‘A shot went through my cheek’: the human cost of Ukraine’s defence

Nikolai, 60, was wounded when shrapnel struck his hand. Photograph: Jelle Krings/The Guardian

Oleksandr’s war lasted only a week. The 36-year-old, a Ukrainian electrician working in Gdansk, hurried back to join up after Russia invaded and was deployed on 10 May to guard a chest-high trench in Donbas against the odds.

“We were shelled constantly during the day. There was not 10 minutes without Russian shelling,” he said, describing a fearful human cost: “Every day one person was killed and another couple wounded. Big losses, really big losses.”