An uphill battle – not just to keep fit,
but to prepare for a very real one.
Philipe Averenkov has decided
to join the Ukrainian army.
It sounds like too much,
too serious. Yes.
But I've lost the meaning of my civil life.
Civilian people die, like, every day.
And it's not a joke.
Once a month, I wake up due to explosions of
Russian missiles bombing Kyiv.
And in this case, learning programming,
or becoming a developer,
or creating a family,
it feels like I'm lying to myself.
Philipe is an English teacher in Kyiv.
The 30-year-old has been working for months
on his physical and mental fitness.
Right now, although people think that right now is the worst moment
to join the army.
And I understand that because Ukraine lacks shells,
artillery, men – we lack everything.
I feel that I'm ready,
and I don't care what the situation on the frontline is.
I'm strong enough to protect my own country.
Philipe has made another important choice – to join the prominent
military unit: the Da Vinci Wolves.
Its founder, Dymtro Kotsiubailo,
who was killed near Bakhmut last year,
is a national hero in Ukraine.
As part of a bid to boost recruitment, military units like
the Da Vinci Wolves are now hiring people on their own.
They recently opened this recruitment center in Kyiv.
Philipe is enlisting at a time when Ukraine's outgunned army
faces a renewed Russian offensive in the northeast.
I've been thinking about fear a lot.
I have a fear of my body,
but my mind is strong.
When I go outside, I see that the majority of people are afraid.
Because war is freaking scary.
And you either break or become stronger.
And nobody knows when it finishes.
For Philipe, his decision marks a new start.
A clean break from his life in Kyiv.
I don't need these things.
And I'm not sure that I am going to come back from the war.
He's giving up his rental apartment
and leaving for a military training camp in a few days.
But saying goodbye isn't easy.
Philipe has cut off ties with his father in Odesa,
who he says remains staunchly pro-Russian.
He says his family isn't even aware
he's joining the army.
Who will he miss the most?
My friends.
I feel that it's worth protecting them.
I have to be strong.
But the most difficult part is definitely my friends.
They are really amazing people.
In the afternoon, Philipe meets two of them.
Serhii and Ihor have known Philipe since their childhood.
His decision to join the army has stirred a lot of emotions.
Ukraine's army is struggling to find fresh recruits.
A new mobilisation law has tightened registration procedures
for men aged 25 to 60, and imposed penalties
for draft dodgers.
Philipe, however, made his decision well before that.
I support Philipe.
I feel proud of him for making such a difficult decision.
And, I'm also a little ashamed that I haven't made such a decision yet
because I could have made one.
Of course I'm worried about him.
Philipe has mentioned more than once that
maybe this is our last meeting.
A few days later, Philipe has begun his military training.
He has already learned to carry a weapon.
He has to be up in the camp by six every morning.
Today, the group of recruits
is learning to lay booby traps and mines.
Philipe remains clear-eyed about what's at stake.
All this horror, all this terror
that Russians do to Ukraine,
Ukranian people don't deserve that.
I see that if I don't protect my country,
my country will cease to exist.
Despite the difficult path ahead,
for now, Philipe says his decision to join the Ukrainian army
has never felt more right.