23 years old Aatu opens his variegated suitcase at the airport. Inside is a green patrol backpack, bulletproof vest, radio telephone and hymn book: equipment for a trip to Ukraine.
Aatu is one of three young men we meet at Helsinki-Vantaa. They say they are volunteering for the Ukrainian armed forces to fight Russia.
– Yes, it’s scary and exciting. But I’m ready for anything. If not, it’s not worth leaving, Aatu says.
A 26-year-old is also flying with him Keke. To protect the interviewees, we do not disclose their full names or details of the date and route of travel. A third of the men did not want to talk to the media at all.
Keke says he knows “8–20 people” who are leaving Finland as guest fighters. She is the administrator of a social media group where willing outgoing people exchange information about equipment, travel itinerary, and field medicine, for example. New interested people join the group every day.
– There are many who are willing, but they doubt whether they will get equipment from there. We will be able to ensure this early this week, Keke believes.
“My friend said, ‘You’re not going’
Both of the volunteers interviewed by say they are going to Ukraine to “help”. Keke says he wrote letters and a will in case he doesn’t return.
“If the worst happens, it will be in front of something good”
Keke
Is he ready to kill Russian soldiers?
– Unfortunately. But I try to think of this in a way that I’m not going to kill, but to help.
Keke says he followed the situation in Ukraine even before the Russian attack in February. The starting decision, he said, was easy. First, he told a good friend about it.
– He said: you’re not going. And to this day, I’ve received messages that don’t go. But yes I will go.
Aatu says he has been interested in helping Ukrainians since Russia occupied Crimea in 2014. He was a minor at the time.
“I want to do something significant in my life. Now I don’t have any wonderful, boring life as a duunari.”
Aatu
It is estimated that about twenty Finns have gone to Ukraine on both sides in the war in eastern Ukraine that began in 2014. opened their operations in this case last November.
In this video, Keke, who is becoming a guest fighter, tells her thoughts in her own words:
Keke’s voice has changed.
Ukraine called for volunteers to fight
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi has repeatedly said that foreign volunteers are welcome to join the Ukrainian armed forces in the fight against Russia.
Ukraine has launched a website that provides instructions to foreigners who want to volunteer. Ukrainian embassies in various countries also provide guidance to aspiring volunteers.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Helsinki did not respond to ‘s e-mail inquiry about the number of contacts they have received from Finnish volunteers.
Little is known about foreign fighters traveling to Ukraine at this stage, as the conflict is in its infancy, says a visiting researcher at the Egmont Institute in Brussels. Juha Saarinen. The think tank focuses on the study of international relations.
According to Saarinen, it now appears that the majority of foreign fighters come to Ukraine from Eastern Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union. He estimates that among the volunteers, there is a small percentage of individuals circulating in various conflicts.
About one-fifth, or a fairly large part, of armed conflicts attract foreign fighters, says Saarinen. Common attractions include issues related to a shared identity or ideology.
According to him, in the case of the war in Ukraine, foreign fighters may be united by a strong desire to wage war against Russia or a desire to defend Ukraine.
– For ideological reasons, they may feel that they have a shared identity with the Ukrainians. It can be based, for example, on the view that the West is now under an existential threat or that its European or Slavic brothers are under attack, Saarinen describes.
Ministry for Foreign Affairs: Opportunities to assist Finns in the war zone are limited
The Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ communication informs by e-mail that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs does not comment on soldiers leaving Ukraine to volunteer. According to the ministry, they have no information on who has left the area to volunteer.
– The Foreign Ministry’s Travel Bulletin recommends leaving Ukraine immediately. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ opportunities to assist Finns in the war zone are very limited, the ministry says in a short message.
Defense Forces told Helsingin Sanomat (you will switch to another service)that the Defense Forces do not encourage or support going to another country as a foreign fighter. According to the Finnish Defense Forces, a Finnish foreign fighter does not represent the Finnish state or the Finnish Defense Forces, and the Finnish Defense Forces have no obligations to foreign fighters fighting abroad.
Russia intimidates foreign fighters with the consequences of being caught
Russia has tried to intimidate foreign fighters fighting on the Ukrainian side by threatening not to enjoy the rights of a legal fighter under the rules of war. Russia believes the foreign fighters would be mercenaries.
Russia could therefore treat the foreign fighters it captured as criminals rather than prisoners of war. In practice, Russia’s interpretation could mean that treatment would be cruel if a foreign fighter remained a prisoner of Russian forces.
Russia’s interpretation is contrary to Article 4 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. It states that persons who come under the control of an enemy are counted as prisoners of war if they serve in the armed forces of a party to the conflict or in the militia or volunteer forces that are part of those armed forces.
International humanitarian law does not discriminate against combatants on the basis of nationality, says Professor Emeritus of International Law Martti Koskenniemi From the University of Helsinki.
– If you fight under a unified leadership, carry your emblems and weapons openly, and fight according to humanitarian law, then you will qualify as a fighter, Koskenniemi sums up by e-mail.
According to the Russian news agency Tassi, a spokesman for the country’s Ministry of Defense has told about Russia’s interpretation Igor Konashenkov.
According to Tass, Konashenkov warned that all foreign foreign fighters captured by the Russians would have to face criminal charges.
Keke, a Finn leaving for Ukraine as an armed volunteer, says that he is not particularly concerned about Russia’s attitude towards foreign fighters.
– Frankly, no, let me talk about what’s talking.
Volunteer: “Consider, because this isn’t a play”
On the last night before leaving for Ukraine, Keke did not sleep at all. The familiar convenience store, train station, bus stops and pedestrian streets – they all looked different than usual.
“I was watching and thinking about leaving. There was nothing else in it. Excited. Not excited anymore.”
Keke
From Helsinki-Vantaa, the Keken and Aatu route runs to Warsaw, Poland, and from there to the Ukrainian border. Men don’t want to tell it any more for their safety.
According to Keke, the following Finnish volunteers known to him are traveling for a couple of days after him. What does he have to say to those who are still considering leaving?
– Consider two or three more times. Because this is no play. This is a far cry from play.
How many times did he himself consider before deciding to leave?
You can discuss 9.3. until 11 p.m.