Us Veterans Going To Ukraine

Biden Announces Nearly $3bn In Us Military Aid To Ukraine

As Russias invasion enters the seventh month, new US aid package signals a shift towards Ukraines long-term needs.

The United States has announced nearly $3bn in new military aid to Ukraine, with President Joe Biden saying the assistance aims to help the country defend against Russias invasion over the long term as the war entered its seventh month.

In a statement on Wednesday, as Ukraine marked its independence from the Soviet Union, Biden said the $2.98bn package would allow Kyiv to acquire air defence systems, artillery systems and munitions, counter-unmanned aerial systems, and radars.

This is the single largest US aid package for Ukraine since Russian forces began their full-scale military invasion of the country in February.

I know this independence day is bittersweet for many Ukrainians as thousands have been killed or wounded, millions have been displaced from their homes, and so many others have fallen victim to Russian atrocities and attacks, Biden said in the statement.

But six months of relentless attacks have only strengthened Ukrainians pride in themselves, in their country, and in their thirty-one years of independence.

Today, I congratulate the people of Ukraine on their Independence Day.

The Ukrainian people have inspired the world with their courage and dedication to freedom. We are committed to continuing to support them as they defend their sovereignty and their democracy.

President Biden

Us Veterans Who Went To Fight For Ukraine But Were Captured By Russia Said They Were Beaten Abused And Lost 30 Pounds Each In Captivity

• Alex Drueke and Andy Tai Huynh, veterans from Alabama, went to Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion.

• The men were captured by Russia and detained for 104 days before their release last month.

• In their most in-depth interview, they told The Washington Post they were beaten and interrogated.

Two American veterans who went to fight for Ukraine and were captured by Russian forces described extensive abuse and interrogations during their first in-depth interview since being released last month.

Alex Drueke, 40, and Andy Tai Huynh, 27, told The Washington Post they were subjected to physical and psychological abuse and were often deprived of food or clean water during the 104 days they were detained.

The two men, both military veterans from Alabama, were detained in June while fighting alongside Ukrainian forces in the eastern part of the country. They were among the foreigners who had traveled to Ukraine to help fight off the Russian invasion and were the first Americans reported to have been captured. Reuters reported that after their detention the men were displayed on Russian state media where they claimed, apparently under coercion, to have changed their minds about the war.

On September 21, Drueke and Huynh were part of a group of 10 prisoners of war released by Russia as part of a prisoner exchange with Ukraine.

They said they each lost 30 pounds while in captivity. Photos from The Post showed the men’s wrists with visible scars they said they received while detained.

Iranian Protests Broaden As Raisi Calls For National Unity

Iranians have taken to the streets for a 17th consecutive day in anti-government protests triggered by the death in custody of a young woman as President Ebrahim Raisi appealed for unity.

Universities and high schools joined the protests on October 4, highlighting the broadening of demonstrations that have followed the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in custody for allegedly improperly wearing a hijab.Videos posted on social media showed unrest in the cities of Tehran, Karaj, Shiraz, and Isfahan, with demonstrators shouting slogans such as “Death to the dictator.”During a session of parliament, Raisi acknowledged “weaknesses and shortcomings” in the country.

“Today the country’s determination is aimed at cooperation to reduce people’s problems,” he told the session. “Unity and national integrity are necessities that render our enemy hopeless.”At the same time he echoed other officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in blaming the United States and Israel for inciting the unrest.Iran has also blamed the unrest on Kurdish opposition groups in the country’s northwest that operate along the border with Iraq.

Witnesses have reported spontaneous gatherings across the country featuring small acts of defiance — such as protesters shouting slogans from rooftops, cutting their hair, and burning their state-mandated headscarves.

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Ukrainian Refugees Find Safety And Compassion In Poland

Perkins, a married father of one, said his wife is ex-military and understands why he is in Ukraine.

If Putin is allowed to just act and act and act in the way that he has been, since the Georgian war, where hes making these breakaway states whos to say hes not going to go to Estonia next? he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Like Ukraine, Estonia shares a border with Russia, but it is also a NATO member. An attack on Estonia could greatly escalate the conflict by triggering interventions by other NATO members.

Were Americans. That includes us. Were in NATO. Its a collective security alliance, Perkins said. So its better to fight the war here than let the war come to us.

State Dept Still Hasn’t Confirmed Reports Of Americans Missing In Ukraine

The State Department has still not confirmed reports that two former U.S. service members who volunteered to help Ukrainian forces have gone missing, spokesperson Ned Price said Thursday.

The Americans, Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh and Alexander Drueke, are both from Alabama.

“We are limited in terms of what we know at the moment,” Price said. “We’re closely monitoring the situation we are in contact with Ukrainian authorities, as well as with the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the families of the two reported missing U.S. citizens.”

The department has not “seen anything from the Russians indicating that two such individuals are in their custody,” Price said.

“If the Russians were to claim that they had such individuals, I assume we would pursue that. If we had reason to believe — credible reasons to believe — that these individuals were in Russian custody, we would pursue that as appropriate,” Price continued.

