This is the story of two Finns, a hobbit and a mariachi, who volunteer to fight in Ukraine, where a brutal Russian invasion is happening close to home.
advertisementIt’s March 2022.
Russian forces surrounded the Ukrainian city of Mariupol and fired on it from warships in the Sea of Azov. Kremlin forces remain dangerously close to the capital Kiev, but the first horrific reports of mass killings are beginning to emerge from Bucha.
The Hobbit arrives in Ukraine as the war unfolds around him.
“At first I was very nervous because everything was new to me, and I was sure that after a month or two there would be no government.”
The Hobbits, who use only their call signs rather than their real names for operational security reasons, are among the estimated hundreds of foreign fighters who risked their lives to take up arms against the Russian invaders. He is one of the Finnish people.
For many people in Finland, the Ukraine war is a reminder of their country’s not-so-distant past, when Stalin’s forces shelled border crossings during a Soviet false flag operation in November 1939 and used it as a pretext to blame the Finns. There is an echo. Start a ground attack.
Famous Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich was commissioned to write new music to be played as the victorious Soviet troops marched through the streets of Helsinki to establish a puppet government. This story is one that fits in with the current war reporting that the Russian military was told to pack. Their dress uniform for the Victory Parade in Kiev.
At the end of the short 105-day Winter War, Finland inflicted heavy losses on the Soviet Union, but was ultimately forced to give up territory and pay reparations. As a result, and with the presence of tens of thousands of internally displaced persons who have migrated from annexed Karelia to mainland Finland, the contemporary situation in Ukraine seems chillingly familiar to many Finns.
“To be honest, I don’t know exactly how it happened, but I was watching the war and then I started feeling like maybe I should do something, and I was sitting at home eating cinnamon buns and drinking IPA. I enjoyed the little things in life, like “beer,” the hobbit told Euronews.
“I thought to myself, why am I sitting at home and enjoying this thing without a care in the world when 18-year-olds in Ukraine have to go to war without much training? This is a rifle, this is how to shoot it. No, you’re fine.” Go. But there is training. ”
Like most Finnish men, the Hobbit was drafted into military service, but says he didn’t really enjoy it because there were too many rules and restrictions at the time.
Whether nine months of basic training really prepared him for war is another question.
“Of course, no training is the same as war. But the Finnish army has always trained for a fight with Russia, so I had an advantage and they taught me how to survive. “That’s one of the reasons I felt like we should come,” because we have knowledge to share. ”
The Hobbit’s family wasn’t too sure whether he should volunteer in Ukraine. “They didn’t like it at all. But in the end we talked and I expressed my opinion. I would be disappointed in myself if I didn’t go. This is my life. If I die, it’s my choice.”
It is September 2022.
Russia illegally annexed Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhia as President Vladimir Putin announced the “partial mobilization” of 300,000 troops to fight in Ukraine. This is a further sign that things are not going as planned by the Kremlin, and the call-up will trigger a mass exodus of Russian men of military age trying to avoid the draft.
The Hobbit is on the front lines of the battle in the small town of Petropavlivka near Kupiansk.
Along with another Finnish volunteer, he is assigned fire support.
advertisement“A heavy machine gun was stolen from a Russian tank. My job was to move and cover the advance of the town,” he recalls.
The two men moved to a position near an intersection, exposing them to open ground to the advancing Ukrainian forces. The Hobbit had just put his gun into a makeshift firing position when he spotted a Russian infantry fighting vehicle, a BMP-2M, a few hundred meters away.
“I thought there was a small chance that I would hit a critical system and disable the BMP. Or, if I shot it from the side, the bullet might actually pass through. So I started blowing up the BMP. , managed to empty three ammunition belts.”Vehicles and dismounted infantry. ”
The hobbit was firing his third belt when a bullet shot through the air. He did not notice the Russian sniper, as he was focused on his main target. One bullet hit him low in the calf and lodged deep in his leg, shattering bones and severing tendons.
Video from body-worn cameras shows the day’s actions in real time, capturing the moment the hobbit was attacked. He screamed in agony and swore in Finnish, a language suitable for profanity. His comrades called for emergency aid, and soon another foreign fighter showed up in an SUV. As the hobbit was driven away, they casually tied him to his back and bandaged his legs.
advertisementAfter a month in a Ukrainian hospital, he was transferred to Finland, where his family will visit him for the first time since his injury.
“They were in shock. They didn’t say a lot, but there were a lot of tears.”
If the hobbits were among the first Finnish volunteers to appear in Ukraine, the mariachis are among the newest. He has only been in the country for a few months.
He says the nickname pays homage to his Latin American heritage.
The 22-year-old studying abroad had been helping with pro-Ukrainian events on campus, but he wanted to do more.
advertisement“It was my second year at university and I couldn’t concentrate on anything. I was going to school, but in my head I was watching the news about what was happening on the front lines. I decided to get a job. was early last summer.” So it took a long time and preparation to get here. ”
He first came up with the idea of going to Ukraine with his father five months before he eventually emigrated.
