Noah Romsdal Hallundbæk Sørensen
Ukrainian soldier and psychologist Kit has watched his comrades die and vows revenge.
He sits just 200 metres from the enemy in one of the war’s bloodiest cities.
He has watched comrades die with his own eyes and vows to fight until the very end.
But before returning to the front, Ukrainian soldier and psychologist Kit spent five weeks in England on a course that surprised him more than he had ever expected.
According to DR
200 Metres From the Enemy
Bakhmut is not just a city in Ukraine. It has earned the nickname “the meat grinder” because it has been the setting for months of brutal fighting in which tens of thousands of soldiers have died.
Here, Kit and his unit sit separated from Russian forces, primarily mercenaries from the Wagner Group, by a mere 200 metres.
One day, a Russian soldier leaps forward and shouts a provocation toward the Ukrainian lines. Kit’s unit keeps him in their sights, but the commanding officer refuses to give the order to shoot, as it would reveal their position.
Shortly after, a Russian missile strikes a neighbouring Ukrainian unit just beside them. “They were pulverised,” Kit says.
Psychologist and Soldier at the Same Time
Kit is not only a soldier. He is also the psychologist for his own unit, and it is precisely that role which is put to the test in moments when rational thinking gives way to pure instinct.
His task is to help the soldiers recover after they have watched comrades die.
The message he tries to convey is simple and bluntly direct: “There is nothing else to do. We are defending our children, our women and our parents.” Kit has a wife and two daughters aged three and five.
His youngest was born during an air raid siren. “When I have seen my comrade blown to pieces, I want revenge until the very last moment,” he says.
Mindfulness From the Front Line to the Classroom
For five weeks, Kit sat in a classroom on a military base at an undisclosed location in eastern England.
The course is part of the British-led Operation Interflex and features instructors that include personnel from the Norwegian armed forces. The aim is to teach Ukrainian soldiers and psychologists how to manage the stress of war and support colleagues in shock.
The most surprising tool turned out to be mindfulness. “When people come back from the front line, they often have chaos inside them.
Mindfulness is a good tool for beginning to focus on what is happening within yourself,” Kit says. He expects to use these tools both now and after the war, where he sees a enormous task waiting for psychologists who must help veterans with PTSD and their families.
Does He Fear Death?
During the final two weeks of the course, Kit began to miss his loved ones. Now he is heading back to the front.
Asked whether he fears death, he answers without hesitation: “I am only human, and all normal people feel fear. I am no superhero.”
But as a psychologist, he actively works with his own fear. His goal is clear: that everyone comes home safely, and that Ukraine wins the war.
