Spanish-speaking unit of Khartiia National Guard brigade: Colombian fighters train and prepare to defend Ukraine. VIDEO
Weapons handling, medical aid and combat tactics are part of the basic training for new recruits in one of the units of the National Guard’s Khartiia brigade. Orders here, however, are given in Spanish. The unit was formed this spring and named after the first fallen Colombian fighter, call sign "Guajiro".
As reported by Censor.NET with reference to Channel 5, the unit is made up entirely of Spanish-speaking fighters, most of them Colombians like Kachorro. Kachorro has been with the unit for a year and a half. In Colombia he worked as a police officer, and he gained real combat experience in Ukraine. He says he could not stay on the sidelines in this war.
"Watching this on the news, I realised how the people of this country are suffering from the enemy’s aggression. So I decided to come and do my part," he says.
After a recent injury, when a kamikaze drone exploded next to him, Kachorro now teaches new recruits the basics of soldiering. He works alongside Tilín. Tilín was also wounded and lost a leg, but still returned to the unit, now as an instructor. In Colombia, Tilín served in the military and also ran his own business. He left everything behind and came to Ukraine convinced that there is no point in being here without a deeper motivation.
"If you come just for the money, you will most likely not last long. Honestly, you realise there is no amount of money worth your life. Most of those who come for the money eventually understand they can earn it in a safer way. Everyone here understands what is happening in Ukraine. I talk to them a lot, and they read the news – they know that Ukraine was attacked. But there are other reasons why they come. Often they are adventure seekers, hot-blooded young people who want to test themselves," he says.
