"Aktuaalne kaamera" followed soldiers who had completed their 45-day basic training. They now have two more weeks to go, honing their skills at the training ground.

"It's tougher here than it was at the training," admitted Artem, one of the trainees. "We get more info here, and there's more physical exertion. But this burden is beneficial to us."

"A soldier must act automatically," explained military psychologist Yevhen. "He needs to know when to change positions, when to give orders, when to take cover."

"We try to help them fully master the basics," instructor Oleg explained. "But it's only in battle that they truly understand that you can't run in front of another [soldier's] barrel or let someone end up in front of yours. Every mistake costs a human life."

Most of the soldiers here have only recently been mobilized.

"People who were only recently just civilians — who hadn't even considered joining the military but still ended up here — are gradually getting used to the rules of their new life," Yevhen said. "They see that war isn't so terrifying, that it's possible to fight, and that it's also possible to defeat the enemy."

"Everyone is actually prepared for war," Oleg noted. "The main thing here is psychological preparedness, because physically, a person can handle anything. It all depends on one's morale."

The tank test

To help them quash their fear, everyone being sent to the front line first has to go through a test in which they take cover in a braced ditch in the ground before a tank rolls by overhead. In actual combat, it likely wouldn't play out this way, but psychologically, one must be ready for it.

Reporter Anton Aleksejev gave it a try, lying face-down in the ditch.

"How was it?" cameraman Kristjan Svirgsden shouted after the tank had rolled away.

"Great!" Aleksejev replied, sitting up. "I'd love to do it again right away! I absolutely loved it!"

Jokes aside, what do the trainees currently at the training ground think about the possibility of a ceasefire?

"I'm still very young, and of course I hope this war ends quickly and I can return to civilian life," said Oleg, their instructor.

"I don't think there will be a ceasefire," acknowledged Artem. "We're facing a country that signs a ceasefire but then comes at us again. This war needs to be brought to a complete end — any other options won't work. At least that's what I believe."

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