Dmytro Dokunov, known as Dok, is a tall, peace-loving man, fighting on the frontline against Russian invaders. His mobile phone camera is always on. Everyone in his unit is wracked by fear. There’s nothing heroic about this war.

Dok is a pacifist. A vegetarian. He spent the last year before the war in a remote Ukrainian village, building an eco-community, meditating, gardening, and making art. A notice from the military office presented him with a dilemma: to join the army, and face a difficult moral choice, or to run away from mobilization. He decided to accept the challenge and fight for his homeland...

Dok ended up in the army's most dangerous unit — the paratrooper reconnaissance unit. He spent four months at the paratroopers' training camp, learning to cross rivers, fire a machine gun, and jump from a helicopter. He first saw the war up-close on the frontline near Kherson. In the first battle, some of his comrades were ambushed and killed. Dok’s closest battle buddy, a Krishna devotee nicknamed ‘Thor,’ also died.

A few days later, Dok led his men into the next battle. Referred to in radio communications as "Position Zero”, this battle took place directly alongside the enemy. Explosions, nights in the trenches, dozens of wounded, corpses to be evacuated, the loss of friends. All taking place amidst the beauty of nature. Between lakes full of cranes and endless fields of sunflowers,  Dok’s diary shows how the reality of war hits like a punch in the face.

Broadcasting Hours:

DW English

SAT 06.06.2026 – 10:30 UTC
SAT 06.06.2026 – 21:30 UTC
SUN 07.06.2026 – 04:30 UTC

Lagos UTC +1 | Cape Town UTC +2 | Nairobi UTC +3
Delhi UTC +5,5 | Bangkok UTC +7 | Hong Kong UTC +8
London UTC +1 | Berlin UTC +2 | Moscow UTC +3
San Francisco UTC -7 | Edmonton UTC -6 | New York UTC -4