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.