LVIV, Ukraine — A gas station on the rural outskirts of Lviv in western Ukraine may be an unlikely place to confront two former US soldiers from San Diego, but for a nation under siege and on the move, such stations are surprisingly have become colorful and cosmopolitan places.
As Ukrainian soldiers in uniform rub shoulders with mothers tossing babies on their hips, an ersatz food truck filled with charity and children chased away misguided pets.
You can also bump into foreigners who have volunteered to support Ukrainians. Russian invasionIncluding two former US soldiers from San Diego.
“We are here to help people. There is a group of Americans, all veterans, here to help in any way they can,” Len Perkins, 26, a former Navy sailor mate, told NBC News on Tuesday.
Perkins, who handles Navy planes, said hundreds of American veterans had come to Ukraine to perform humanitarian work or to aid the country’s military in its fight against Russian forces.
He said, “We’re basically exploring all the different options people have here and relaying that information to a larger group, so that everyone can funnel it to the place that feels right to them. “
Ukraine has urged foreigners to join its resistance against Russia’s attack, and is setting up an international military.
“Anyone who wants to join the defense UkraineEurope and the world can come and fight side by side with the Ukrainians Russian War Criminals, “President Volodymyr Zelensky Said a few days after the invasion began on February 27.
Perkins, accompanied by a fellow ex-Navy soldier at the Lviv gas station, who gave his name only as 27-year-old Hector, said he had not signed up for the International Army because it required him to volunteer for a set period. and he likes to be flexible.
An international military representative did not immediately respond to a question about joining the requirements.
Hector, a nurse trained, said the presence of Americans in Ukraine was welcomed.
“There are people who have given up their entire day to make sure we get to where we need to go, even if it means paying out of their own pocket. We offer to pay, but they don’t want to take our money.”
“We have no funding except from our own pockets,” he said.
Hector covered his face during the interview, and later speaking on his behalf, Perkins said it was for fear of being recognized by the Russian military.
The couple said they have been in Ukraine for four days and are coordinating with relief agencies to secure vehicles to transport the displaced people to Ukraine’s borders.
When asked whether he would go to the front line in Kyiv or Kharkiv, Perkins said. “There will be people all over the country,” he said without elaborating.
NBC News could not confirm the activities of Perkins or Hector in Ukraine, or who they were in contact with.
Perkins said that other Americans wanting to fight for Ukraine had a variety of options once they arrived in the country, including volunteering for the Georgian National Army, a pro-Ukrainian paramilitary group previously formed to fight; Regional Defense Forces of Ukraine; Or the Azov Battalion, a far-right ultra-nationalist volunteer force accused of white supremacy.
Prior to volunteering, Perkins said he created YouTube travel blogs, saying he was funding his current travels from his savings.
Voluntarily accepting payments in a foreign war can be legally risky.
Ukraine a. is a signatory of United Nations Convention that prohibits the use of mercenaries, although the line between them and private military contractors is blurred.
The United States, which is not a signatory to the ban on mercenaries, made extensive use of private military contractors. Iraq,
Britain’s armed forces minister has warned citizens not to volunteer in Ukraine hoping to stay for only a few weeks and take Instagram selfies.
Perkins, a married father of one, said his wife is ex-military and understands why she is in Ukraine.
“If Putin is only allowed to act and act and act, then since the Georgian War, where he has been creating these separate states… Used to be?” He said, referring to the Russian President Vladimir Putin,
Like Ukraine, Estonia shares a border with Russia and is also a member of NATO. An attack on Estonia could greatly escalate the conflict by triggering intervention by other NATO members.
“We are Americans. That includes us. We are in NATO. This is a collective security alliance,” Perkins said. “So it is better to fight a war here, then let the war come to us.”