A Ukrainian recruit falls as his fellow soldiers prepare to catch him during basic military training at a Ukrainian Ground Forces training center in an undisclosed location, Ukraine, on March 25, 2026. (Roman Pilipey / AFP / Getty Images)
Andriy Lyubka
Ukrainian poet, essayist, and translator
In January of this year, I — a Ukrainian writer and volunteer — voluntarily enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Foreigners asked: "Why?" while Ukrainians asked: "Why only now?"
These two questions reflect two different realities. For Europeans, war is something terrible but niche, confined to a certain territory and affecting only certain people. For Ukrainians, war is central, and we ourselves are at its epicenter — it affects everyone and changes every sphere of life.
