Nearly 20,000 foreign volunteers have signed up to fight in war-torn Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.
United National Congress activist and business development consultant Brian Stone is one of the volunteer combatants who is now prepared to battle side-by-side with Ukrainians for freedom against Russian President Vladimir Puttin’s invading army.
Stone will be T&T’s first volunteer to fight in Ukraine’s frontline if he achieves his goal.
“This decision did not come from the brain but from my heart,” Stone admitted in a telephone interview to Guardian Media.
“So far, it is a go. You have to look at it for what it is.”
Knowing fully well that anything can happen during his intended month’s stay, Stone, who served in the Canadian armed forces reserves, has already put contingencies in place.
“I understand very clearly the risks. I am not stupid. If Russian soldiers show up there we will have to fight. I am prepared to do so. The only thing I am fearful of is if shots are fired, there are explosions or should a bomb drop. I hope I can handle it. I have already signed over a number of things to my wife.”
He knows if he loses his life in Ukraine, he will not be covered by his insurance policy.
Stone admitted his decision is not sitting well with his immediate family and close friends but more so his worried wife.
“My wife is not happy at all,” he sighed.
“Even a soldier would be lying if they say they are not afraid. I fear the unseen. There is no way I can cover from an explosion. I am worried about that. If it turns to mostly a guerilla warfare...well, it is over for people like me. I will have to leave. To stay you will get killed.”
Should he die doing volunteerism work, Stone knows his body will also not return to his family.
“Let the Ukrainian government dispose of it. That is what they will do anyway.”
Stone, who is a dual citizen of T&T and Canada, is hoping to depart in two weeks.
Having no warfare skills and with age and strength already against him, Stone said the Ukrainian army may not put him on the frontline to fight.
When Stone enters the Ukrainian ministry of defence base, he will be assessed and assigned to a designated area.
“I will probably be given a part of a city, hopefully, more in the western end where the Russians are not 100 per cent there yet. But I will have to go where they put me,” the businessman said.
Following weeks of brutal bombardments and airstrikes in Kyiv, which have led to growing deaths, injuries and thousands of citizens fleeing, Stone has made up his mind to battle Russia’s armed forces, who continue to wreak havoc on Ukrainians and buildings.
The humanitarian situation in Ukraine’s capital continues to decline rapidly and some cities have reached catastrophic proportions.
The ongoing warfare triggered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this month to appeal for volunteers in foreign countries with combative skills to give a helping hand. Approximately 20,000 fighters from 52 countries have come forward.
“So far, I think I am the only Trinidadian going there. I did some checking and found no one,” Stone said.
However, Zalensky’s call for help was not Stone’s motivating factor.
Stone was pushed to enrol for the battlefront when he saw on television an innocent child being murdered by Russian soldiers and the Ukrainian soldiers putting guns in the hands of mothers and the elderly to defend their country.
Another reason is to help Ukrainians free themselves from tyranny and to return to T&T with that experience and spirit in defence of this country’s democracy.
“I value democracy...the principles that a government must serve the will of the people, which connects to what is happening and the concerns and issues I have with our Government that exists right now. I feel the people are not being served...that our democracy and constitutional rights and freedoms are being trespassed.”
Stone, who lost a defamation lawsuit against Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley in 2020 and was ordered to pay $350,000, believes the Government is becoming “more authoritarian, which I see as a threat. I am also concerned with what’s happening in Trinidad, especially with what is going on with the Nicolas Maduro and Iraq alliances.”
Stone has already registered as a volunteer with the Ukrainian Embassy in the United Kingdom and was informed of what combat gears he needs to walk with. These include a bulletproof vest and helmet and a laser scope, which is a device attached to a firearm to aid target acquisition. A sleeping bag, winter clothes and night-vision goggles are also required.
“The body armour is expensive. It is about US$1,200 to $1,400 a plate. I need two plates. The tickets are about US$5,000.”
In preparation for any eventuality, Stone will register for a two-day tactical course in Florida on his way to Ukraine.
Stone’s expenses are estimated at US$12,000, some of which he has already raised through the generosity of family, friends and well-wishers. He is hoping more donations will pour in.
“For my safe haven, I must have a contingency fund. If I get injured, Ukraine is probably not going to handle it. I would have to get to a Polish hospital...I would need some cash. All I need to get is the funding in place so I can buy my ticket, gears, do the tactical course and have the reserve cash on me and I am gone.”
Stone promised his family he would not stay beyond 30 days.
“I am not going for a long time because I can’t afford it. A month there is a long time. The war could be over by then.”
Should the conflict intensify, Stone says he will flee.
“If it becomes a situation where the Russians are bombing the hell out of the west and people are getting killed, I can go to some people who live at the Polish border where I can safely stay.”
Keeping his fingers crossed that all goes well, an optimistic Stone said, “I will be back. I know I will be back...God’s willing.”
