'He picked up a weapon and made a video for his wife and children saying he was going to Ukraine to kill'

After the Cultural Forces concert for recuperating soldiers at a military hospital I wrote about in my previous post, Max from Brovary, near Kyiv, a military instructor, told me his story.

Tell me about your experiences.

Max: I’ve been fighting since 2022. I’m a volunteer, and I was in the infantry at first, then transferred to a drone unit. I also teach. I take people to the positions in person and teach them how to behave in a given situation. How to behave with weapons, with a drone, with an anti-aircraft gun, how to protect vulnerable points.

You’ve been injured?

Yes, more than once. Shrapnel wounds, gunshot wounds, wounds from FPV and glide bomb strikes… Knee, legs, torso… a lot, in the course of four years.

But you keep fighting? You don’t want to leave the country?

No, I don’t want to leave the country, for the usual reasons. I have a family, I have children, I have a country, which I have been protecting since 2022. I protect its interests, not the interests of the state, the deputies or the bureaucracy.

It doesn’t matter to me who’s president, or whether political parties change places. For me what counts is Ukraine, and that means Ukrainians. It’s Ukrainians who should decide what to do next – whether to defend ourselves or give up and move on – not people in America or the EU. If the Ukrainian people support the war [i.e. Ukraine’s defence of its land] we will continue to the end. If the Ukrainian people say that’s enough, stop, that’s what we’ll do. The president, the prime minister, the defence minister are all given certain responsibilities, and they carry them out, but that doesn’t mean they can influence the position of the Ukrainian people.

Do you think Russian soldiers believe that they are fighting for the truth?

For what truth? Let’s ask a Russian soldier what the truth is. He came to take our land, to take our identity as Ukrainians, to take our freedom.

And what would he answer?

Well, he could answer like this: take his parents by the hand, lead them to a toilet and say, ‘Look, here’s our faith, here’s what we’re protecting.’ [Russian troops have notoriously been documented stealing toilets and other household furniture and items to send home.]

Ukrainians built everything we have. No one gave it to us, not the state. This is my garage, my house, I built it or renovated it. Then a Russian comes, looks at it all – the toilet, the washing machine – and he wants it. Because they don’t have gas in their homes, from Moscow to Tyumen.

Are there many foreigners fighting for Russia?

We’ve had foreigners from Nigeria, Cuba – I’ve seen them personally – Armenia, Pakistan, Iran, North Korea – a lot from North Korea. They’re experienced fighters. But most foreigners are fighting for money, not patriotism. Ukrainians are fighting for their country, their children, wives and parents.

Cultural Forces run a library for soldiers. On the table above:

Top row: Crimea is Ukraine: The true history of Crimea 2024; A child’s picture with the words ‘You are our heroes! We thank you!’; A thank-you certificate (text not legible); Transformed by Trauma: Stories of Post-Traumatic Growth.

Middle row: Not After 30 Years, a novel by Viktor Lohachev; pamphlets produced by/for Defenders of Ukraine; Jack London novel or compendium (title(s) not visible); Since the Yezhovshchina [the worst period of Soviet repression, 1936-8] by Olha Mak; unknown.

Bottom row: Jack London novel or compendium (title(s) not visible); Genocide of Ukraine in the 20th Century; Collected Works by Tarjei Vesaas; How are you, Brother? How are you, Sister? How to talk with those who have undergone traumatic experiences.

Ivanna told me you took a Cuban prisoner.

Max: Yes. I met four Cubans fighting for Russia in the Siversk area, and took one of them prisoner. The other three unfortunately were killed, for the propaganda of the Russian Federation, for an idea that Cubans themselves don’t support. I can say that, because when I took him prisoner he was sure he was in the Russian Federation [i.e. sincerely believed that occupied Ukraine was part of Russia].

When I took him prisoner, he dropped his weapon and shouted out, “Putin!” I shouted out [in English] “Ukraine forever! ZSU!” He didn’t understand [“ZSU”, which stands for Armed Forces of Ukraine], and said he was from Cuba and had signed a contract.

And so I got to know him, and was kind to him. I gave him first aid, painkillers, put a tourniquet on him to stop him bleeding and keep him conscious and able to get to our positions.

Do you know what happened to him after that?

I only know that he’s gone back to Cuba. He was very, very lucky to survive. I hope people like him don’t act in this stupid way in the future. When he joined a Russian motorcycle brigade of his own free will, it was for money. But I think no amount of money in the world is worth a man’s life. I understand that he was young, 25 years old, But that’s not an excuse for coming to Ukraine to kill our people. If he turns up in Ukraine again, I won’t make the mistake of letting him live.

I let him live because I felt sorry for him. He just dropped his weapon and I felt sorry for him and let him go. Another time, he would not have come out of that forest alive.

He knew when he came here what might happen. He picked up a weapon and made a video for his wife and children saying he was going to Ukraine to kill. I have never forgiven him for this and he should know that if I should suddenly see him in civilian life, he will die.

About 20,000 Cubans are thought to have been recruited to fight for Russia. But there are many South Americans fighting for Ukraine too. For example, this recent news report is about Colombian volunteers storming a Russian position.

That interview snippet is from four months ago. The situation in Kramatorsk has significantly worsened; some of my friends, interviewees and contacts have now left, or are in the process of leaving. I am returning to Ukraine at the end of August and wherever I go I will bring you as many honest stories as I can.

In the meantime, I’m giving a free talk in Sleaford, UK on 20 August. You can get a free ticket here. Thanks to The Community Lab for booking the event and creating the graphic!