Ukraine war: Frontline medics count the cost of two years of war - BBC News

Like most Ukrainian soldiers, Maj Oleh Kravchenko was not prepared for the brutality of Russia's invasion.

3 days agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsWar in UkraineImage caption, Maj Oleh Kravchenko says he was not prepared for the brutality of Russia's invasionBy Andrew HardingBBC News, Eastern UkraineMaj Oleh Kravchenko has the sort of chuckle that's hard to resist - deep and treacly and mischievous.

"I'm still alive," he said, tilting his head to one side in his wheelchair, like a spectator marvelling at someone else's magic trick.

As Ukraine marks the second anniversary of the war, Kravchenko's turbulent story captures something of the journey so many people here - soldiers and civilians alike - have been on, as they've come to understand the sort of sacrifices and patience this long conflict is demanding of them.

Kravchenko is 50 years old now, and we're meeting for the third time since Russia launched its latest invasion of Ukraine. His beard - brown and trim when I first encountered him in the besieged Donbas town of Lysychansk in 2022 - is now straggly and grey.

We first met on a warm day in Lysychansk, in April 2022, having driven into the hilltop town on the last road still more or less under Ukrainian control. Kravchenko emerged from a doorway with a wry smile and offered to drive us around.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68372958

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