There’s been a lot of bombing: Left right and above, everywhere.
It would be a lie to say I am not afraid. Because this is a one-way ticket.
I know I’m going there for a good reason. And if I don’t see my family, my friends
and the people I love here on this Earth again, I have faith that I will meet them after death.
In Ukraine, it’s not just Ukrainians who are fighting.
Thousands of people from abroad have joined the battle. Who are they? Why are they doing it?
If I’m needed to help my comrades at the frontline, I’ll go there. If I’m
needed to take care of civilians, I’ll do that. Whatever job the legion gives me, I’ll do it.
Kapon,
as he calls himself, is from Latin America. For security reasons we don’t disclose his
exact location. He is preparing to leave his home. Kapon tells me he works as a paramedic.
He seems to have plenty of friends - overall his life seems pretty normal to me.
He is one of several people I get in touch with on social media.
Here people who want to join the Ukrainian army connect from around the globe.
Quite a few men who say they are already there, post about it.
But a lot of what they post is hard to verify.
In our first online encounter, Kapon does not reveal his identity.
He wants to join the army as a combat medic.
I saw these terrible images of how they attacked civilian zones with missiles,
people dying in their apartments, and attacks against humanitarian corridors. I saw so many
terrible images of suffering civilians, including children. And it broke my heart to see them.
And as a paramedic I have the skills to help them. I know I have something to offer.
The 19-year-old tells me he still lives with his parents.
He prefers to not share pictures of his family though.
They don’t agree with what I’m doing. The day before yesterday
my grandmother was crying. They’re afraid. And I understand. I’m not going on a holiday,
I’m going to a country at war and will risk my life to help other people.
He says his father even offered him money to stay.
But a few days later, it's time to leave. His friends throw a farewell party.
He sends me videos from his journey: It’s the first time that he is going abroad.
He doesn’t come from a rich family. The mother of a friend
chips in to pay for the flight – in return he has to promise to come back alive.
Sandra from Norway has already joined the Ukrainian army, they refer me to her.
The life she depicts on social media is not for the faint of heart.
She tells me, she used to be a fisher, then served as a representative for her ethnic group,
the Sami people. She tells me that after that, she trained as a combat medic.
Now, she says, she’s on the frontlines.
First of all, it's a moral obligation. This is home base. It's in Europe.
So if you can help, you should.
She tells me what her days are like.
You can't really prepare because you don't know what's going to happen.
There might be an airstrike and it might be artillery and it might be relocating.
So you just have to run by it day by day.
On her social media account, she poses with weapons.
She tells me she has no qualms about firing her gun.
Well, it is what it is. It's your job. It's what you have to do. So
it's the one who fires first. That's how it goes. We are not the attackers.
We are the defenders. We are not the one crossing any borders, they did.
Kapon flies to Krakow in Poland, close to the Ukrainian border.
Temperatures in eastern Europe just have dipped to near freezing - a climate that
Kapon has never experienced before. I join him for the next leg of his journey
First stop: A military shop.
He still needs a bullet-proof vest,
since he isn’t sure whether the international legion provides one.
Do you have body armor? No? But another body armor you have?
No
Five point eleven?
No, no, no, we don’t have.
The military shops in Krakow are overrun right now.
What are you going to do?
Well, apparently, it’s difficult to find body armor in Krakow.
I have to go without one, and hope that I don’t get shot at.
Isn’t that a suicide mission?
A bit.
It would be good to have one. But even with a vest, the bullets come through.
So the only thing I can do is hope to come back in one piece.
By chance, Kapon meets some British men who also want to join the battle.
We go today.
Ah, today, ok.
Medic?
Yes, Paramedic.
To me, he makes a dubious impression.
Killer.
Killer. Killer. Killer.
The man doesn’t want to be filmed – but claims he fought in Iraq and Afghanistan,
working for a private military contractor.
Kapon has no combat experience, so he decides to train on a shooting range. He is now joined
by a man from Colombia who goes by Tato. They met online in a group of Spanish-speaking volunteers.
They also test an AK 47, which is being used in Ukraine.
The training at the shooting range is intended for civilians and is supposed to be just for fun.
It’s just the second time that Kapon has ever held a gun, he tells me
After half an hour he’s done.
It doesn’t prepare me for war as such,
but at least I know a how to handle a weapon correctly, that I might use in Ukraine.
For people like Kapon, the international legion is their main port of call in Ukraine.
On Instagram it advertises itself as an adventurous, heroic group of comrades.
It was founded just days after the war started and is believed to have around 20 000 members.
According to the legion, they are paid the equivalent of Ukrainian soldiers of their
rank – sometimes less than 500 Euros a month. Their contract lasts until the war is over.
Their spokesperson tells me, that people who want to join have to pass several tests in Ukraine.
As a rule, they are sent to some of the hottest spots on the front line
and are taken care of in some very, let's say, delicate, offensive and defensive operations.
