The Russian bombardment of Ukraine beginning on 24 February 2022 abruptly transformed tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians into soldiers.
Many who had never handled weapons before quickly took up arms. Over the ensuing four years, as the conflict persisted and initial patriotic enthusiasm waned, thousands more were conscripted. Military service for men is open-ended and applies to those aged 25 to 65, while women serve on a contractual basis.
From muddy dugouts, drone command centres, frontline observation posts, and rehabilitation centres, nine Ukrainian soldiers shared with the BBC their experiences of the civilians they once were, the soldiers they have become, and the toll the war has taken on them.
Olena, 26: 'My place is here as long as the enemy is in my house'
Until recently, Olena worked as a nightclub administrator in Prague. She recalls,
"It felt like everything was ahead of me - and there was plenty of time."
She realised that to protect her future, she needed to act rather than remain stuck in the past.
In December 2024, Olena returned to Ukraine, joined the army, and became a pilot.
"I look at the 'before' photo and see myself calmer," Olena says. "More naive. Everything became different. I became different."
"My 'past' life was filled with a constant chase: to make it in time, to achieve, to build, to earn, to prove. Now, everything is simpler: what matters is that my brothers-in-arms are alive after enemy strikes."
She explains that the hardest moments are not the explosions or danger but rather,
"Sometimes the hardest thing is the silence after the news of losses."
Olena draws strength from thoughts of her family, who remain away from the front lines and endure weeks without light and heating but maintain hope for a better future.
She cannot envision another life while fighting continues, stating,
"My place is here as long as the enemy is in my house."
Oleh, 37: 'I am not a military man, I have never seen myself like that'
On 24 February 2022, like most Ukrainians, Oleh felt
"confused, and scared."
While some fled towards borders and others to enlistment offices, Oleh froze, trying to overcome his fear. A publishing graduate and former NGO worker, he said,
"I am not a military man, I have never seen myself like that, and I did not understand how ordinary people could stand in the way of such a powerful enemy like Russia."
Nonetheless, the following month he joined the army. He enjoyed role-playing board games and wrote fiction before the war.
He describes the soldier's experience as,
"constantly in a small room in your head, the space of which is getting smaller every time. Outside the window, others are living… while there is no handle on the door on your side to get out."
The war has profoundly affected him. He reflects,
"Before, it was important for me to help others find their way, to become strong, self-confident. Now I understand that the technique of positive thinking does not save you from armed thugs."
Oleh sees fighting back as a form of helping, not with words but with actions:
"Getting rid of them, Oleh says, is a way of helping not with words but deeds.
"You can't save everyone. But even your unsuccessful attempts will matter."
Anastasiia, 19: 'Before, I didn't have a clear concept of values in life'
After finishing school, Anastasiia was uncertain about her future and worked as a barista. She then became fascinated by drones, which have become central to the conflict in Ukraine, and in March 2025 joined the army.
She initially served as an unmanned systems duty officer and later became a first-person view (FPV) operator.
Anastasiia notes that being a woman in the armed forces has been and remains challenging:
"You constantly have to prove you are worthy of doing the job, and on an equal footing with others."
In the 11 months since enlisting, she has gained new perspectives on happiness, listing
"Time with loved ones, love, delicious food,"
and adds,
"Being close to your family. Not being afraid that you won't wake up tomorrow."
She reflects on how her values have changed:
"Before, I didn't have a clear concept of values in this life due to my age," she says. "Now, I feel completely different."
Roman, 42: 'I try not to think about the future'
Prior to the full-scale invasion, Roman was a leading bio-engineer in Ukraine, specialising in creating 3D models for facial reconstruction surgeries. After 2022, he volunteered as a medic and was later mobilised.
He remarks,
"If the war hadn't happened I may have moved to Copenhagen. I worked there a lot, with the best surgeons."
Instead, Roman has spent the past years in dugouts across Ukraine. Currently positioned in the north, he tries
"not to think about the future - I live here and now."
He operates drones and applies his medical skills whenever possible. He considers his life intertwined with his work, as it was before joining the army.
Regarding the war's duration, he says,
"For now, there is no end in sight.
"I will rest after the war," he laughs. Then he pauses. "No, there'll be lots of reconstruction surgery to be done then. So, maybe, after that."
Viktor, 28: 'I look at these photos and it's like a different person'
A photo taken in early 2022 shows Viktor weeks before he made what he calls the most important decision of his life.
Having served four years in the army and moved to Poland, he returned to Ukraine on the afternoon the Russian invasion began:
"Not because I wasn't afraid, but because I had no choice."
Reflecting on the photos, he says,
"In these photos, I am young. A little boy," he says now. "I barely remember myself like that anymore. But I remember very clearly who I became, and who the war turned me into."
After sharing these photos on social media, thousands of Ukrainian soldiers followed suit. Viktor notes,
"Our eyes say a lot. There's no need to even spell out the things we have seen or done."
Almost all his friends who joined the fight alongside him have died.
He concludes,
"I look at these photos and it's like a different person, but at the same time I'm still me - just someone who didn't know what was ahead. It's probably good that I didn't know."
Serhii, 42: Two years as a prisoner of war
On the day the Russian invasion began, Serhii, a civilian government employee, joined the army. By spring, he was among thousands of Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russia during the siege of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol.
He was held captive for over two years, describing the experience as the most harrowing of his life:
"That feeling of being doomed… Out of everything I've done in the army and in life overall, that was the worst. Not having any idea what the future could bring or what would come next."
During the siege's long days, he underwent a profound reassessment of his values, feeling as if
"you suddenly start rushing to live."
He contemplated his life before and after the war and set goals for how he would live if he survived. Currently, he is in rehabilitation and lives with his wife and two children.
Reflecting on his pre-war photo, he says,
"If I look at my photo from before the full-scale invasion, I can say only one thing: 'Oh, kid, you have no idea what still awaits you.'"
Kyrylo, 35: 'I had plans - the war took them all away'
Before 2022, Kyrylo's life was stable and fulfilling.
"I had a wife, two children, a house – everything I needed. I had plans."
The war, he says, took everything away.
Kyrylo was held captive in Russia for several weeks in 2022 and witnessed the abuse of comrades. He recalls,
"It was hard," he says, "when you can't even stand up to defend them."
Returning to freedom in Ukraine proved equally challenging. He observes,
"Very often you run into the fact that you're nobody. And for soldiers this happens a lot: while you're fighting, you're something, someone. As soon as you stop - then that's it, you're nobody."
