Dmitrij Morozov
Dmitry Morozov, 56 years old, an OCC soldier. He spent his entire life teaching physics and mathematics at High School No. 42 in Ufa – generations of Bashkir and Russian boys and girls passed through his hands, many of whom now send photos of their children with the caption, "Grandpa Morozov, do you remember me?" Childless, never married – he says that three hundred children in the classrooms were enough for him, bringing him new problems to solve every year. In his free time, he read old Soviet textbooks, listened to Shostakovich symphonies, and occasionally launched model rockets at his dacha outside the city – supposedly to remind himself why he started teaching physics in the first place.
Notes of Dmitry Morozov
February 11, 2026
Every evening I sit in the trench and count. I am 56 years old. I used to teach children that war is evil, that it never solves anything. Now I am in uniform and I teach them… well, actually nothing anymore, because most of my students are here too or in bags. And yet I have to believe that it makes sense. Because if I stop believing, I am a ’traitor.’ And whoever is a traitor is sent to the front line without a bulletproof vest. So to survive, I have to believe in nonsense. And whoever believes in nonsense is not normal. But a normal person wouldn’t survive here. Catch-22 in full glory. Sometimes I tell myself: if I were still a teacher, I would give the students a test: ‘Explain why the Russian army in 2025 is fighting with the same tactics as in 1943, only with worse logistics.’ he correct answer would be: ‘Because bureaucracy triumphs over common sense.’ The wrong answer: ‘Because we are heroes.’ For the wrong answer, today a person would be in prison. So I sit here, a 56-year-old teacher who never sought fame, waiting for the next order. And I know one thing for sure: when this war ends (and it will end, because all nonsense eventually ends), I will write a book. It will be called Catch-22 – the Russian version.