Fighting Someone Else's War

With uncertainty over the war in Ukraine, the fear of being drafted is still present among young Ukrainians. Not only pacifists but people who want to live their life in safety and comfort are choosing to leave Ukraine. Of these varied people, many are planning to never return home.

Such is the case with 24-year-old Denys Havrylenko.

– I don't see a point in going back. I just want to live a life, explore the world, travel, and experience different cultures. I can't see a life rebuilding the ruins of a war I didn't start. 

– I didn't get anything from my government to now pay my debts with my life.

Refused the Draft

After three years living in Oslo, Havrylenko recalls vividly the moment when he heard about the beginning of the war. He was already abroad working on a cargo vessel when the war started, and thought of Oslo as just another port. 

– I couldn't understand that a real war had started. I thought that in a week or a month everything would go back to normal. I was not even considering going anywhere else except my hometown. I didn't think I was going to stay in Oslo for a long time.

Being outside the country saved him from an immediate draft. But even if the legal drafting age is 25, that didn't account for much for him and many others in his situation. 

– During my university studies, I took an extra course to escape the compulsory military service. But then I had a military rank and I became an officer. This makes me completely suitable for the service right away. 

Havrlylenko explains that being under the drafting age didn't matter to the Ukrainian government. His desire to skip the compulsory military service during his studies backfired and made him a suitable military asset. But for him, this official military title does not mean that he will sacrifice his life in a war-torn country.

– To be honest, I regret that a lot of people my age and younger have to die over there for nothing. This is not our war.

Being a military officer who positions himself against the war has made him part of a group of outcasts in Ukrainian society. 

– There's a lot of bullying now on the internet. They have a special word for people like me who moved abroad during the war. They talk to us like we are escapees who don't give a shit about our country. 

After the war, the future for those returning to Ukraine appears unclear. 

– I know people who want to go back after the war has ended. And I'm curious how those who have been staying during the whole war in Ukraine are going to behave towards them, considering the bullying happening on the internet.

A Return to a Corrupt Country?

For Havrlylenko, to have a say in his own life means running away from his country and putting his future before the future of Ukraine. 

– They say that we just think about ourselves, and to some degree that's true, because people do think about their lives, about their families.

Before the war, he saw Ukraine as the port he would always return to. Now, that idea is gone – going back seems impossible to him, even after the war. 

– Going back is not part of my plans. The war is not done yet, but after it is we'll need at least ten, maybe fifteen years to rebuild the country. In fifteen years I'm going to be forty, and moving back to a country that may or may not be in good condition. Forty years is half a life.

Havrylenko, as many other Ukrainians, has very strong opinions towards his government, which also reflects on his rejection of the war. 

– Corruption in Ukraine exists and it's not a secret to anyone. During my twenty-one years living there, I don't have a feeling that the country gave me enough. I didn't get anything from my government, to now pay my debts with my life.

One thing the war has made clear to Havrylenko: what he truly values is his life, a life not bound to any flag or language, and whose government belongs solely to him. 

– People have one life, and they have to live it. We don't have to die for someone else's sake, for someone else's reasons, or their thoughts.