France, Feb. 28 -- Sasha Zhylyaev, a sergeant with Khartiia, one of the most popular units in the Ukrainian military,is in charge of communications, marketing and fundraising.In his pre-war life, Sasha, who was also a DJ in his spare time, had opened a small cafe and worked in marketing for companies including Comfy, an electronics store, and Multiplex, a cinema chain.

Originally from Kyiv, he joined this Kharkiv-based unit more than a year ago.

Dmytro, his colleague from Kharkiv, was a freelance journalist for 10 years before he joined. The two men chose Khartiia over other units precisely because it would allow them to continue using their civilian skills in the service of the army.

Dmytro explains: "Here, there aren't just combat po...