The Russian bombs that began falling on Ukraine on 24 February 2022 turned tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians into soldiers overnight. Many who had never held a weapon before rushed to take up arms. In the four years that have followed, as the war has ground on and the initial patriotic fervour has died down, thousands more have been conscripted. For men, service is open-ended and applies to those aged 25-65. Women can serve on a contractual basis. Speaking from mud-soaked dugouts, drone