Lera Burlakova first traveled to eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region in 2014 as a journalist to report on the violence between the Ukrainian military and pro-Russian separatist forces. After a week of covering the war in the town of Pisky, Burlakova decided writing about it was not enough: She wanted to fight for her country. “I couldn’t stand aside,” says Burlakova, 30. “I came back to Kyiv for three days, quit my job and returned to Pisky as a soldier.”
Almost three years later, Burlakova is an experienced veteran in a war that has led to the deaths of more than 9,000 people, including civilians, Ukrainian troops, separatists, Russian servicemen and members of pro-Kyiv militias. Pounded by daily shelling, many towns near the front lines—including government-controlled Pisky—are now practically empty.
