On the front line, Ukrainians prepare for possible Russian attack

About 500 meters from Russian-backed separatists, a group of Ukrainian soldiers waits for a fight that is sure to come.

And it looks like they’re strangely cool about it all, according to the photographer. Timothy Fadek, who spent time with these men this Friday (21) on the front lines in eastern Luhansk, Ukraine.

“They embraced inevitability,” says Fadek. “I was talking to one of the soldiers and he said, ‘It’s inevitable. We accept the inevitability of an attack.’ And then there was a little argument between two soldiers and one of them said: ‘The Russians will not cross the border, they will attack from the sea’, referring to the Sea of ​​Azov. Another soldier disagreed with these two assessments and argued that, no, ‘the attack will come from Belarus.”

Even not agreeing on the origin of the attack, everyone is 100% convinced that it will happen.

“They resigned,” continues the photographer. “But they are extremely relaxed. There’s not a hint of nervousness on their faces. Everyone is ready to fight, ready for many years. But I asked, ‘Do you want this war?’ And they said, ‘Of course not.’

Tensions between Ukraine and Russia are at their highest, with a buildup of Russian troops near the border stoking fears that Moscow could soon launch an invasion. THE Kremlin denied that it is planning to attack, arguing that the Otan to Ukraine constitutes a growing threat on the western side of Russia.

“In Muratova, a Ukrainian town about a 20-minute drive from the front lines, people are much more worried than soldiers,” reveals Fadek. But they also seem resigned to their fate.

“When I asked a farmer what he thinks about the possibility of an attack, he shrugged his shoulders.”

“Will happen. And there is nothing anyone can do to stop it.”