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Ukraine's Unwinnable War
A self-published book arguing that Ukraine cannot win its war alone and that the democratic world has abandoned its obligations to it, ranging onward to Taiwan, Afghanistan, North Korea and the author's prediction of a third world war. Its author, Ryan Routh, was charged in September 2024 with the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a Florida golf course; the book predates that and circulated online beforehand. It is preserved here as a primary source for what its author actually wrote, which is otherwise reachable only through a single commercial host.
- Period
- 2023
- Region
- Global
- Language
- English
- Rights
- In copyright — self-published by a living author. The document carries no copyright notice, no ISBN and no publisher, but US copyright has been automatic without notice since 1989, so the rights rest with Ryan Routh, and separately with Kathleen Shaffer for the editing credited on the title page. Neal's decision, 2026-08-22: FKL serves the full transcript and the PDF, on the grounds that the work is a primary source of public interest and is otherwise reachable only through one commercial platform. This is a deliberate exception to the rule that in-copyright works are catalogued rather than stored, taken with the same reasoning recorded for Paetel. A lay reading, not legal advice.
- Source
- https://www.scribd.com/document/770166201
Full text
UKRAINES' UNWINNABLE WAR
The fatal flaw of Democracy, world abandonment and the global citizen; Taiwan, Afghanistan, North Korea, WWIII and the End of Humanity.
By Ryan Routh. Editing by Kathleen Shaffer.
Forward- Chapter.5 My War Chapter 1- Let’s Leave the Door Open- Always Chapter 2- It’s Not My Backyard Chapter 3-Lingering Communist Mindset in Ukraine Chapter 4-No Appreciation or Respect just Arrogance Chapter 5-Foreigners War with Ukraine Chapter 6- A Russian Perspective Chapter 7-Lack Military Will and Skill To Win Chapter 8 - Fatal flaw of Democracy Chapter 9- False Propaganda Chapter 10- Russian/Communist Perspective Chapter 11- Diminishing innovation and improvement Chapter 12-No Clue How to Win-Get out of way Chapter 13 -Fake News- Ukraine already Won the War Chapter 14-Where are the brilliant Minds and Aggressive Action Chapter 15-One Bad Apple/Whole Bunch Chapter 16- Foreign Assets Chapter 17- Ukraine has no Money Chapter 18- Why has Putin Not Been Assassinated? Chapter 19- Why not Nuclear War
Chapter 20-Prejudice, Racism, Sexism Etc.
Chapter 21 Every Action with Nothing to Gain
Chapter 22- Ukraine does NOT want Help!
Chapter 23 How do we motivate people?
Chapter 24 Never Give UP
Chapter 25 What would you tell President Zelenskyy?
Chapter 26 World Abandonment
Chapter 27 Where are the world leaders?
Chapter 28 What is wrong with the Russian civilian population? Chapter 29 Conclude
Chapter 30 Afterthought
Chapter 31- Ukraine cannot win- So the world must win the war! Taiwan, Afghanistan, North Korea, WWIII, The end of Humanity Glossary-Assimilation
Forward-Introduction- Chapter 0.5- My War -
While I was instructed to describe the events of my trip, it is really irrelevant. This war is merely a barometer that is gauging who we all are as human beings. This war will determine who we are as a species and how we wish for our human civilization to move forward. This was is merely the focal point of the indictment of our entire human race and this conflict spreads throughout our world and intertwined with Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Venezuela, basically every country on the plant is connected to this conflict and has parallel problems that we as the world must address. This is just about the most basic of human rights; to live free and not be oppressed and nothing more. We each must guarantee that our fellowman has that simple luxury; to live as they choose, under whatever system, without war and prisons and killing. This war is merely about the hope that caring and kindness should hopefully always be everyone’s goal and hopefully will be the direction that the world leans and chooses to cherish and adopt as a guiding principal. It would seem that in this day and age that it would be natural and go without saying, that we should love each other and care for one another and hope the greatest success for every human on the planet, but it seems that some have fallen behind. Itis our job with this conflict to try and show the world that we should always do the right thing, and always do what benefits the whole of our community, regardless of personal reward. We must each always put our community and world first and personal selfish desires aside and away. We must always teach the world to set that example of kindness and caring and never let hatred or problems bring our families and communities down, we must move forward as a collective whole and be happy with our collective successes. We must use this war to show