A few months after the Russian invasion, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced the creation of an international legion. First, I registered on the website of the Ukrainian International Legion, and then arrived in Ukraine. My journey was from São Paulo to Lisbon, from there to Warsaw, and then by bus to Ukraine.

In Brazil, I was not a soldier, but worked as a carpenter. In Ukraine, I first received the necessary basic military training and learned a lot. Sometimes the training was more difficult than it was later on the front. This training really prepared me.

Now foreign volunteers who want to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine can find all the necessary information on the Internet, on TikTok or YouTube. I would like to advise you not to bring a lot of things with you to Ukraine. Only the most necessary personal belongings. Because you will get a lot here. The fewer things you bring, the better.

The Ukrainian people have great sympathy for Brazilians. I felt this not only in the Armed Forces, but also throughout Ukraine. Ukrainian cuisine is very diverse. I fell in love with Ukraine and am now studying Ukrainian. It is a very beautiful language.