PETROPAVLIVKA, Ukraine—Ukrainian soldier Alen Dudnik has spent almost his entire adult life at war. Now 28 years old, Dudnik started fighting Russia a decade ago when the Kremlin seized Crimea and started stirring up trouble in eastern Ukraine. Dudnik has seen Russian soldiers kill comrades an arm’s length away and devastate parts of Ukraine but still fail to subdue it. At first, it was difficult to process for Dudnik, who like most had never expected to fight against Russia. Dudnik’s platoon set up a roadblock about a mile from the border on the morning of May 12 that year.

Source: Wall Street Journal February 27, 2024 04:58 UTC