In Ukraine, the Men Who Must Stay and Fight

<p><i>This episode contains strong language.</i></p><p>As the Russian assault has intensified, the government in Ukraine has enacted martial law, requiring men to stay in the country and either join the fight or face the prospect of conscription.</p><p>We tell the story of three of those men: Eugene, an I.T. worker from the northeastern city of Kharkiv; Tigran, an animator who attempted to cross the border into Poland; and Andrew, who signed up for the territorial defense force two weeks ago.</p><p>Guests: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/clare-toeniskoetter">Clare Toeniskoetter</a>, a senior producer for The Daily; and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/lynsea-garrison">Lynsea Garrison</a>, a senior international producer for The Daily. </p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>“Everybody in our country needs to defend”: Civilian volunteers and paramilitary groups are<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/26/world/europe/ukraine-russia-civilian-military.html"> taking the fight to the Russian Army</a> in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.</li><li>Photographers and videographers around Ukraine have captured<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/russia-invades-ukraine-photos.html"> a populace struggling with uncertainty and fear</a>.</li></ul><p>Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-daily?module=inline">subscribe to our newsletter</a>. </p><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p>