Price was asked whether the department was tracking any other cases of Americans purportedly captured on the battlefield, and he said the department was aware of reports about “one additional American whose whereabouts are unknown.

“Similarly, our understanding was that this individual had traveled to Ukraine to take up arms,” Price said. He said the person was identified as missing “in recent weeks” and that the State Department was also in contact with their family.

-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford

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Czechs Troll Russia With Mock Annexation Of Kaliningrad After Ukraine Regions Seized

An Army vet from Connecticut who joined up with Ukraines military to fight the Russians has shared a now-viral video of himself standing in front of bombed smoking Kremlin tanks.

James Vasquez, 47, publicly declared his plan to leave his family and business in Norwalk on Feb. 24 the day that Russia invaded its eastern neighbor.

Its in his DNA its what he loves to do, Vasquezs wife, Tina Vasquez, told The Post on Friday of her hubbys heroics.

He did the same thing after 9/11, rushed in to help. Thats just who he is hes my hero, she said.

The former US Army staff sergeant finally made it to Ukraine on March 15 sharing his experiences through a newly created Twitter account, detailing how he helped take out numerous Russian tanks as well as kill and capture Russian troops.

Welcome to America! someone shouts in one of his videos seen more than 2 million times since it was posted Thursday as Vasquez stands in front of a smoking Russian tank.

This village has been Russian occupied for a month, they terrorized the people and took their food. Today we entered, took out 7 tanks and countless Russians thus liberating these people

James Vasquez

I dont know if you guys know what this was behind me, Vasquez said as he posed with one of his comrades-in-arms, but thats a Russian tank. First tank that was taken out.

So far we took out seven Russian tanks after a long firefight and took control of the area, he said in an update early Friday.

Kazakh Online Newspaper Says It Received Pig’s Head With Editor’s Photo In Its Mouth

An online newspaper in Kazakhstan has received a parcel containing a severed pigâs head with a torn photo of the media outlet’s editor in chief in its mouth.

Gulnara Bazhkenova, the editor in chief of Orda.kz, wrote on Facebook on October 5 that a private delivery service brought the parcel to the newspaper’s offices in Almaty.

“Orda.kz’s editorial team has faced frequent attacks, including threats and provocations, lately,” Bazhkenova wrote.

Bazhkenova said earlier that unknown individuals painted a text containing threats to her and her newspaper on a pavement close to Orda.kz’s headquarters in Almaty.

Orda.kz focuses on political, economic, and social events and developments in the Central Asian nation.

Attacks on independent media outlets in the country have been frequent for years, especially before presidential or parliamentary elections.

Kazakhstan is holding an early presidential election on November 20.

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Binoche Cotillard Other French Film Stars Cut Hair In Support Of Iranian Women

A group of French female films stars led by Oscar winners Juliette Binoche and Marion Cotillard have posted videos of themselves cutting their hair in support of women in Iran who are protesting the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly.

In the videos, posted on an Instagram account named Support Women Iran and with the hashtag #hairforfreedom, the stars can be seen lopping off handfuls of hair while looking directly into the camera.”For freedom!” Binoche says while shaking a fist full of hair at the camera.

American Veterans Joining The Ukrainian Army May Run Afoul Of Federal Law And Could Lose Benefits Or Us Citizenship

The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to for consideration.

Sean Timmons is the managing partner of Tully Rinckey PLLC’s Houston office, concentrating his practice on military law.

Since the Russian Federation launched, in its words, a “special military operation” on Feb. 24, there has been a steady stream of footage of heartbreaking mass atrocities inflicted by the invading Russian military. Much of the world has looked on in shock. These are unfolding events the world has not seen coming out of Europe since the tragic collapse and disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

Many American veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have had sleepless nights, filled with intense anxiety from viewing the ongoing atrocities. In response to calls from Ukrainian officials for foreign fighters to join a newly formed foreign legion, many American veterans have shown interest in joining the fight in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ordered a temporary lift on visas for foreign fighters and has taken to social media to actively encourage everyone with military experience and training willing to join his countrymen to help his nation resist the Russian war effort.

But do American veterans risk losing their earned benefits by joining a foreign army? The answer, sadly, is yes.

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World Bank Now Projects Return To Weak Growth In 2023 In Europe Central Asia

The World Bank says countries in its Europe and Central Asia region will return to weak growth in 2023 “reflecting negative spillovers” from the war in Ukraine.

The World Bank said the collective GDP in its Europe and Central Asia region was now expected to grow by 0.3 percent in 2023.

That will follow contraction now forecast to be 0.2 percent this year, the World Bank said in an economic update for Europe and Central Asia released on October 4.The bank noted that the 0.2 percent contraction forecast for 2022 was a marked improvement over the bank’s forecast in June of a contraction of 2.9 percent.

American Veterans Volunteer To Fight In Ukraine

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When Matthew Parker, an American veteran with 22 years of service in the U.S. Army, heard that Russian forces had invaded Ukraine, he thought about a Ukrainian American soldier who had served alongside him with U.S. forces in Iraq and decided he wanted to help the Ukrainians defend their homeland.

