The article focuses on Andrei Demurenko, a 67-year-old Russian colonel, currently serving on the front lines in eastern Ukraine, where he reportedly seeks to experience the challenging conditions alongside his troops. His current environment, near the city of Bakhmut, is presented as a stark contrast to his past involvement with the United States military.
In 1992, Demurenko was notably the first and sole Russian commander selected to attend the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This period was viewed as a hopeful gesture towards fostering a new era of post-Cold War peace and cooperation between the U.S. and Russia, a sentiment shared by Demurenko and the American officers he connected with during his time there.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/us/politics/russian-soldier-war.html