24/ "She realised it was for the children… I believe it was right that we started standing up for ourselves and for our children—that's the most important thing. The war will end with our victory.
Full-scale invasion and national resilience, broadcasted live.
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Father mourns son’s suicide after military service
The man’s son spent seven months in Ukraine, returned home, and hanged himself outside his hometown, leaving behind a wife and two children. 'I have to, so why am I just sitting here, an old man, while there are young people fighting who haven’t even seen women yet…'
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Father mourns son, prioritizes family, moves on
23/ "Well, I buried him, put up a monument. And now I'm going," says his father. Former lieutenant colonel Alexander says it's "for the sake of my children. One is turning four, and the eldest is 17. My wife scolded me at first, but then I prevailed."
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Guilt and obligation drive enlistment for financial reasons, not patriotism.
21/ Others are signing up out of a sense of guilt or obligation, to pay for medical treatment or to pay off loans. One man says: "I'm not here for the money. My wife is crying, but I think we have to go. It's not like young people are going to fight."
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Role of Russian women at the Ukrainian front
16/ "They're not burdened by the patriarchal pressure to 'achieve,' 'be a man,' and they're not disillusioned with their role." The women can serve not only as medics or cooks, but as snipers. (Russian women have been seen – and killed by the Ukrainians – at the front line).
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Childcare responsibilities: Grandparents and fathers are left to cope.
17/ Childcare responsibilities don't seem to worry them. A mother of a one-year-old and three-year-old replies when asked about them: "They're fine. They'll stay with their grandmother and father."
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Low Russian salaries drive educated workers like Ivan to seek war for better pay.
13/ Many see military service as the only way out of a life of low-paid drudgery. As Ivan, a fitter, says, "salaries in Russia are low. You're educated, well-read, and you work, but you have no money. If I had a peacetime salary of 200,000 rubles, I wouldn't go to war."
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Education cost barrier: Majority lack higher education, impacting future generations.
9/ "And they understand that they will never be able to pay for three children's education…. The majority don't have a higher education. My guess is that 80% are from technical schools, 15% have a nine-grade education, 5% have a higher education."
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Recruiter analyzes women’s motivations and lack of options
7/ The recruiter observes that "it's great for the wives. She understands that, from the perspective of her children and their future, everything will be fine. And if you work at a furniture factory for 30,000 [$382] a month, what other options do you even have?"
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Soldiers’ motivations: money, children, and patriotic guarantees
6/ "And naturally, they're not prepared to die for 30,000 rubles. The vast majority have children, and they understand that they need to address their concerns. And when they decide to die for patriotic reasons, they know it provides certain guarantees for their children."