PERSONAL: Four years on, Ukrainian baker‑turned‑soldier will not cede territory to Russia

Record ID: 2343389

  • Title: PERSONAL: Four years on, Ukrainian baker‑turned‑soldier will not cede territory to Russia
  • Date: 23rd February 2026
  • Summary: KHARKIV REGION, UKRAINE (FEBRUARY 19, 2026) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) 36-YEAR-OLD TANK COMMANDER, VALENTYN BOHDANOV, SAYING:     "Our war is changing now. It's being characterized, let's say, as war of the drones." VARIOUS OF TANK (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) 36-YEAR-OLD TANK COMMANDER, VALENTYN BOHDANOV, SAYING:     "The tanks used to clash along the entire front line. Tan
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Cease fire Ceasefire Peace deal Peace talks Russian invasion War in Ukraine
  • Location: KHARKIV REGION, UKRAINE / UNKNOWN LOCATION
  • City: KHARKIV REGION, UKRAINE / UNKNOWN LOCATION
  • Country: Ukraine
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Europe,Military Conflicts
  • Reuters ID: LVA009706620022026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:    Ukrainian tank commander Valentyn Bohdanov remembers a time earlier in Russia's war when heavy armour would fight pitched battles across open fields like boxers trading blows in the ring.
        Four years on, he says such showdowns have largely disappeared as drone warfare reshapes the frontline.
        Today, tanks rarely venture into open ground, said the 36‑year‑old senior sergeant from the 127th Heavy Mechanised Brigade. "They won’t enter an open field: they’ll be peppered by FPV (First Person View) drones and stronger ones," Bohdanov said beside his crew’s T‑72, a vehicle his unit captured from Russian forces. 
        Agile unmanned aircraft now patrol what soldiers call an expanding "kill zone", making movement beyond concealed positions perilous and limiting tanks to roles closer to artillery.
        Bohdanov, who volunteered for service in 2022 despite having no prior military experience, said the shift underscores how technology has overtaken traditional armour duels. A former baker, pastry chef and construction worker, he spent much of the first year of the invasion in the infantry before transferring to tanks.
        The soldier said the war had upended the life he once lived – a life of steady work, seaside holidays and simple routine.
        Despite the strain, he insists that he and many comrades remain committed to defending territory seized early in the invasion.
        Bohdanov rejects any suggestion Ukraine should agree to a settlement that cedes land to Moscow.
       "Many soldiers, including myself, refuse to give up the territories, purely because we fought for the entire war for these territories," he said.
        (Production: Volodymyr Pavlov, Margaryta Chornokondratenko, Andrii Pryimachenko, Felix Hoske)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2026. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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