I had a soldier in Iraq with me who was from Ukraine, he told VOA of his decision to join what he sees as a fight about justice and friendship. He became an American citizen, joined the Army, and he told me about his home. He told me about his family and how proud they were. I remember him telling me about his little sister.

Now I’d like to think that by going to Ukraine, maybe I protect his mother, or his little sister or his home. Maybe in some small way, I say thank you to him for serving by doing something like this.

Parker, who fought battles in Bosnia and Iraq, is not alone.

A representative of the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington told VOA that 3,000 U.S. volunteers have responded to the nations appeal for people to serve in an international battalion that will help resist Russias invading forces. Many more have stepped forward from other countries, most from other post-Soviet states such as Georgia and Belarus.

We have nothing to lose but our own freedom, the president said.

For Parker, a gray-haired father with four adult children, the decision to go and fight in Ukraine came even before Zelenskyys appeal.

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Ukrainian Supreme Court Judge Sacked Over Russian Citizenship Following Journalistic Investigation

KYIV — The Ukrainian Supreme Court has fired one of its judges following a recent finding by Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RLâs Ukrainian Service, that he has Russian citizenship.

In a directive published on October 5, Supreme Court Chairman Vsevolod Knyazyev ordered that Bohdan Lvov be stripped of his powers as a judge and dismissed from the court, effective immediately.

A Supreme Court statement said the decision was based on confirmation from the Ukrainian Security Service, the SBU, that official Russian registries indicate he possesses Russian citizenship.

The SBUâs finding echoed the results of the investigation by Schemes, which reported on September 15 that Lvov had Russian citizenship in addition to his Ukrainian citizenship.

Using multiple sources, Schemes journalists found that Russian government databases contain Lvovâs past applications for Russian passports and the use of a Russian passport that bears his name to register his co-ownership of a Moscow apartment and to transfer that ownership share to his wife in 2012.

Under Ukrainian law, judges may not have dual citizenship. Sensitivity about Ukrainians in positions of power with ties to Russia has intensified since Moscow launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February.

Belgian Court Backs Treaty That Paves Way For Prisoner Swap With Iran

A court in Brussels has backed a fiercely criticized treaty allowing prisoner exchanges with Iran, potentially opening the way for an Iranian diplomat imprisoned on terrorism charges to return home in exchange for a Belgian aid worker.

The ruling, according to the Belgian media, lifts a temporary ban on using the treaty that was handed down by an appeals court earlier this year.Prime Minister Alexander de Croo’s government has said that the treaty is the only solution for the release of Olivier Vandecasteele, a Belgian aid worker jailed in Tehran.

Vandecasteele, 41, was detained by Iranian authorities in February, apparently without charge.

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Live Briefing: Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL’s Live Briefinggives you all of the latest developments on Russia’s ongoing invasion, Kyiv’s counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, Russian protests, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL’s coverage of the war, click here.

Putin announced the move after signing decrees that Moscow claims absorb into Russia four regions that it only partially controls. Putin said Russia would stabilize the situation in the four regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya — after signing the decree that designated the nuclear power plant as “federal property.”

“The Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant is now on the territory of the Russian Federation and, accordingly, should be operated under the supervision of our relevant agencies,” RIA news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin as saying.

The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which has been occupied by Russian forces since March, is still run by Ukrainian engineers.

Rosenergoatom, Russia’s nuclear power operator, said it would conduct an assessment of damage to the plant’s infrastructure and would transfer the Ukrainian employees to a new Russian-owned organization.

“The new operating organization is designed to ensure the safe operation of the nuclear power plant and the professional activities of the existing plant personnel,” it said in a statement.

How Many American Veterans Are Fighting In Ukraine

Its hard to know exactly how many American Veterans fighting in Ukraine there are however, despite risks and official warnings, around 4,000 Americans have expressed interest in joining the cause. Many of these are U.S. Veterans. Its yet another example of how, no matter where our Veterans have to answer the call, they are ready to defend freedom throughout the world.

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Are Us Veterans Fighting For Ukraine

Hector, a former Marine from Florida who served two fierce tours in Iraq, said that Ukrainian citizens were suffering, galvanizing him to provide immediate relief in any way he could.

Sanctions can help, but sanctions cant help right now, and people need help right now, said Hector. I can help right now.

A lot of veterans, we have a calling to serve, and we trained our whole career for this kind of war, he added. Sitting by and doing nothing? I had to do that when Afghanistan fell apart, and it weighed heavily on me. I had to act.

On Friday, Hector left for Ukraine to volunteer in the fight, bringing along rifle scopes and body armor that was given to him by fellow US veterans.

Other US veterans are headed to Ukraine for humanitarian purposes. Chad Robichaux, a Marine recon veteran who founded the organization Save Our Allies during the fall of Kabul to help evacuate Afghan allies.

The organization comprises almost entirely US veterans, most of whom come from the special forces. They have been conducting rescue missions to get Ukrainian civilians away from the fighting, in addition to providing medical aid.

One of our teams just missed a tank blowing up, Robichaux told military.com. There were bodies still smoldering. Theres a huge security risk.