'They can just take you': Ukrainian soldier faces redeployment to frontlines as Russians advance

In early December, Ukrainian soldier Mykola* discovered he could be among those from his unit redeployed to the frontlines in eastern Ukraine to help resist Russian advances.

"The focus of the deployment lies on those who have joined the air defence forces and air forces in 2022 voluntarily," said Mykola, who is part of the logistics personnel of an air defence unit. His real name and current location have been withheld for his safety.

"My commander told me the General Staff (of Ukraine's Armed Forces) needs a certain amount of men on the frontlines but didn’t provide any further details", he told Euronews. Mykola said his unit had received an order requiring 30% of its troops to be sent to the frontlines in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region, where fighting is intensifying.

Military analysts say that Russian troops in Ukraine's east are advancing at the fastest pace since the early days of the February 2022 full-scale invasion.

There is a limited pool of people who can be sent to the frontlines, as women, older men and soldiers with health issues are generally exempt from redeployment. Mykola recalled that the commanders in his unit first asked if anyone wanted to go voluntarily.

"Then, they select those who are unmotivated to do their tasks and or skip their work. Some commanders use this opportunity to get rid of people who they don’t like," he said.

Mykola said he has received no information on any sort of training he would receive if he is sent to the east. He heard that, in some cases, soldiers only receive a small amount of combat training. If the redeployment is urgent, however, there will most likely be no training at all. This is a worry for Mykola, who only joined the military last year.

When Russia launched its