The road to Orikhiv, a town in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, is lightly dusted with snow and surrounded on all sides with the fishing nets now used for anti-drone protection.
We set off from the command post for a frontline position held by fighters from the Kotyky ("Kitties") platoon, part of the 1st battalion of the Territorial Defence Forces.
We arrive at dusk. The road runs through fields and brings us to a strip of forest where a dugout is located among the small trees.
Our pickup stops at a safe distance. The distance from the vehicle to the dugout is about 100 metres, and it must be covered very quickly so that enemy drones don't figure out the exact location of the position.
On the distant horizon, beyond Orikhiv, flashes of fire can be seen and explosions can be heard. The line of direct contact is up to 10 km away.
In the dugout, we meet the soldiers who will be spending the next few days at this position. They show us how they launch the Krylo (Wing), a Ukrainian-made reconnaissance drone. The Kotyky platoon uses various types of drone: Vampires, Mavics, Krylos, FPVs and even Pumas.
The soldiers talk about the situation in their area, carrying out combat tasks the whole time, and their views on the peace deal that could be signed: territorial concessions, the likely handover of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to the Russians, cuts to the army, and potential security guarantees for Ukraine.
"You can't speak to Russians in the language of concessions"
Do the soldiers believe in the power of diplomacy?
A drone pilot who goes by the alias "Bulava" speaks with us. He's convinced that Ukraine will not agree to surrender territory, reduce the size of its army, or give up on joining NATO. He recalls that after Trump's victory in the 2024 US presidential election, there was a lot of talk about a quick end to the war. But it didn't happen.
"For us, for the people who are here, nothing has changed since Trump became president," Bulava says. "We're defending our land, trying to take back our territories metre by metre, and we're under no illusion that anyone is suddenly going to come and make a deal instead of us."
"Yakym", 42, is originally from Crimea. He took an active part in the Revolution of Dignity and used to work in television, although he's an architect by training. Later he worked on green roof projects with a German architectural company in Ukraine.
Yakym has now learned to fly both Vampire and Krylo drones. He has commanded crews and has significant combat experience. He talks a lot about the training he underwent in the UK with Swedish instructors. They were young and had no combat experience, he says, but the training was still effective and of high quality.
"As for negotiations, how many rounds have there been already? If no one has the resolve to change anything, everyone will lose. You can't speak to Russians in the language of concessions – history shows that. You can only talk to them in the language of force," Yakym says.
"The Europeans need to understand that they have to be bold – there's no other way. If we don't stop them, Ukraine will be only the start of a much bigger war," he says confidently.
"Our task is to improve our positions in these negotiations"
We leave the positions and stay the night a little further away from the front line, in a small house that the soldiers rent with their own money. Here they can get a bit of rest between combat tasks.
A small FPV-drone assembly workshop has been set up in the house. The drones, some provided by the state and some by volunteers, are being made ready for flight – they are checked over, fitted with fibre-optic spools, then taken to the soldiers at the positions. The house also has almost everything you need for day-to-day life.
A soldier who goes by the alias "Moriachok" (Sailor) cooks dinner for us. In his "previous" life he worked in several restaurants, and you can feel the professionalism in every movement he makes in the kitchen. My attempt to help ends with him giving me a mini masterclass in shaping khinkali (Georgian dumplings). Half an hour later, we're sitting around a big table with the guys, enjoying dinner and listening to fascinating stories of life in their unit.
"Tokyo" is 26 and has been serving in this platoon for a year now. In that time, Tokyo has learned to fly various types of drones – Mavics, FPVs and Vampires.
Tokyo is from the temporarily occupied town of Nova Kakhovka. He lived through the occupation, during which he was detained and interrogated in a basement. It was a miracle that he got out. After escaping the occupied territory, he joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
He says the atmosphere in the platoon is friendly, with plenty of "jokes and banter", the commander is good, and the main thing is to do your job well.
Tokyo, how do you feel about the calls for President Zelenskyy to give up part of Ukraine's territory?
A lot of my friends died for Donetsk, for Luhansk. So what was it all for? Too many young people have been killed. They died for freedom, for our land. I am strongly opposed to any ceasefire on those terms.
That night, Tokyo is heading to the line of contact for several days. He will be flying drones, or as he puts it, "killing the f**kers".
"Yoh", 30, is from Kyiv. Before joining the armed forces, he used to practise yoga, which is where his alias comes from. He is a drone pilot, keen to grow professionally, and he has a profound appreciation for his platoon.
