Ukraine: a personal story

NATO Review offers expert opinion, analysis and debate on security issues. What is published in this magazine does not necessarily represent the official position or policy of member governments, or of NATO

 

A year ago I volunteered as a soldier in the Ukrainian army

Pavlo Kazarin

I’d never served in the Armed Forces before. Hadn’t even done compulsory military service. I’d always been a journalist – both before 2014, when I lived in Crimea, and after 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and I had to move to Kyiv. Then in 2022, on day two of Russia’s full-scale invasion, I went and joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

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