One after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, on the military ground, fatigue sets in. To last in the long term by taking care of the morale of the troops, a rehabilitation center has been set up before returning to combat.
With our special correspondents in Kharkiv, Anastasia Becchio And Boris Vicith
Lapping, relaxing music, smells of eucalyptus in a subdued atmosphere: this is one of the rooms where the soldiers, barely arriving from the front of Bakhmout, Vouhledar or Zaporijjia, can decompress. “ Images of fights, death of friends, limbs torn apart, explosions, shots all fade away after this process », Assures Lieutenant-Colonel Oleksandr Vasilkovsky, the originator of the project.
This 43-year-old career soldier, specializing in military psychology, had the idea for this project, when in 2016, his unit, which remained 13 months without rotation in the Donbass, experienced a major wave of suicides. The large-scale Russian invasion made him decide to act. “ We have to protect the soldier. It is he who brings victory, not the generals. It is he who crosses the trenches of the enemy, goes on the attack and defends the positionsinsists the lieutenant-colonel. If we don’t take care of him, who will raise the country after victory? ? »
Psychologists, aromatherapy, meditation…
Aromatherapy, meditation, electrostimulation, infrared light baths or even a salt room to treat lungs strained by the humidity of the trenches… The soldiers also have group or individual therapy sessions. They arrive with a feeling of guilt, says Maxime Baïda, one of the ten psychologists. “ I have one who says to me: “you know, I killed 35 people. I can’t get over it”. We say to him: “you did not kill, you eliminated the enemy, you defend your house”. »
Every week, a hundred men go through this center. A parenthesis, without being cut off from the world. On their mobile phones, they stay informed of what is happening on the ground to stay aware of what awaits them there on the front lines.
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