Ukraine

NARRATOR: In Ukraine, a deadly waiting game is being played out. Russians are digging in, preparing for an onslaught, while Ukrainians train with the latest 21st-century Western tech, holding the line on a battlefield reminiscent of World War One. The long-awaited counter-offensive could turn the tide of the war, but its success rests on the courage and ingenuity of Ukraine's citizen soldiers. These are their stories.

NARRATOR: We meet pilots who yearn for F-16s, sisters who follow in their fallen brother's footsteps, and infantrymen chronicling life on the Zero line, where every moment could be their last. This is Ukraine in the spring of 2023, a nation that refuses to surrender.

NARRATOR: Now, a special story from Kiev, Ukraine. Good evening from Kiev, where Western technology is already showing dramatic results. Just days ago, a U.S.-provided Patriot air defense system shot down one of Putin's most fearsome weapons, an advanced hypersonic missile. We've been covering this war since Russia's invasion, witnessing Ukraine's valiant defense of the capital and the surprising counter-offensive that reclaimed Harkey and drove Russia out of Harrison. However, Russia still controls an estimated 40,000 square miles of this country, and the pressure is mounting on President Vladimir Zelensky to deliver battlefield results that justify the billions of dollars the West has spent to support Ukraine's independence. While the world waits, the citizen soldiers of Ukraine have no choice but to hold fast. Tonight, we offer a rare glimpse into the life where Ukrainian and Russian troops face each other in a brutal war of attrition.

NARRATOR: Meet Roman, who has come dangerously close to the enemy. Sergeant Roman T. takes us along as he braves the shelling and witnesses the bloodiest battlefield of the war. With a GoPro on his helmet and a cell phone camera, his video diary captures powerful and intimate moments, like the one where he expertly and calmly applies a tourniquet to save a fellow soldier's life.

ROMAN: I don't know which video could be my last. I don't want to scare you, but so many people die here. I share with you what I'm thinking.

NARRATOR: Roman not only shares what he thinks, but also his cognitive process, what he calls his life system.

ROMAN: I've hacked this life system so that I'm not afraid to die.

NARRATOR: Wait, let me make sure I understand. You've hacked your life system so that you're not afraid to die?

ROMAN: Yes, exactly. Almost everyone doesn't want to die or is afraid to die, right? Right. So, I tried to find a way not to be afraid.

NARRATOR: We met up with Roman in Chromators, a city in eastern Ukraine, just 35 miles from the front lines. It serves as a staging ground for medics and soldiers, a place to regroup and rest before the next battle.

NARRATOR: Roman, when did you get back?

ROMAN: Just three or four hours ago.

NARRATOR: How many days were you there?

ROMAN: It was three days.

NARRATOR: And how much sleep did you get in those three days?

ROMAN: Maybe two to three hours per day.

NARRATOR: In the midst of the chaos, Roman finds solace in documenting his experiences through videos.

ROMAN: My sniper rifle. What inspired you to do that?

ROMAN: Actually, in the beginning, I didn't want to do it. I think it was just a way to show off that I'm at war, look at me, I'm such a badass.

NARRATOR: Roman's sister convinced him of the value of sharing the war through his eyes, whether through a sniper scope or the lens of a machine gun.

NARRATOR: You've had bullets come close to you?

ROMAN: Yes, yes. How close? The closest one was when a heavy machine gun tried to kill me from 500 meters away. That's a little more than a football field. The bullet hit the water pack on my back. If it had hit my body, it would have been fatal.

NARRATOR: And how did you feel after that?

ROMAN: Damn, okay. What's next? Fight. Everywhere. But still, my emotions are calm. I'm 100% concentrated.

NARRATOR: Have you always been such a calm person?

ROMAN: No, I'm a very emotional person. Actually, in battle, when emotions overcome logic, you can easily die, and die more quickly than if you control your emotions.

NARRATOR: The sounds of war surround Roman, but he knows the importance of discipline and composure.

ROMAN: Many people look at me during the battle. If they see panic on my face, it will spread so fast. This is about mind discipline at war. We've met death. It's like our really good friend, hanging out with us. And some of us say, "Okay, it's your time. Come." Most of the time, 99% of the time, I'm not afraid to die.

NARRATOR: But what about that 1%?

ROMAN: I'm a human being. Even here, there are beautiful moments. Roman says it almost seems like you're enjoying what you're doing.

ROMAN: Definitely, you're correct. I always try to find something good in any live situation. So, appreciate this delicious energy bar. I realize that life is amazing, guys. The war is like a drug. You can't find such emotion in normal life. People try to jump from cliffs or go snowboarding or do something else, but this is more extreme. If you survive, you just say, "What the hell? How can it be possible?"

NARRATOR: Have you thought about what your chances are of coming out alive?

ROMAN: Sometimes we have missions where we can lose, maybe, okay, 10% for example, from our guys. They tell you that there's a 10% chance. Oh, we're smart guys. We realize. And in some units, they say it directly.

NARRATOR: A little over a week after we met Roman, the odds almost caught up with him. He posted a video from his hospital bed as he recovered from a concussion.

ROMAN: I have no wife and children, so my videos are something that I can leave behind if I die on the battlefield. Right now, many people watch this video and find something valuable in it. You know, this is my legacy.