“I told him what I was thinking, but he didn’t take it too well. I told my friends about a month ago. They tried to stop me and said I wouldn’t go. That’s a sign you have good friends.” No one told me it was a good idea, but if I had listened to them I wouldn’t be here. ” said the mariachi from his base on the outskirts of Kiev.
Unlike the first wave of foreign volunteers, who arrived haphazardly and joined international brigades or operated more independently, mariachis are directly attached to Ukrainian units.
“Ukrainian commanders are looking for good foreign soldiers in their units, and my commander is actively recruiting Finnish soldiers here and reservists returning to Finland. are doing.”
advertisementThe advantage is that Ukrainian troops get more trained recruits than the time Ukrainian recruits are given. “They are battle-hardened and know how to operate in the trenches, but they are civilians who became soldiers out of necessity, not trained military personnel. Soldiers don’t have much training.” ”
One thing that mariachis and other Finnish fighters in Ukraine rely on is the enviable network in place back home to support them.
Kasper Kannost Finnish friend The charity says it has purchased over €350,000 worth of supplies since 2022 and received material donations such as cars and equipment worth €100,000.
The shopping list includes defensive gear, night vision goggles, warm clothing, socks, generators, pickup trucks, vans, tools, and more.
“The package also includes Finnish chocolate and coffee,” he added.
advertisementMariachis are waiting for boots of their favorite specific brand and are expected to arrive soon through the Helsinki-Kiev supply pipeline, calling the service “crucial” in providing Finnish fighters with the necessary equipment It states that.
“I’m in a reconnaissance platoon, and if you don’t have night vision goggles, you’re screwed. That’s the reality here. And even with a good, inexpensive night vision headset, it’s worth three. “It can cost €4,500 or €5,000 for 4 months’ worth of salary,” he says.
It is March 2023.
Fierce fighting rages in the eastern city of Bahmut, with casualties so high that it has been given the terrifying nickname “The Meat Grinder.” Ukraine has taken delivery of its first Western heavy tank, as President Vladimir Putin says he plans to transfer tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus. The British model is the Challenger, and the German model is the Leopard.
The Hobbit is also back in Ukraine, but his leg is still healing and he needs a cane to get around, and he spends months at a time working a desk job in logistics while rehabbing his injury to get back into fighting shape. are forced to do so.
advertisementIt will take another six months for him to run again, and once he can run five kilometers, he will be sent to near Bahmut. Bahmut is a ruined city where “success” is measured on a house-by-house, village-by-village basis. Small increments serve little purpose, sapping morale and increasing both sides’ troop strength.
It is October 2023.
In this mission, the Hobbit takes on the role of squad leader for a machine gun team attacking south of Bahmut. They are in a wooded area and advance toward enemy positions as Russian artillery takes aim.
“The entire attacking force was hit by artillery fire, but only me and a few others were unharmed,” he says flatly.
“The raid was called off and we spent six or seven hours evacuating the wounded. When we returned to pick up the last wounded man, we picked him up on a stretcher and a cannon hit next to us.”
advertisementThe Hobbit is wounded a second time, with shrapnel entering his shoulder and arm. He was unable to move to safety or remove the last seriously wounded soldier due to Russian artillery fire. They were trapped in trenches and waited for hours until they were finally able to break out.
After a month in the hospital, Hobbit requested transfer to a Ukrainian unit, but was appointed temporary platoon leader in the meantime. “I only lasted three weeks on that mission, and it wasn’t much of a job. I got very little sleep and had a lot of stress and responsibility, at least when it came to the Battle of Bahmut.”
“On the last day, I cried because I couldn’t do it anymore. Luckily, I was able to take some time off.”
It is February 2024.
Russian and Ukrainian troops dug trenches and the conflict was almost over. The war has increasingly spread beyond Ukraine’s borders, with Russian oil refineries being targeted by Kiev’s drones, while Western countries are hesitant to send more military aid desperately needed by front-line soldiers.
advertisement“We have felt the effects of reduced support in recent months. Germany has held back its launches of Taurus cruise missiles, and Europe is not giving as much aid as it needs,” Hobbit said.
“At first we were so outnumbered by the Russians that by the time we saw the observation post and called in the artillery, we had nothing.”
“Everything changed with the Kharkov offensive and we were now on par with the Russians. But last month it went back and the Russians hit us with even more artillery,” he says.
So how long is he going to stay in Ukraine, risk his life for a foreign country, and evade death every time it approaches head-on?
“I hope I’m not here forever, but not until we win.”
advertisement“The very concept of a normal life seems impossible now. It’s hard to imagine life after this.”
“All I can imagine is the party on the day we won. But after that, I don’t know. It’s just a cloud.”