War refugees: draft evaders and the disillusioned

Only those remain who fled not from the war, but from themselves and their circumstances: from hopelessness, toxic relationships, the lack of decent job opportunities and fair pay, from trauma and unfulfilled expectations. From the fear of being unheard and judged.

Some left due to a lack of patriotism, which for decades in Ukraine has meant loving the state not because of wise leaders in power, but in spite of the "fools" running it.

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This is crucial to understand, especially for those who promote the discourse of returning on behalf of the state.

Idealists are few. Most people act out of self-interest, driven by instincts of self-preservation.  

Draft dodgers are a separate category. Their guilt lies not so much in their duty to the state (arguments could be made to justify their refusal) but in their duty to the friends they once kicked a ball around with in the yard, drank beer with after a disco, or wrote essays with in the library. Some went to fight; others fled. Now, those who fled need to be replaced. And it is precisely those friends they betrayed. That is why there is no justification for them.

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About author. Myroslav Otkovych, Ukrainian journalist, officer with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The editorial board does not always share the opinions expressed by the blog authors.