A singer performs at a Cultural Forces event for Ukrainian soldiers at a school near the front, May 2023.

What Ukraine’s Soldiers Say They’re Fighting For

At cultural events to boost morale on the front lines, wounded fighters open up about their motivation as a counteroffensive against Russia looms.

It was an unmarked, unprepossessing building on the outskirts of Zaporizhzhia, a dusty industrial city in the heart of Ukraine that is all but sure to see intensified fighting when Kyiv’s anticipated counteroffensive begins. The wounded soldiers were crammed into a warren of tiny rooms, but the trio of musicians, also fighting-age men in fatigues, found places to stand between beds and began playing—first a rousing song with dirty lyrics making fun of Russians, then a string of haunting ballads full of melancholy and longing.

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