BRAVE Ukrainian soldiers are standing their ground in the “kill-zone” this Christmas as Marines hold back hordes of Russians in the fight for Europe’s future.
In a landscape scarred by relentless shelling, the men of Ukraine’s 36th Marine Brigade say they only have a handful of moments to take their minds off combat.
With soldiers protecting the “kill-zone” – an area ruled by kamikaze drones that stretches around 10km into Russian occupied territory in eastern Ukraine – holidays virtually do not exist until the war is over.
“Honestly, I’m not really in a festive mood,” one battalion commander, callsign, Prometey, 39, told The Sun.
“The situation in our sector is very difficult, and even during rest our thoughts and efforts are focused on that. But we are elite forces – we do not complain. We do what must be done.”
Ukrainian serviceman of the 3rd Navy Recruitment Center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Marines of the 36th Brigade say real Christmas has been “stolen” by the war.
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Yaroslav Dratovany, 35, Junior Sergeant of the First Mortar Battery of the First Marine Battalion, has been fighting since February 25, 2022.
He said: “For me, there are no holidays here at all—at least until the fighting stops.
“What matters is that Christmas gives people a reason to remember us and what we are doing here.”
Millions of Ukrainians have lost their loved ones and their homeswhile combat conditions have changed a lot since 2022.
The road down the frontline is not covered with Christmas decorations, but anti-drone nets.
Supporting poles stand every few metres, along with torn nets, burnt out vehicles and fragments of drones.
“That’s a fresh FPV strike. And that’s a Lancet,” driver, Volodymyr, said.
The kill-zone is overwatched from the skies, making logistics and personnel rotation from zero line close to impossible.
Dmytro Kolesnik, callsign Ford40, who spent a month in the UK during training, warned that “evil” could continue “to accumulate and erupt again elsewhere.”
“Britain is far away, of course. But the bad news for you is this: war is constantly changing, ” he said.
“Every six months, it becomes different. We are adapting very quickly—drones, robotic systems, everything evolves fast.
“Countries that do not develop these directions are risking to find themselves helpless and unable to defend themselves while Russia is sharpening its teeth.
“If this evil is not stopped, it will continue to accumulate and erupt again—if not in Ukraine, then elsewhere, as it did in Georgia and Chechnya.”
Despite all the extremes Ukrainian marines continue to stand their ground.
During rest periodsthey temporarily live in the towns and villages that are not far from the kill-zone.
The First Battalion of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade of the 30th Marine Corps sat together to eat traditional Ukrainian Christmas dish, Kutia.
At the head of the table, according to Ukrainian Christmas customs, sits the eldest person.
Chief sergeant of the First Platoon for the First Batallion, Mykhaylo Stelmah, 59, told soldiers: “The Lord is born! Let us praise Him!”
Stelmah – whose callsign is “Grandfather” – added: “Thank you, my brothers-in-arms, for gathering here. I invite you to taste kutia and celebrate Christmas.”
Kutia, which resembles a sweet wheat-berry pudding, is traditionally eaten first during the Christmas Eve dinner.
Frontline cooks also served Ukrainian borscht, pampushky (traditional garlic bread), dumplings filled with potatoes, stewed cabbage, and salo.
There is no alcohol and no presents as soldiers return to the frontline.
The battalion is currently fighting in the Donetsk region defending the city of Kostiantynivka and the routes leading to it.
The 36th Brigade is one of the most famous units in the Ukrainian Marine Corps.
It heroically defended Mariupol at the beginning of the full-scale invasion and has fought in nearly every major frontline hotspot, including operations on the left bank of Kherson and the Kursk direction.
Mykhailo Bodnar, 34, Junior Lieutenant, First Company, First Battalion, told The Sun: “We miss live communication, we miss our families, we miss normal Christmas traditions.”
For the Marines, Christmas is a chance to feel a connection with the outside world, and to remind the outside world that they are holding the line so others can have a real Christmas.
Junior Sergeant Drataovany said: “The West will not cope with this alone if such a disaster comes to them.
“If we—the largest country in Europe—are struggling to hold back this horde of orcs, then no single European country will be able to stop them unless they unite.”