Thread by @NATO

❝I’d always been a journalist… on day two of Russia’s full-scale invasion, I went and joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine.❞

This is Pavlo's story ⤵️

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A true people's army

❝It contained ordinary workers and company directors, parents and their children, schoolteachers, theatre people and new university graduates.❞

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❝People bring knowledge and skills from their civilian professions into the army. As no one had got round to telling them ‘It cannot be done’ they set about creating new ways of solving problems.❞

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❝Once you reach the front line, you come to an important realisation. Whether you survive is mainly a matter of luck. Training can improve your odds. So can practice and experience.❞

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❝Russia continues to mobilise and does not count its losses. Ukraine is left playing David to an aggressive Goliath.❞

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❝Moscow tried to divide Ukraine, but achieved the opposite.❞

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❝If Ukraine loses and Moscow gets its way, the domino effect might be felt around the world.❞

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🗣️ Differences become secondary

❝There are hundreds of thousands of soldiers in trenches. Millions of their friends and relations are at home without power. In these circumstances, it doesn’t matter what your language is.❞

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🗣️ Ukraine is hosting one of the great epics of this century

❝We are Harry Potter and William Wallace, the Na’vi and Han Solo. We’re escaping from Shawshank and blowing up the Death Star. We are fighting with the Harkonnens and challenging Thanos.❞

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❝We haven’t won yet. But in many ways, we have won.❞

Read Pavlo's full story on #NATOreview: bit.ly/3IQbpzf

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