The War That Never Ends: Ukraine’s Unseen Battle with Trauma and Technology

Captain Lang and his men are confronting a silent enemy: the creeping indifference and burnout that threaten to undo even their most hardened soldiers.

By the time I reunited with Captain Lang in August 2024, the war had already taken its toll. We met in a local café near Sumy, a place that looked abandoned from the outside, but inside, it was buzzing with activity, a strange juxtaposition in a country that has grown used to living amid the ruins. Though far from the frontlines, the café stood in a region still under the threat of Russian drones, a silent but persistent menace. It was a setting that mirrored the conflict itself: resilient on the surface, but deeply scarred underneath.

Captain Lang, standing next to a worn black vehicle, looks into the distance. His military fatigue blends with the unassuming, small-town backdrop of an undisclosed location in Sumy. The modest backdrop of a provincial Ukrainian town contrasts sharply with the high-stakes military role he carries, leading artillery strikes deep into Russian positions. His rugged posture, along with the subdued look in his eyes, mirrors the weight of the conflict and the disillusionment of a soldier. Shot on Friday, August 23, 2024. (VX Photo/ Vudi Xhymshiti) [© Licensable Image for Editorial Use Only]

Lang, the once-confident commander I had met two years prior, had changed. The man before me now was visibly burdened, his shoulders sagging under the weight of a war that no longer felt winnable in any conventional sense. In 2022, he had spoken with conviction, outlining strategies and discussing tactical victories as if the future were something he could still mould. This time, the conversation had shifted from battlefield achievements to the psychological collapse of his men and, it seemed, of himself.

"The war has seeped into everything," Lang said quietly, his voice lacking the assured tone it once had. "We’re not just fighting the Russians anymore. We’re fighting the war in our own heads."

Ukraine Armed Forces artillery unit, led by Commander Lang (second from right), observes a shelling operation targeting Russian positions in Kupiansk Vuzlovyi Industrial area in Eastern Kupiansk, Kharkiv Region, on Monday, Sept 19, 2022. "All civilians are evacuated from Eastern Kupiansk," Commander Lang told VX Pictures, as the battle for the strategic town continued. Residents in liberated Kupiansk were also offered evacuation amidst the ongoing conflict. (VX Photo/ Vudi Xhymshiti) [© Licensable Image for Editorial Use Only]