Our men surrendered to the Russians who made them kneel in the dirt… then shot them – I saw it all on the live feed

Yulia Mykytenko could only observe as a group of Russian soldiers made their victims kneel in the ground.

Yulia was in the horrifying position of watching war crimes play out in real time on an iPad live broadcast as the first female commander of a Ukrainian drone unit.

The Russian paratroopers were in the last phases of an attack on a frontline Ukrainian position in the Donbas region when her crew noticed them.

She saw the five Ukrainian defenders of the bunker emerge spluttering out into the open as the Russian troops sprayed tear gas into it.

We witnessed everything on the live feed, Yulia, 29, told The Sun.

Our men had no time to respond.

To breathe, they had to go outside.

They gave up as they emerged.

They were forced to kneel by the Russians.

They were then shot.

And the position was taken over by the Russians.

Atrocities like these are not uncommon.

Ukraine claims to have documented over 90 instances of Russian invaders capturing and killing POWs.

Yulia believes it is a new policy, and all but a few occurred this year.

The Russians are no longer accepting detainees, she said.

Our drones are being shot at by them.

Seeing the atrocities of war has turned into a grisly aspect of her work.

She occasionally has to utilize her drones to locate fallen or injured allies.

When her beloved commander, Captain Dmytro, was directly hit by a Russian artillery shell and torn to pieces, it took her half a day to discover what was remained of him.

Her darkest moments occur when her allies are killed or injured and she is powerless to intervene.

Loss is nothing new to Yulia.

In 2018, Russian shelling killed her military spouse, Illia Serbin.

In 2020, her father, a soldier named Mykola, burned himself alive in protest of President Zelensky’s perceived inaction against Russian aggression prior to Putin’s full-scale invasion.

She also lost one of her own men on a mission she gave him, which may have been inevitable.

She responds, “I don’t know how to answer,” when I ask her how she handles things.

I despise men who don t protect their family

“The one thing I can do is not let all those feelings overwhelm me,” she continues with a tone of quiet steel.

I see that as a component of my work.

What is the general state of army morale?

“I’m so exhausted,” she says.

Frustration that not everyone is doing their share of the work comes along with that fatigue.

Speaking perfect English and aspiring to become a professional translator, Yulia says: It sometimes irritates me that people back home continue to have normal lives, going to the movies, restaurants, and stores.

Particularly when I see males with their partners and kids, knowing that my warriors aren’t afforded those privileges.

As the struggle continues, squaddies like her are only granted 15 days of leave annually.

“I believe that every adult who can wield a rifle must serve and defend themselves,” she continues.

You are defending yourself and your family, not the nation.

You have no right to reside in your nation if you are incapable of protecting your family and yourself.

Her rage increases as she continues, saying, “I hate such men who don’t take a rifle and protect their family.”

I also hate ladies who choose and conceal such males.

When the Russians invade their homes and begin raping their wives, I’m curious to see what these men will do.

She then examines herself.

However, I feel fine when I go back to Kyiv for 15 days and can go about my regular life in cafés and theaters, she says.

Ukraine’s armed forces were flooded with eager volunteers ready to protect their nation as Putin unleashed his full-scale invasion in February 2022.

And Yulia was one.

After serving in the Donbas with her late husband Illia from 2016 to 2018, she returned to the 54th Mechanized Brigade.

However, that pool of volunteers has shrunk as the battle has continued.

War has dragged on

In order to replace the thousands of people murdered or injured, Kyiv has been forced to draft men.

Men of fighting age have been seen in horrifying video being hauled into waiting police vehicles from bars and clubs while screaming and kicking.

Yulia is conflicted about Ukraine’s emergency draft, just like many of her fellow soldiers.

“I didn’t support forced mobilization a year ago,” she says.

Those soldiers that approach us in that manner are not particularly skilled.

Convincing children to be warriors is a challenging task.

After over a thousand days of the carnage, it seems like Ukraine’s only choice.

Although it is not a smart idea, Yulia argues that it is the only way to bolster the army because everyone has the right to a break.

All twenty-five of the soldiers in Yulia’s platoon are volunteers.

A computer engineer, a merchant navy sailor, and a former YouTuber are among them.

Some of the members of her battalion are former assault troops who have been traumatized or shell-shocked by their experiences in the infantry.

The grinding battle has other effects on people who are not physically harmed.

If West is not decisive there won t be peace

One of her soldiers recently asked her if he might take a leave of absence because his small son was losing his father’s identity.

Yulia says: I was approached by a comrade who requested a holiday.

My son started calling me uncle, so he asked if I might take a leave of absence.

Fortunately, Yulia consented. “Of course, why didn’t you come to me earlier?” I asked him.

It was Yulia’s first respite from fighting in nearly a year when she traveled to London earlier this year to promote her highly regarded book, How Good It Is I Have No Fear Of Dying.

In order to prevent a future Russian invasion, President Zelensky’s victory plan to end the war, which depends on joining NATO, was being promoted in Western capitals at the time.

Yulia believes that the war might end next year and that peace negotiations are imminent.

“I am confident that we will engage in negotiations,” she says.

We’re worn out.

Russia is worn out.

Both parties are worn out.

The question is if that peace will last.

“There is a chance to avoid the next wave of aggression if the West has enough conviction to keep the pressure on Russia and if it allows Ukraine to join NATO,” she argues.

But if the West is not decisive, there won t be peace.

There will be a short pause to prepare for the next wave of war.

And unfortunately, Russia will be ready for it much sooner than Ukraine.

• How Good It Is I Have No Fear Of Dying: Lieutenant Yulia Mykytenko s Fight For Ukraine, by Lara Marlowe, is published by the Head of Zeus imprint of Bloomsbury, 20.

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