AT THE WHITE HOUSE, THANK YOU.
MEANWHILE, UKRAINIANS CONTINUE
TO DIG IN AGAINST THE RUSSIAN
INVADERS, AND THEY’RE NOT ALONE
IN THEIR FIGHT.
LOCAL OFFICIALS SAY OVER 26,000
VOLUNTEERS FROM 50 DIFFERENT
COUNTRIES HAVE COME TO AID THEIR
CAUSE INCLUDING AMERICANS.
OUR NEXT GUEST IS ONE OF THOSE
AMERICAN VOLUNTEERS, A FORMER
PARATROOPER WHO WAS DEPLOYED TO
IRAQ MULTIPLE TIMES.
HE’S GOING BY THE NAME PAUL.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW.
PAUL, THANK YOU.
I WANT TO ASK YOU, WHY HAVE YOU
JOINED THIS EFFORT?
AND IF YOU CAN, GIVE US A SENSE
OF SORT OF WHERE YOU HAVE
POSITIONED YOURSELF.
>> HELLO FROM NORTH KYIV.
YES, I MOVED TO KYIV IN LATE
2020.
IT’S A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY, A
BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE HERE MANY IF
UKRAINE, AND SO LIFE WAS VERY
GOOD FOR ME HERE.
SO WITH THIS INVASION, AS IT GOT
CLOSER AND CLOSER, I STARTED TO
THINK ABOUT WHAT I WAS GOING TO
DO, ASK I DECIDED THAT I WAS
GOING TO STAND HERE AND FIGHT
WITH THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE.
THE GEORGIA FOREIGN LEGION HAS
BEEN ACTIVE HERE FOR ABOUT A
EIGHT YEARS.
AFTER THEIR WAR WITH RUSSIA,
THEY STARTED SAYING THAT UKRAINE
WAS NEXT, AND FOR MANY YEARS
THEY’VE BEEN PREPARING FOR THIS
MOMENT.
SO I’VE BEEN HELPING THEM TRAIN
CIVILIANS, AND I’M HELPING THEM
FIGHT AND DEFEND UKRAINE THIS
PAST TWO, THREE WEEKS OF
FIGHTING.
GRIFF: PAUL, VLADIMIR PUTIN
GROSSLY ARE UNDERESTIMATED THE
FIERCE RESISTANCE OF THE
UKRAINIAN PEOPLE AND THEIR
FORCES.
YOU’RE OUT THERE AMONGST HEM.
TELL ME ABOUT HOW STRONG THE
UKRAINIAN RESISTANCE IS, AND
THEY SURVIVE AND FEND OFF THE
RUSSIAN FORCES AS THEY CLOSE IN
ON YOU IN THE CAPITAL CITY?
>> SO THE WHOLE ENTIRE
POPULATION HAS -- ALL THE ROADS
THAT ARE STILL IN UKRAINIAN
CONTROL ARE ON LOCKDOWN.
THE ENTIRE POPULATION HERE IN
UKRAINE HAS RALLIED BEHIND THE
COUNTRY, AND THE WAR ATROCITIES
ARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
EVERYBODY IS JUST AGHAST AT
WHAT’S GOING ON HERE, AND
THEY’RE STARTING TO TARGET
CIVILIANS AS WELL AS MILITARY.
BUT WE -- FROM THE YOUNGER
GENERATION TO OLDER GENERATION,
I REMEMBER SOVIET TIMES WHOLE
COUNTRY IS FIERCELY FIGHTING FOR
THE INDEPENDENCE THAT THEY
CELEBRATED 30 YEARS THIS YEAR.
GRIFF: PAUL, ARE THEY SUFFERING
WAR CRIMESESOME WE HAVE HEARD
MUCH ABOUT THE INCH DISCRIMINATE
BOMBING AND ATTACKS ON
CIVILIANS.
IS WHAT YOU’RE SEEING IN THE
STREETS EQUIVALENT TO WAR
CRIMES?
>> YES.
SO, I MEAN, THEY’RE TRYING TO
BASICALLY ERASE THIS COUNTRY --
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE NATION OF
UKRAINE.
FOR CENTURIES, THEY’RE THE
STRONGEST EUROPEANS.
THEY’RE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, BUT
THEY HAVE THE STRONGEST SPIRIT
TO FIGHT.
IT’S A RIGHTEOUS FURY THAT FUELS
THESE PEOPLE AS THEY SEE FRIENDS
AND FAMILY GOING TO FIGHT AND,
MEANWHILE, RUSSIA A IS ATTACKING
INDISCRIMINATELY NOW THIS
CIVILIAN SECTORS AND MILITARY.
SO YOU’VE SEEN WHAT’S HAPPENING.
I’M HERE IN NORTHERN KYIV,
GEORGIAN FOREIGN LEGION IS
ACTIVE HERE, AND EVERYBODY’S
HUNKERED DOWN.
BUT THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES ARE
TRYING TO CARRY ON AS STRONG
STRONGLY AS HE CAN, SOMEWHAT
RESEMBLANCE OF NORMAL LIFE HERE.
INSPIRING TO SEE THIS HUGE
POPULATION OF THE COUNTRY AND
EVERYBODY’S 100% BEHIND THEIR
NATIVE HOME HERE.
GRIFF: PAUL IF, THANK YOU FOR
YOUR SERVICE TO OUR NATION.
AS SOMEONE WHO SPENT SOME TIME
IN IRAQ, I’VE SEEN THE FIERCE
FIGHTING YOU’VE DONE.
YOU’RE NOT WITH U.S. TROOPS, YOU
ARE, OBVIOUSLY, WITH UKRAINIAN
FORCES, AND IT DOES APPEAR THAT
THE RUSSIANS ARE CONTINUING TO
SOFTEN THE BATTLE SPACE, IF YOU
WILL, AND SURROUND KYIV WHICH
YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
ARE YOU WORRIED FOR YOUR OWN
LIFE?
>> I’M WORRIED FOR THE CHILDREN,
I’M WORRIED FOR THE FAMILIES
HERE, ASK SO -- AND SO I’M GOING
TO DO WHAT I NEED TO DO AS A
FRIEND AND ALLY OF UKRAINE.
AND I’M WITH THE PEOPLE AND
WE’LL FIGHT UNTIL THE END HERE.
I JUST CALL ON AMERICA TO SEND
OUR DEMOCRACY AND HELP OUT THE
UKRAINIANS WITH AIR SPACE NOW
BECAUSE EVERY SINGLE UKRAINIAN
ON THE FRONT LINES, EVERYONE.
GRIFF: PAUL, STAY SAFE.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME TO
JOIN US AND PLEASE CHECK IN WITH
US AS THE BATTLE CONTINUES TO