Solidarity Collectives have new fighters. What does it mean? It’s time to introduce them to you. This is Lektor’s story.

“Hello, my name is Oleksii, Callsign Lektor. I think of myself as a person with antiauthoritarian views. Last summer, I joined the defence forces as part of the airborne assault troops, where I am working as a navigator in the crew of the 46th Brigade of the Company of Striking Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Behind me lies the experience of a desperate resilience and extensive defensive operations in the Kurakhove sector.

My civilian life was mainly marked by intellectual activity: research, translations of philosophical and political literature, and teaching. All that involved high levels of self-organisation, integrity, and horizontal cooperation among the colleagues. And yet, wielding the pen in a time like this is an unheard-of luxury. So, I was preparing myself physically, improving my health and studying the tactical dimension of modern warfare.

The pivotal moment in my decision to join the military was the desire to reach my anarchist comrades to support them in the war zone. There’s no such thing as a superfluous pair of hands in these conditions, as it is known how devious the enemy is and the dire situation Ukraine currently faces. To be frank, I have no trust in our current politicking being capable of changing the moral and psychological climate in the country, which it has long perpetuated; all of us are reading the news and witnessing daily the consequences of these actions. Therefore, I think and even insist that responsibility for that climate can be taken by the citizens who are aware of their status, who, by their example, can ignite hearts in the name of righteous resistance, becoming the very agents who cultivate and preserve Ukrainian solidarity. So the decision to join the military was a result of continuous reflection.

I do not fight for borders, but for principles. There can be no border with the terrorists – only a frontline. Does the world still have illusions about what bloody russian imperialism can bring? Today’s struggle continues not merely for territorial sovereignty, but for the very worldview — the umbilical cord of our collective life and agency. We’re defending basic human values: respect for others, reverence for freedom, and ideological plurality, we’re defending the possibility to build personal lives. It is known that any kind of empire is destined to collapse; it has already happened to a certain extent, and what remains is to endure. It’s in our power to participate through action and hasten this historical process”.