Four weeks into its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has failed to achieve the sweeping conquest Putin—and much of the world—had expected. Its armies lay mired in conflict, confined largely to the east and south of the country, having thus far captured only two large cities. In the north, the capital of Kyiv has yet to be encircled. The Russian invaders have encountered un-forecasted resistance in all major cities, their supply lines have been hobbled by constant attacks, and the Ukrainian military has displayed a surprising, deadly mobility. All these factors can be attributed in part to the work of the all-volunteer Territorial Defense Forces, which formed in the wake of Russia's 2014 takeover of Crimea and has ramped up dramatically in the past two months.
To better understand these volunteers and the role they have played in the present conflict, I spent two weeks photographing units in and around Kyiv. I met fighters as old as sixty-eight and as young as eighteen; I saw a few sixteen-year-olds turned away. Many volunteers were veterans; others had no military experience. They included flight attendants, actors, native Russians, and newlywed couples. What they had in common was a fierce love of their country. Their role is a combination of civil engineering and paramilitary preparedness: they build the fortifications on the same streets they patrol, and which, in all likelihood, they will soon defend by force.
Additional reporting by Masha Medvedeva.
