A Journey of Life and Death: The Russia-Ukraine War as Experienced by Taiwanese Volunteer Soldier Pan Wen-yang

──Three years have passed since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, and it is not yet over──
80,000 unforgettable words, over 40 full-color photos
The true battlefield record of Taiwanese volunteer soldier Pan Wen-yang
In March this year, Chinese journalist Chai Jing interviewed Pan Wen-yang and others fighting for Ukraine, with over 1.3 million views.
In April, The Initium interviewed Pan Wen-yang, "Why are you fighting a war that isn't yours?"
Why did the 25-year-old go to Ukraine to fight three times?
Why did the 25-year-old give up a comfortable life?

In July 2023, Pan Wen-yang, still a university student, received an interview invitation from the International Legion for the Territorial Defense of Ukraine. Inspired by news reports of foreign volunteers, he decided to go to war, even lying to his family that he was going to Poland as an exchange student.

In early September 2023, Pan Wen-yang arrived in Warsaw, Poland, and then traveled to the Ukrainian border in mid-September. After completing the formalities in the border city of Lviv, he began an eight-week military training, joining the 4th Battalion (New Recruit Battalion) of the International Legion.

In the training camp, Pan Wen-yang met several comrades, including Captain Eric, a former US Marine Corps NCO, American volunteer New York, Ragnar, a retired Norwegian Marine, German volunteer Dogge, and Instructor Dennis, a retired Sri Lankan special forces operative.

On November 10, 2023, Pan Wen-yang went to a safe house on the front line of Bakhmut for the first time, only to learn from his comrades that Ragnar, Dennis, Eric, and other comrades had successively died in action. The death of Captain Eric was a huge mental blow to Pan Wen-yang, causing his will to fight to collapse. He decided to terminate his contract and return to Taiwan at the beginning of the following year.

However, Pan Wen-yang could not adapt to the peaceful campus life in Taiwan; his thoughts remained on the Russia-Ukraine battlefield. He detested university education and academic institutions, believing that knowledge could not explain the cruelty of war, and was also disappointed by people's apathy towards war. Although he feared death, a strong sense of mission compelled him to decide to return to Ukraine again.

In July 2024, Pan Wen-yang and another fellow Kaohsiung native, Wu Zong-da (Ada), departed from Taoyuan Airport for Ukraine, rejoining the International Legion as a member of the 2nd Battalion. There, he met Chinese volunteer soldier Peng Chen-liang (Liang-zai), and the two developed a deep friendship. Later, he also met German computer engineer Links, retired US Marine Corps member Fri, and others.

In October 2024, Pan Wen-yang's unit went to Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine to carry out a combat mission. This was an extremely bloody battle. Pan Wen-yang personally experienced eighteen days of hellish intense fighting. His company, Company A, paid a heavy price in the Battle of Chasiv Yar, with twenty-four killed and ten severely wounded. He personally witnessed his close friend Ada die when his waist was blown open by artillery fire, and also learned that Liang-zai was unfortunately shot and killed during a reconnaissance mission. The loss of these two comrades deeply affected Pan Wen-yang once again.

Although Pan Wen-yang survived, he felt that a part of him had died with his comrades in that forest. At the beginning of this book, Pan Wen-yang was a young man who yearned for war and wanted to prove his existence, believing that war could tell him the meaning of life. But after truly experiencing war and witnessing his brothers disappear before his eyes, he began to question abstract discussions about war (such as freedom, democracy, justice) from the outside world, while ignoring the sacrifice of living human lives, and reflected on what the meaning of war truly is? And what is worth fighting for? Is it all worth it?

"While my friends were living it up in college, I was in the meat grinder hell of the Chasiv Yar forest."

"In real war, life is so fragile. Every day, vibrant lives leave you. The sound of death howls past, heard only by me and my brothers."

2025-09-03

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