"Getting to our positions has got harder," he sighs. "Before, the hardest time used to be at the positions themselves, but then the Russians brought in a new, fairly professional drone unit, and they've caused us serious problems."
How do you feel about talk of a possible ceasefire?
A ceasefire will happen sooner or later. Our task now is to improve our position ahead of those talks. Peace at any price is not the answer, but I can't say what that price should be.
"I'll take off my uniform, hang it in the wardrobe, and only wear it for the Victory Parade"
"Vandal" is 31 and comes from Zolotonosha in Cherkasy Oblast. He has been serving since 2023. At the beginning of 2025, he managed to transfer to the Kotyky unit through Armiia+ (Army+), a mobile app that soldiers can use to send electronic reports to their commanders.
Vandal strongly disliked his previous unit: there were no commanders he could trust; there were people from military departments who didn't understand the principles of warfare; there were no rotations; and the command's attitude towards personnel left a lot to be desired. When he received a letter saying that the Kotyky commander would accept him, Vandal kept hoping for a miracle, and the miracle happened: the transfer was approved.
"The Kotyky platoon has good discipline, no drinking, and no one will abandon you if you get wounded," he explains. "The battalion commander understands us and doesn't assign stupid tasks that are a waste of human or material resources. In my previous unit, we lived like homeless people and used to put poison down for the rats. Here, we make sure the conditions are decent for everyone together."
As the line of contact moves closer to Zaporizhzhia, what's the mood like among the fighters?
Everyone is getting tired – that's no secret – but we still have the strength and motivation to do combat tasks. Compared to Pokrovsk, our sector isn't that bad yet. There are strikes, of course. According to rumours and intercepted communications, Rubicon [a Russian unit that specialises in the use of unmanned systems] came to our area recently. That was a tough time for us: we had to clear away a lot of drones that flew in but didn't detonate, and there were direct hits too – we lost a lot of equipment. Everyone survived, thank God.
We're getting fibre-optic drones now. What we don't have is any standardisation. They [the Russians] have one fibre-optic drone they call Knyaz Vandal Novgorodsky (Prince Vandal of Novgorod), while we have six different ground stations at our positions for different drones, and up to 10 types of drone. We have to work out which one matches which station. If the state is reading this – please do something. Make one good drone that actually reaches its target!
Do you think the government is doing the right thing now, given that the United States is pressuring them to speed up the peace talks?
I like the fact that President Zelenskyy is trying to secure reasonable conditions for peace. What Trump was proposing seems absurd to me: give up Donbas, and then what? If we give up the high ground, how do we defend ourselves afterwards?
I don't believe this would bring peace for even three or five years. This is my first war, and I don't want the next one to start so soon and on such unfavourable terms. Like most people, I really want to go home. I'll take off my uniform, hang it in the wardrobe, and only wear it for the Victory Parade. But I don't want us to end up with a fragile ceasefire, just waiting for the next attack.
"Predko" has been fighting since 2023. He is 25 and from Zhytomyr Oblast. Predko really loves his platoon and already commands two FPV drone crews.
"Everyone wants a ceasefire, no one denies that," he admits. "But we all share the same goal: to stop the enemy from moving forward. If we lay down our weapons now, the Russians won't stop. They can't be trusted."
***
In the morning, we travel to another location near Orikhiv – a small village that's almost deserted. Some of the houses are occupied by soldiers. Camouflage is crucial here, so the Russians cannot tell which houses are being used. The area is regularly hit by guided aerial bombs and Shahed drones.
Moriachok, the man who cooked dinner for us the night before, meets us outside a small shed. He has kind, honest eyes. He leads us into a room filled with explosives.
Moriachok makes munitions that are later attached to drones. He talks enthusiastically about his dangerous work. Asked about a possible ceasefire, his answer is brief and firm: "We won't agree to any kind of deal."
Just as we are about to leave, we learn that Tokyo has been killed while conducting a combat mission. Our conversation with him took place just ten minutes before he headed to the line of contact. The photographs we took are the last photos ever taken of him.
The platoon commander gives us the news and leaves to retrieve the body. An unbearable silence hangs in the air. The fighters quietly try to process yet another loss.
We leave the frontline zone. The road leads back to a world where many believe the war is far away and will never touch them. We look again at the photos of Tokyo, taken just minutes before his final mission. Eternal memory to the hero.
Dariia Onyshchenko for Ukrainska Pravda
Photos: Yurii Konovalskyi
Translation: Tetiana Buchkovska and Anastasiia Yankina
Editing: Teresa Pearce