Illya Lif, a prosperous businessman based in Kyiv, was leading a comfortable life just three years ago. His successful ventures in real estate and coffee industry, along with his passion for sailing on his yachts and collecting model aircrafts, defined his life before the Russian invasion.

Then, the unexpected happened.

“Honestly, I never thought a full-scale attack could happen,” Lif expressed his disbelief to RFE/RL from a location near the battle lines in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. “On the morning [of February 24, 2022] I checked online and there it was — war. Amidst the panic, I managed to evacuate my family out of Ukraine and returned to Kyiv.”

Despite having the resources and connections to escape the conflict, Lif chose to join the forces within a month of the invasion. “I didn’t want to abandon my country, no matter what,” he explains. “I hate being forced to do anything, so what were my options?”

I was deeply disturbed by the destruction I saw when I first arrived at the front lines,” recalls Lif.

“The bombing is arbitrary. Civilian houses are being destroyed where there is clearly no military infrastructure. Whether [Russian forces] are hitting them intentionally or not doesn’t matter. I say, aim better.”

“Instead of going about my business, being with my family, I’m crawling around the trenches as dirty as a homeless person. All thanks to them!”

Today Lif leads a drone unit that undertakes reconnaissance, bombing and counter-drone missions. He also supervises a workshop where drones are repaired and built.

The businessman admits that the war has significantly impacted his outlook. “I used to chase new projects to achieve something. But now, speaking frankly, the war has severely hit my business. Some projects stand unfinished, others will never be worth the money I invested in them,” he admits.

“I realize that I don’t need as much money as I thought. My priorities have shifted. What matters now is being at home, hearing my child in the next room and my parents chat in the background. I never appreciated those things before.”

“I wouldn’t divide people into rich and poor, we’re all just human beings.” Lif says. “In war it’s about those people who can, and want to contribute. I have many wealthy friends who are fighting and haven’t bought their way out, even though they have the means to do so.”

Lif’s early battlefield experience as a drone operator saw several close calls. On one reconnaissance flight a Russian tank spotted the Ukrainian drone operator and his fellow soldiers hiding under a bush. “As the drone was flying back I went to retrieve it. Luckily I had an experienced comrade with me who pushed me to the ground under the bush. Everyone took cover and was yelling: ‘Leave the drone!'”

The tank opened fire on the unit. “Shells started exploding and there was shrapnel flying all around. It was so close.” He credits his survival of that incident to “luck, or perhaps fate.”

Lif’s daughter is now 11. “I’ve lost three years of her childhood. When we meet I hardly recognize her because she’s growing up without me,” he says, adding, “I hope some day she’ll understand why I had to do this and she’ll be proud of me.”

As soon as the war ends, Lif says, he will return to civilian life. “I don’t enjoy killing, perhaps some do, but not me.” Seeing his fellow soldiers losing their lives however stirs, “despair, anger and aggression that leaves me no choice but to fight.”