Book Presentation: “In the Shadow of the Drones” by Alexander Gertz

He becomes involved in humanitarian aid and enlists in the army as a medic in the fall of 2023. On the front lines, he witnesses unimaginable things. And eventually, he begins to write them down. The son of Ukrainian-Russian ethnic German repatriates had actually wanted to become a diplomat to make the world a safer place. In the Donbass, he encounters horror.

His account of daily life in a war that is slowly disappearing from the headlines yet continues with unrelenting brutality is meant to shake readers to their core. And it won’t let you go anytime soon.

“‘We have to get out of here. Keep going,’ I whisper to the others and start moving. Deeper into the underbrush. Anywhere, as long as it’s not here. We run in a zigzag through the bushes. Behind us, we hear gunshots. Are they aimed at us? Faster—we have to keep going. Sweat runs down my forehead and mixes with the blood. No formation, no plan—just get away.”