Stories of prolonged infantry deployments to the contact zone are no longer rare. There have been media reports of soldiers returning for recovery after three, four or even six months in the combat zone without a break.
These stories are about infantry soldiers, who bear the heaviest burden of the war and are carrying Ukraine on their shoulders – and it's right that their stories should be told. But almost no one ever points out that this situation is fundamentally wrong and not normal. It shouldn't be this way, first and foremost because prolonged deployments in the combat zone reduce soldiers' effectiveness, take a serious toll on their health, and can end badly both for them and for the stability of the front itself.
The main reason for prolonged combat deployments is the acute shortage of infantry. Oleksii, who is 37 and serves in the 3rd Mountain Assault Battalion of the 128th Zakarpattia Separate Mountain Assault Brigade, knows this from his own experience. He spent nearly an entire year – 343 days – in the contact zone without a break. This is one of the longest-ever combat deployments in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"In 2020, the enlistment office invited me in for a coffee to 'discuss some work-related matters' – and handed me a call-up notice"
Oleksii's case is unique not only because of the length of time he spent in the combat zone, but also because he is an officer – a captain and the commander of a mountain assault company. Good company commanders are often present at contact line positions, but usually not for long, as they have a wide range of responsibilities beyond combat duties.
Oleksii spent longer in the combat zone than anyone else has: he arrived at the positions on 1 April 2025 and left on 8 March 2026. Both dates carry a certain symbolic weight which, with a bit of imagination (plus a sense of humour – essential for anyone in the army), can easily be applied to Oleksii himself. The day he left his position was International Women's Day, and he immediately went on leave to celebrate his daughter's 10th birthday. The significance of 1 April becomes clear when he describes how he ended up in the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the first place.
Oleksii was a civilian from Luhansk Oblast – the part that has been under occupation since 2014. He studied biology at V.N. Karazin National University in Kharkiv. At the same time, he completed military training and received an officer's rank. That was before Russia's 2014 invasion began.
He got married in 2013, and the following year he moved to his wife's home in Cherkasy Oblast, where he began working at an employment centre in a small town. Two years later his wife gave birth to their daughter, and he became a dad.
And this is where the symbolism of 1 April comes in. One of Oleksii's responsibilities was to provide career guidance for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In other words, he helped recruit contract soldiers and frequently interacted with Territorial Recruitment Centres (military enlistment offices) as part of his job. In the end, this "karma" caught up with him. At the end of 2020, staff from an enlistment office invited him in for a coffee to "discuss some work-related matters" – and handed him a call-up notice for 18 months of service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a reserve officer.
"The 18 months will fly by. You'll serve in a brigade and receive a proper rank, and it'll all be fine," they promised.
In theory Oleksii could have dodged this "attractive" offer – but he said yes.
"I decided to settle this matter and not to hide away, but to serve the 18 months, return home, and be able to look people in the eye," he explains.
Oleksii immediately after leaving his combat position.
Photo: Oleksii
