June 18, 2025
JC
Volunteer from Brazil
I came to fight for Ukraine to protect the Ukrainian people. The Russian invasion was aimed at taking away Ukrainians' freedom. I don't want other countries to have the same experience that Ukraine is having now.
My first military mission here was in the battles for the city of Bakhmut. After that, I fought in the Kherson region and near Pokrovsk.
From the very beginning, I said and I say now that Russia will definitely lose. It will already lose. Because it invaded a country that has state sovereignty and an amazing freedom-loving people. I believe that Ukraine, despite the fact that it is not as big a country as Russia, will stand its ground. We, because I am part of this, have been fighting against Russian aggression for the third year, holding the front line.
Russia is losing because it is committing blatant, unprovoked aggression, because it openly wants to deprive Ukrainians of their freedom. It has no right to do this. They attack civilian areas, kill civilians in their homes and public places.
For me, Ukraine is already a winner in this war. Because Ukraine is defending its sovereignty and its territories, Ukrainians are defending their right to independently determine the fate of their state.
The Ukrainian people are a little different from the Brazilian people. Despite the fact that Brazil is more cheerful, the Ukrainian people are more focused on friendship, on sincerity in relationships. If a Ukrainian loves you, he likes you - he will do everything best for you. Here, people thank you simply when you walk down the street. Someone will always thank you for defending their country. Ukrainians are a very patriotic people.
What impresses me most is the development that the Ukrainian army undergoes during the war. It finds effective means of counteraction, thanks to which it successfully resists the Russian invasion. Here I primarily mean technological means. I think Ukraine is doing very well, and after the war Ukraine will play an important role in the development of Eastern Europe.
From my own experience I want to say to Brazilian and generally South American volunteers who want to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine. You must understand well what you are going for. You must be physically and psychologically prepared. Do not think that the war here is something frivolous or something temporary. No! Combat operations are a harsh reality. And you must be ready for it.