or dream of hot water, a bathroom and clean clothes.

Each of us is tired, but we cannot give up now. We have no choice but to keep fighting - not only for ourselves, but also for the dead and those who are waiting for us at home. For the right to live freely.

I don't believe in quick peace because I don't see common ground between the parties for compromise. Why would the aggressor end the war if he continues his "light offensive" and conquers more and more territories of Ukraine?

Russia will not retreat on its own, only organized resistance can stop it. Only where infantry and drones, technology and unrelenting fighting spirit cooperate, the enemy has no chance to advance further.

At the same time, any delay in providing international aid provides the enemy with an opportunity to strengthen its positions. This is obvious to everyone on the front lines.

But our struggle will continue despite all the political changes and the reluctance of foreign partners. Although now some of the world's leading politicians are shifting the responsibility for the outbreak of war from the aggressors to us, our resistance will not abate. After all, we are not only defending our territory, but also our identity and right to the future.