Can you prove that you don't use them as cannon fodder?
Well, I think it is difficult for anyone to prove anything in this war. What I can say is that
we can give all public and private assurances
that no one in the Army is interested in sending people to the front who are not ready.
The Russian government sees the international fighters as mercenaries,
which would violate international law and could result in worse treatment if they are captured.
I ask an expert for his opinion.
They are not mercenaries. It's not a company. It's not a commercial entity
which is sending those fighters there. There is quite a difference.
And as long as they are integrated into the forces of the host country, they are not mercenaries.
Is this phenomenon of international fighters that we see right now in Ukraine,
is this something new or has this always been present also during other kinds of conflicts?
No, it’s not new. We've seen this in Afghanistan, in Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries.
But to make the distinction clear, when those Islamist fighters joined an insurgency,
it's completely different from joining the ranks of an existing country.
In Poland I meet a German soldier who tells me he has been in Ukraine
for 2 weeks. He wants to go back to Ukraine with his dog.
Poland seems to be a jumping-off point for foreign volunteers. In total I talk to 7 of
them on and offline. Much of what they say is hard to verify. Some of the men don’t appear credible,
their mental or social condition appears unstable. A man from Estonia, who claims he
is at the front suddenly ends our contact, which worries me. I am not sure what happened to him.
I join Kapon and Tato on their way to the border.
The international legion officially only accepts people with live combat experience – but they give
it a try anyway. Tato at least served for 8 years in the Colombian military, he says. Recently he
was working in Spain, but lost his job. For him, the war is also a career opportunity.
Why is it worth taking this risk? I often ask myself that and don’t have an answer.
I think it’s also the excitement, the adrenaline. It’s a chance to prove myself.
I think about it constantly and feel nervous. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid,
but with this fear comes adrenaline.
Time for the last voice message:
I want you to know that I am ok. I love you. I’ll send you a message when I can.
After death, I think god will judge us, for what we did in life, whether it was good or bad.
I’m grateful to my family that they introduced me to Catholicism.
My faith gives me hope and keeps me safe.
I know that I am going there for a good reason. And if I don’t see my family and my friends
and the people I love here on this earth again, I hope I will meet them after death.
The man who sits next to them is from Ukraine.
That’s your family?
Yes, that’s my family.
They are still in Ukraine. He’s going to the border to get his mother and bring her to safety.
His brother and cousin are at the front, he tells me. So what does he think of the foreign fighters?
It good, they do a good job for the peace in the world
and for peace in Ukraine. We cannot stop this war by ourselves. We need help.
This is the way to the border.
Most people are going the opposite direction:
More than 5 million Ukrainians have left their country so far.
I’m really cold and a bit nervous. Now that I see the people here, the volunteers, the soldiers,
the families crossing the border I’m even more motivated and excited than I was before.
Does he really think he can change the course of the war?
I’m not Rambo, nothing special. But each grain of sand helps.
And if I just save the life of a few fighters, I’ll have achieved change.
They want to join the international legion the next day.
My journey with them ends here, but they promise to stay in touch.
I head back to Germany. I’m still in contact with several people on their way to the international
legion. Some of them turn around the last minute. And I receive sad news: The man from Estonia,
who said he was at the front and then stopped communicating with me is no longer alive:
His brother tells me, he returned home, but then killed himself. His brother tells me
he suffered from mental illness. He seemed to be mentally unstable. Shortly before his suicide,
he apparently watched video clips of the war.
Sandra, who has been at the front for quite some time, is still there and determined to stay.
Sandra:
There’s been a lot of bombing, left right and above, everywhere. You get used to that, too.
The human brain is wired to just get used to whatever situation you have to get used to.
And I know that sounds weird, but you can get used to anything, including bombing.
Yeah. When do you think? Will you be back home?
I will be back when this war is over. When there's no more need for me here, then I will go home.
Kapon seems to have a bit of a rollercoaster ride. The international legion at first rejects
him and several others. But 10 days later he tells me the legion suddenly did accept him.
He writes ‘I am happy’ and sends me a picture of the body armour he was given.
On Instagram, he posts you are the only one who can make all of your dreams come true.
Besides paramedic tasks, he now seems to be receiving regular combat training in order
to defend himself. In a few days, he could be sent to the front.
We agree that for security reasons this will be our last interview.
They will train me for combat, with real ammunition, everything.
Have you thought about leaving?
You do think about it when you hear detonations, when you’re close to exploding grenades,
when you hear sirens and are in the cold for hours, wearing just a sweater.
Also, I haven’t showered in a week, since there’s no bathroom. So you do start to think.
Has your view of this war changed?
Yes. I realized it’s even worse than what you see on the news.
Everything is worse, because you’re the main target. It’s quite ugly.
It’s a strange feeling to say goodbye and I hope he will make it back home in one piece.