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25-year-old German Barinov came to fight for Ukraine in early March and plans to stay here until the victory (Photo: DR)
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German Barinov, an Australian rescuer with an Estonian passport who is fighting for Ukraine as part of the International Legion, tells how proud his family is of him now and makes fun of the theft in the Russian army.
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Over the past four months, Ukraine has been helped by the whole world to repel Russian military aggression: since the beginning of the invasion, hundreds of volunteers from 55 countries have come here to fight as part of the International Territorial Defense Legion created by the president. Now the legionnaires are fighting side by side with the Ukrainians in the hottest spots – they helped liberate the suburbs of Kyiv, stood to the last for Severodonetsk and continue to repel enemy attacks in the south of the country.
One such foreign soldier is 25-year-old Estonian German Barinov with the call sign «Barin. Despite his youth, he managed to acquire a colorful biography: he served in the Estonian army, was trained in partisan troops, worked for a year and a half in the local police and even traveled around the world.
Over the past few years, the Estonian has managed to live in America, Canada and Europe, and he traveled to fight for Ukraine in early March from distant Australia.
Barinov interviewed NV.
— Tell us how you ended up in Ukraine?
– At the time of the outbreak of a full-scale war, I had already lived in Australia for two years – I worked as a lifeguard in the pool and was going to renew my residence permit for another year. But there is a war.
When I started reading the news of the first days, a shiver ran down my spine from how disgusting the method of warfare Russia chose. Not an army against an army, but fire on non-military facilities and cities that are not even included in the Russian invasion plan, according to their own statements. Because of this, I could not sit still, I even lost sleep and decided to go help.
I had never been to Ukraine before, but during my travels in Poland and Eastern Europe I met a huge number of Ukrainians – they were cool and sincere. One of them paved the way for me in the Armed Forces of Ukraine after Zelensky’s statement about the recruitment of the International Legion. Then the Ukrainian Embassy in Australia gave me a rather indirect answer. As I understand it, Australia was generally cool about such initiatives and did not want at least one of its residents to go to fight in Ukraine. Therefore, a friend whispered that he had to go to Poland and organize everything from there. I bought a ticket to Warsaw, and from the airport I was taken straight to a military training ground in Ukraine.
– How did your family react to the decision to fight for a foreign country?
– Initially, they did not react very well, because they knew how impulsive I was. When I called up my parents from Australia, they said from time to time: “Just don’t try to meddle in Ukraine!”. Because the fact that I’m already here, said already upon arrival. At first, I assured them that I was just helping here, but they guessed everything themselves over time. Now most of the family supports me and speaks about it with pride. Now the whole planet understands that Ukraine is fighting for the whole of Europe, and maybe even for the whole world. From the experience of the Second World War, it is clear to me that this big hungry wolf will not stop at one sheep.
– Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, Estonia’s relations with the Russian Federation have become very tense. Do you think your homeland could be the next target?
– I think the threat from Russia always comes, as sad experience shows. At the same time, I have many friends who serve in the Estonian regular army and they are more than ready for this war. In Estonia, a great focus is on the partisan training of the population, so that in which case there are skills in waging a partisan war, in addition to the main one. Estonia is a small country, therefore this front is especially developed in our country, and even if by some miracle the Russians capture it, the partisans will definitely not give them life here. But such a scenario is doubtful, because we have strong support for NATO, both in terms of weapons and troops. Moreover, the Russian Federation will not pull the second front, their army is now lame on one leg and the new front will finally finish it off. So people in Estonia may be starting to get nervous, but they understand that forewarned is forearmed.
— What kind of combat experience did you have before coming to Ukraine and what kind did you get here?
– There was no combat experience, but there was a lot of conflict experience with the use of knives and firearms – in addition to the Estonian police, I worked in private security structures. So this is my first war. And here it is very different from what we have seen in films or video games.
On the second day after arrival, sitting under the very first shelling in the trench, I thought that after that I would definitely go home, which is too much for me. But then he turned off his egoism and remembered that there are civilians who sit every day under much stronger shelling. If the Russians are not stopped, the war will go beyond Ukraine and, to be honest, I would prefer death to life under the control of the Russian Federation.
In Ukraine, I had mainly experience in trench warfare in the East. We shoot back by hand and clean up settlements. I was very struck by how the Armed Forces of Ukraine care about civilians and fire very carefully. It is fundamentally important for me that the Ukrainian army is an army that fights for the people.
It is still very difficult to adapt to danger, but I have learned not to lose my head. I reassure myself with a long-term perspective: this is not a war where you can win or lose. If you fail, the world will never be the same, so I prefer death to slavery. Of course, I would like to survive, but I understand all the risks, and for me they are absolutely justified.
– You are quite young, and foreign volunteers-veterans are fighting next to you. Does the lack of combat experience prevent you from fighting?
– I believe that my training is better than that of some experienced people who fought for 15 years in Iraq and Afghanistan. Because I was convinced that those who shout the loudest about their combat experience are among the first to run.
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