#Ukrainian Armed Forces
446 articles
-f88628fa403b11af0b72ec7b062ce954.jpeg "Photo of Amira Barkhush")
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
-72aff67d4cf90814a33182507b28b2fb.jpg "A commander from the 118th Separate Mechanized Brigade displays a diploma from the National Register of Records of Ukraine for defense of Mala Tokmachka. (Source: 118th Separate Mechanized Brigade)")
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
![Special Operations Forces Selection, Ukraine Style]( "After I Jumped Into the Lake and Before I Got Punched—Special Operations Forces Selection, Ukraine Style")
- Author
![Philip Malzahn]( "Philip Malzahn")
- Category
- War in Ukraine
To become a Special Forces Operator in Ukraine, you first have to survive selection: six days and six nights of crawling, marching, exhaustion, and pain. I joined the process—twice—to look behind the curtain of one of the country's most secretive military units. I didn't pass (big surprise), but I came away with a deeper understanding of the people fighting in Russia's war against Ukraine.![Drone targeting footage captures Ukrainian Border Guard pilots from the “Phoenix” unit locking onto a Russian 2S7 “Pion” artillery system on the Lyman axis. (Source: State Border Guard Service of Ukraine)]( "Drone targeting footage captures Ukrainian Border Guard pilots from the “Phoenix” unit locking onto a Russian 2S7 “Pion” artillery system on the Lyman axis. (Source: State Border Guard Service of Ukraine)")
![Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) looks on as US President Donald Trump meets with China’s President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14, 2026. (Source: Getty Images)]( "Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) looks on as US President Donald Trump meets with China’s President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14, 2026. (Source: Getty Images)")
![Civilians, rescued by Ukrainian drone operators, May 2026. (Source: ab3army/X)]( "Civilians, rescued by Ukrainian drone operators, May 2026. (Source: ab3army/X)")
![Armed Ukrainian military personnel take part in an urban warfare exercise, conducted by the Spanish military, at the Toledo infantry academy in Toledo, Spain, on March 24, 2023. (Source: Getty Images)]( "Armed Ukrainian military personnel take part in an urban warfare exercise, conducted by the Spanish military, at the Toledo infantry academy in Toledo, Spain, on March 24, 2023. (Source: Getty Images)")
![A screen grab from a video shows Russian leader Vladimir Putin, dressed in military uniform, visiting a command post in Kursk, Russia, on March 12, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)]( "A screen grab from a video shows Russian leader Vladimir Putin, dressed in military uniform, visiting a command post in Kursk, Russia, on March 12, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)")
-d0688aba4982a6ed58cca70fa1601dc3.jpeg "After I Jumped Into the Lake and Before I Got Punched—Special Operations Forces Selection, Ukraine Style")
