Ukrainian Alex worked as a translator until a few months ago. Now he practices combat techniques in the forests there and learns to use Western weapons. He joined the brigade of 40,000 volunteers who are to fight alongside the regular army during the planned counter-offensive. “I want the war to end as soon as possible, and I hope that with the assault brigade it will happen a lot faster,” Alex told Reuters.
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A Ukrainian brigade of 40,000 volunteers is to fight alongside the regular army during the counter-offensive. | Video: Reuters
At the beginning of February, the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior launched a significant advertising campaign, the aim of which was to attract as many motivated residents as possible. Since then, both ex-soldiers and policemen, as well as people with no prior combat experience, have joined the assault brigades. Around three percent of the participants are also women. “Our women are sufficiently patriotic, strong and hate the enemy no less than men. They also want to serve,” Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko commented to Reuters in early April.
The brigade, which is supposed to strengthen the Ukrainian armed forces during the upcoming counter-offensive, consists of eight units with catchy names – for example Spartan, Hurricane, Azov or Kara Dag, which is the name of an extinct volcano on the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014 in violation of international law . According to Klymenko, the training of civilians without previous military experience should take about four months, former police officers or soldiers can complete it in half that time.
Already at the end of March, members of the unit called Steel Border began learning how to operate drones or how to evacuate and rescue wounded soldiers at an unspecified location in Ukraine. The volunteers manage to absorb the training quickly, according to their shooting instructor, codenamed Hasid. “They absorb everything like water. They mainly want, it is important to them. They are highly motivated and learn quickly,” Hasid told Reuters.
Twenty-one-year-old Vakha, who was originally conscripted into the Ukrainian army, also joined the unit. Later, however, he asked to be transferred to the Steel Border – he praised the training offered and believed that participating in the brigade would ensure a faster journey to the east of Ukraine, where the fiercest fighting is raging.
Dmytro, a Ukrainian who worked in a civilian exchange office, also became his colleague. He signed up for the brigade mainly because of a desire for revenge. “As cruel as it may sound in the 21st century. We must take revenge for all our people, for the murdered children,” he told Reuters.
According to the information so far, Ukraine will launch another counter-offensive this spring. When exactly that will happen, however, Ukrainian representatives do not want to elaborate. “I hope it will start unexpectedly. Because that is the point of a military operation – no one must learn that it has started. The longer the enemy does not know about it, the better,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told the RBK-Ukraine server a week ago. However, in connection with the planned Ukrainian counterattack, there are fears that if it is not successful, the desire to support Kiev in the West will decrease.
A video of the attack on the Kremlin is circulating on the networks, but its authenticity has not yet been verified
A video of the attack on the Kremlin is spreading on the networks. Its authenticity has not yet been verified Video: Aktuálně.cz/Telegram/Ihor Lachenkov
