Human cost of Ukraine war: Ex-para discusses morale, loss and frontline survival
A former British Army officer who has spent time with Ukrainian troops on the frontline says the war's human cost is unlike anything he experienced in Afghanistan, but the resolve of the soldiers he met left a deep impression on him.
Andrew Fox, who served with The Royal Welsh and later The Parachute Regiment, told BFBS Forces News that Ukrainian troops were living and fighting under extraordinary pressure, yet remained driven by patriotism, trust in each other and, in many cases, religious faith.
Mr Fox described soldiers living in harsh conditions, but doing what they could to make trench life as bearable as possible.
What keeps Ukrainian troops going
Mr Fox said the strongest motivation for many Ukrainian soldiers is the knowledge that they are defending their own country, families and homes.
Unlike the expeditionary wars of choice fought by British troops in places such as Afghanistan, he said, this is a conflict in which the stakes are immediate and personal. That gives Ukrainian soldiers a different kind of focus.
He also described a powerful sense of brotherhood between the troops he met, with soldiers relying on the men to their left and right in a way few civilians can fully understand.
Alongside that was a strong religious faith. Mr Fox said a padre travelling with them stopped to pray with each group of troops they met, underlining how belief was helping many soldiers cope with the strain of war.
He said leadership also mattered enormously. Some commanders were held in exceptionally high regard by the troops under them, not because of rank alone but because they were present, respected and seen to be doing the job properly.
Sheer scale of grief
Mr Fox said the scale of loss facing Ukraine's forces is far beyond anything he experienced during British operations in Afghanistan.
He said that while loss is part of warfare, Ukrainian troops are dealing with it at a pace and intensity that would be hard for most Western armies to absorb. Yet they still have to function, keep discipline and continue fighting.
A total of 457 British service personnel died while serving in Afghanistan between 2001 and the end of combat operations in 2014.
"We had many, many hundreds more wounded. But it was nothing compared to what these guys are going through. And I don't mean that to diminish the British Army in Afghanistan, but it does give you an idea of the sheer scale that the Ukrainians are facing losses on," Mr Fox said.
Although there are currently no official figures, some estimates place the military death toll of Ukrainians since the full-scale invasion began in 2022 at between 500,000 and 600,000.
No end in sight
Another major difference from the war of choice fought in Afghanistan is the absence of any clear rotation cycle.
Where British soldiers could usually count down to the end of a six-month tour, many Ukrainian troops have now spent years in wartime conditions, not knowing when they will finally be able to step away from the front.
That makes the burden of separation from family even harder. Mr Fox recalled seeing pictures drawn by a soldier's young daughter, a reminder of the home lives that continue in parallel to the fighting.
But he said that same family connection is also part of what keeps many soldiers going.
They know that if they do not hold the line, the people they love could end up directly under Russian occupation or attack.
Lessons for Britain
Mr Fox said the soldiers he met had his "undying respect" and described them as "some of the bravest people I've ever met".
For him, the war should also be a warning to Britain. The Army, and British society more broadly, would have to get used to the reality of sustained casualties in any future war on Europe's eastern flank.
Mr Fox said the question was whether Britain could tolerate young men and women coming home in coffins.
He said the Ukrainian troops he spoke to were also deeply sceptical of any proposed settlement that would force them to give up their defensive line in the Donbas.
Until something better comes along, he said, they believe they will have to fight on.
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