War in Ukraine
![A howitzer, belonging to a Ukrainian artillery battery attached to the 59th Mechanized Brigade, shoots off to target the points controlled by Russian troops on November 05, 2022. Illustrative photo.]( "A howitzer, belonging to a Ukrainian artillery battery attached to the 59th Mechanized Brigade, shoots off to target the points controlled by Russian troops on November 05, 2022. Illustrative photo.")
![Russian Buk-M2 air defense system during a military exhibition in Moscow, 2017.]( "Illustrative image. Russian Buk-M2 air defense system during a military exhibition in Moscow, 2017. (Source: Getty Images)")
![Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz speaks during the Defence24 Days security conference in Warsaw, Poland, on May 6, 2026. (Source: Getty Images)]( "Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz speaks during the Defence24 Days security conference in Warsaw, Poland, on May 6, 2026. (Source: Getty Images)")
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![Road sign at the entrance to Mala Tokmachka.]( "Road sign at the entrance to Mala Tokmachka. (Photo: open source)")
![A column of Russia's Topol intercontinental ballistic missile launchers rolls during a rehearsal of the Victory Day Parade in Alabino, outside Moscow, on April 20, 2011.]( "A column of Russia's Topol intercontinental ballistic missile launchers rolls during a rehearsal of the Victory Day Parade in Alabino, outside Moscow, on April 20, 2011.")
![Russian leader Vladimir Putin speaks at the Grand Kremlin Palace following the Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9, 2026. (Source: Getty Images)]( "Russian leader Vladimir Putin speaks at the Grand Kremlin Palace following the Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9, 2026. (Source: Getty Images)")
![Blue and yellow giant Xbox controller is seen in the centre of a famous Black Sea resort of Odesa, Ukraine, on September 7, 2022.]( "Blue and yellow giant Xbox controller is seen in the centre of a famous Black Sea resort of Odesa, Ukraine, on September 7, 2022. (Source: Getty Images)")
![Aftermath of a drone strike on a major Russian oil refinery in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod region, May 20, 2026. (Source: Exilenova_plus)]( "Aftermath of a drone strike on a major Russian oil refinery in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod region, May 20, 2026. (Source: Exilenova_plus)")
![Fire following a Ukrainian drone strike in occupied Snizhne, Donetsk region, on May 19, 2026. (Source: Exilenova+)]( "Fire following a Ukrainian drone strike in occupied Snizhne, Donetsk region, on May 19, 2026. (Source: Exilenova+)")
![Anti-drone netting covers a supply route near Kostyantynivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, February 2026. Burned military vehicles are seen along the road amid ongoing Russian drone attacks. (Source: Getty Images)]( "Anti-drone netting covers a supply route near Kostyantynivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, February 2026. Burned military vehicles are seen along the road amid ongoing Russian drone attacks. (Source: Getty Images)")
![Warhead section of the R-60M missile from a downed Russian Geran-2 drone with radiation hazard marking.]( "Warhead section of the R-60M missile from a downed Russian Geran-2 drone with radiation hazard marking, April 2026. (Source: SBU)")
![Nevinnomyssk Azot factory.]( "Nevinnomyssk Azot factory. (Source: Russian media)")
![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.
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-d0688aba4982a6ed58cca70fa1601dc3.jpeg "After I Jumped Into the Lake and Before I Got Punched—Special Operations Forces Selection, Ukraine Style")
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