For the past three days, the sound of Russian suicide drones has been looming over us, passing by and then descending upon their targets. But now, the buzzing noise comes from a Ukrainian unmanned aircraft, not sent to kill, but to transmit footage from the training ground to commanders at the base.
We have been brought to a secret training location in the Chernihiv region, where the latest army recruits are being fast-tracked to the battlefield in an effort to counter Moscow‘s relentless advance. Amidst the hail of machine gun fire and the shouts of instructors, the most striking aspect is the age of the new recruits – most of them in their 40s and 50s.
Among the group of older soldiers is Rostyslav, who has a wife and two children waiting for him back home in the Odesa region. Just a month ago, he was a driver, but now he could find himself fighting on Russian soil as Ukraine vows to hold onto the land it seized during its swift incursion a month ago. “I think this is the right thing to do,” he says of the operation. “We’ve been suffering for so long, we have to do something. We can’t just sit back while they capture our territory. What will we do then? Become their slaves?”
The training schedule we witness reflects the accelerated program that new army recruits are undergoing as Ukraine tries to match the sheer number of soldiers that Russia is sending to the frontlines. Under the scorching sun, the recruits jump in and out of American-made armored vehicles and fire at enemy positions.
The military, concerned about the secrecy of this training location, asked to review the footage we recorded before this story was reported on BBC News. However, they did not have any control over the script or editorial content.
In a nearby forest, a simulated Russian attack on Ukrainian trenches is successfully repelled, while the sound of grenade target practice echoes across the plain. Two and a half years into the war, Ukraine is in desperate need of more troops and has implemented a new conscription law, lowering the age of enlistment from 27 to 25. Women are not required to serve in the military.
However, this group of recruits has not been affected by the drive for younger conscripts. They have already completed 30 days of basic training and are now receiving more advanced medical training, learning how to deal with broken bones, gunshot wounds, and severe bleeding using equipment provided by the UK.
Amidst the serious atmosphere, there are moments of lightheartedness, such as a wonky tourniquet here and there. But the reality is that the emergency care being simulated under the shade of the trees may soon become a grim reality in the coming weeks and months.
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