Meet The Soldiers Committed To Fighting The Russians On The Eastern Front
Members of the Carpathian Sich Battalion practice shooting with targets depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin during training in the Kharkiv region.
The battalion is one of several paramilitary groups formed by Ukraine's Svoboda party that began with volunteers in 2014 after Moscow seized Crimea and supported pro-Russia separatists in the country's eastern Donbas region. The Svoboda party is an ultranationalist political party led by Oleh Tyahnybok.
A soldier launches a rocket-propelled grenade during a training exercise for new recruits at the end of June.
Russia falsely claims that Ukraine is controlled by Nazis and used that charge as one of the justifications for its unprovoked invasion.
Soldiers take a break during training.
Members of nationalist units like the Carpathian Sich have been integrated into Ukraine's armed forces, where they are eligible for pensions and treatment at military hospitals.
Soldiers practice the rescue of a wounded comrade.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has also invited foreign fighters to join the war in Ukraine, resulting in the formation of an "international" legion.
Denis Polishchuk's nom de guerre is "Canada" because he was born in Ukraine but lived in Vancouver. He is pictured at the battalion's forward operating base at the front line in the Kharkiv region.
“What am I going to tell my children -- God willing, I have them someday -- when they grow up? Or my grandchildren when they ask me about these truly historic times we're living in? And I felt that the only dignified response would be that, yes, I was doing my part. I was fighting alongside with everyone else.”
Members of the battalion stand next to a drawing of a soldier with the words "Goes to the battle Carpathian Sich" inside the group's forward operating base in the Kharkiv region.
Polishchuk speaks about the threat of capture: "It's not going to stop me. It's not going to change my decision. It's definitely something that you have to keep in mind and consider, but at the same time, this is war. We all know the possible consequences of us being here, and we've all made peace with that."
Artem checks his weapon at the group's forward operating base.
The acting commander, Rusyn, rests at the battalion's base.
A soldier sleeps near the front line in the Kharkiv region.
Hand grenades lie next to an icon of Christ at the battalion's forward operating base.
"Now it's more of an artillery war. It's a tougher war, a scarier war, where only people who are strong in their spirit can fight," said Dzvin, a field commander in the battalion who asked to be identified only by his nom de guerre for security reasons.
The Azov Regiment's Wolfsangel logo is drawn on a mortar shell held by a member of the Carpathian Sich Battalion. The writing says: "For the boys of Azov."
Ukraine's Azov Regiment arose from the Azov Battalion, a right-wing militia that came to prominence in the early days of the war. Its logos were similar to those used by Nazi units during World War II. The Azov Regiment was later incorporated into Ukraine's National Guard. A number of its members were forced to surrender after enduring punishing Russian bombardment at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol.
A solder fires a mortar in the Kharkiv region.
"I'm not a Nazi. I'm a nationalist," said Leo, 33, a new Carpathian Sich recruit who previously worked in video production in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. "I respect other nations.... I love all people with all kinds of skin color -- except Russians. These are our enemies."
Artem surveys shattered buildings from his vantage point at the front line in the Kharkiv region.
Russian forces have taken complete control of the Luhansk region and a large portion of the Donetsk region since Russia launched its invasion in February.
A shell crater in a field at the front line in the Kharkiv region.
The Carpathian Sich fighters say they are united by a fierce commitment to Ukraine, which is now being put to the test. "Each of our warriors understands that at some point they will come eye to eye with a tank," Dzvin said.