'More comfortable than a Rolls-Royce': Ukrainian tank drivers eagerly await Western rides

OUTSIDE BAKHMUT, Ukraine — There had been a time when Oleg was excited to get behind the wheel of the tank. A sardonic 25-year-old, he's been serving as a driver around the front lines of the war in eastern Ukraine since almost the beginning of Russia's invasion last year.

But the novelty is long gone. The tank, a T-64 made in 1983, is older than he is — a relic of Ukraine's Soviet past. Its engine needs at least 20 minutes to warm up from a cold start, and for every day of hard combat, it needs a day of maintenance. Its ancient optics mean the crew can't fight at night.

Worst of all, it's just plain slow.

"Driving one of these is like driving an old car. It's an old Mercedes," said a rather bored-looking Oleg, who gave only his first name in accordance with Ukrainian military policy. "I'm tired of it. I want something that goes faster."