A Ukrainian volunteer soldier, who enlisted in the conflict just days into Russia's invasion, is describing a harrowing experience that left him struggling to cope with the psychological toll of war.
Akula, whose face was obscured by a hoodie, recounted to CNN's David McKenzie his time on the front lines. "Scary," he said of the moments when his unit came under attack, the sound of gunfire and artillery still echoing in his mind.
He recalled nights spent huddled around a small fire, trying to stay warm in temperatures that plummeted into the minus 20-degree Celsius. "Cold," he said. The lack of food meant that at times, he had to go without meals for days on end, growing increasingly "hungry" as a result.
But it was the feelings of isolation and loneliness that have weighed most heavily on his mind since returning home. "I'm lonely," Akula admitted. "It's hard to talk about."
His mental health struggles were compounded by the trauma he experienced during combat, with some of those memories now difficult for him to revisit. When asked how he was managing, he replied, "It's been a tough road."
Akula, whose face was obscured by a hoodie, recounted to CNN's David McKenzie his time on the front lines. "Scary," he said of the moments when his unit came under attack, the sound of gunfire and artillery still echoing in his mind.
He recalled nights spent huddled around a small fire, trying to stay warm in temperatures that plummeted into the minus 20-degree Celsius. "Cold," he said. The lack of food meant that at times, he had to go without meals for days on end, growing increasingly "hungry" as a result.
But it was the feelings of isolation and loneliness that have weighed most heavily on his mind since returning home. "I'm lonely," Akula admitted. "It's hard to talk about."
His mental health struggles were compounded by the trauma he experienced during combat, with some of those memories now difficult for him to revisit. When asked how he was managing, he replied, "It's been a tough road."
man it's so sad to see these guys struggling after going through all that trauma 
they're just trying to live a normal life and adjust back home but the memories are still haunting them 
it's like they lost parts of themselves in that war 
and now they're struggling to find their way back 
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. Sending you all my positive vibes for healing and recovery 
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his story is giving me chills. The way they describe the constant fear and cold, it's just... wow. I can only imagine how hard it must be for him to talk about it now, though 
and how we'd cope with the trauma.
I mean, it's one thing to talk about war, but it's another to deal with the emotional aftermath... I'm just glad Akula is talking out, even if it's hard for him 
gotta give him props 4 speakin out about his struggles its not always easy 2 talk about mental health issues & trauma 
war is such a harsh reality check. mental health is definitely something we need to be more open about, you know? it's not just about the physical injuries, but also the emotional toll it takes on our minds and bodies 
I feel like this guy has seen one too many Avengers movies, always dodging bullets and surviving on minimal rations 
. But seriously, 20 degrees Celsius below zero is COLD, dude! 
I mean, who needs that kind of chill? Can we just stick to a warm cuppa and Netflix instead? 
And poor guy's mental health is like a browser with too many tabs open – it's all just getting overwhelming 
. War is literally so harsh on the mind and body, you know? The physical conditions alone are insane - minus 20 degrees Celsius?! That's like walking outside in freezing temps all day 
. Mental health awareness is key, we need to make sure they get the help they need ASAP 
. It's like, he's still trying to process everything he saw and experienced during the war, and it's taking a toll on his mental health 
... I mean, how do you even recover from that kind of thing? It's like, we're all so caught up in the news headlines and updates that we forget that there are real people behind them, with real feelings and struggles 
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. The fact that these soldiers are still struggling to adjust to life back home when they've already been through so much is just mind-boggling.
. We need to be supporting these soldiers when they come back, rather than just scrolling through their stories 
my heart goes out to him & his loved ones 
. like, we should be doing everything we can to support him, not just throwing him a pity party. i mean, don't get me wrong, it's amazing what this guy did for his country, but we gotta make sure our troops are taken care of when they come back too 
. it's definitely eye-opening and might just change your perspective on things 
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