our children that we do care about our neighbors around the globe and that everyone matters and that suffering and pain anywhere is unacceptable and must not be tolerated and we must always work to make the needed changes to ensure everyone’s happiness and can meet their full potential. We each determine the shape of history and our world and we must be responsible humans and not sit idle as tragedy occurs. We must step in and make that change that we wish to see. We are the forefathers of the future and we must shape it the way that we wish it to be. We determine how we leave the world for our kids. Will it be with friends and partners around the world that work together and care for one another or in tatters as it is now? While I argue here that it is impossible for Ukraine to win this war; and that is true, why is it their war at all. This is everyone’s war. Perhaps the entire purpose of this document is to show that this is a world war and it should be a world war because it is not feasible for Ukraine to win this, nor is obligated. It is our responsibility as civilized human being to stand up for our fellowman and defend humanity. It is not an option or a choice, or something we can ignore, what human stands by and watches as others are slaughtered needlessly. Iam hoping that while we may have failed in the past, that we do not make the same mistakes again, and at any cost we must defend human rights in any country. It is insanity for many great nations to sit on vast militaries and do nothing as people are killed in countless countries around the globe. How can our leaders sit and do nothing. We must all demand action in every corner of the world with every available resource at our disposal. If we as a world have a moral conscience we must all demand action and shape the world that we want. We must do more for humanity.
And what are the next few pages and paragraphs; it describes how I personally have failed humanity and wasted 5 months with no measurable success. I gave up and quit; the worst of humans. I am the failure, the hypocrite, the loser that wants the world to change but let communism beat me down and exhaust me and send me home. How could I have let this happen? A mere 5 months and I run for home, not even with the first bit of mud, or cold or the first bullet, and I am beaten and exhausted in the simplest elementary ground floor challenges of good and evil; and I fail.
Perhaps it is you that should be suggesting to me what the next steps are to take to mold our world----for I have missed the mark, and all of these thoughts may be misguided as they yielded nothing over a 5 month span. Where do we go; how do we win? What grand huge strides can we make to turn the tide of this war and humanity? How do we get beyond insignificant little steps and make a real impact on change. Perhaps we need a team of more than just me; perhaps hundreds or thousands of brilliant minds to find ways to move this thing forward. Perhaps here, with our ingenuity and genius we all can work together to find the solutions and answers to how to change this war and all of our other conflicts. Thave failed, but perhaps all of us together can find a way to succeed. Help me write more chapters and more pages filled with success stories and people that take care of other people and care for one another. I would enjoy a chapter of happiness and friendships from around the globe for every nation and child.
‘While I had wished to totally avoid all of the events of my travels to Ukraine, as T am unimportant as well as my limited work and the point of this book is wholly about the war, but I have been instructed that some sort of background and back-story is required. I would suggest you move on to chapter 1. I just like every other good human with a moral compass knew that the right thing to do was to go to Ukraine and fight for freedom and human rights, and that is what Idid. It took over a month to wrap up business, put everything in storage, and get military gear needed to go and fight. Ilanded in Poland and made my way to the border office of the legion but at 56 with absolutely no military experience I was reluctantly turned away by the staff, but I offered to try and send them more recruits, if I was not battle ready, so I proceeded to Kyiv to find more fighters. Once in the capital, I was surprised to see how shut down and closed off the entire city was due to the war and absolutely no offices, or hubs or any central meering place for volunreers. So I went to city hall and after several days got verbal permission to set:,p a Tent at fhdependence Sq:,are as a volunteer center. So I purchased a tent and made signs and banners and set up a hub off to the side in the grass. It was a successful hub for a matter of 2 or 3 weeks until the police one day balled up my tent and threw it away. I came up from the subway from making another sign to see them destroying everything and lost all arguments and calls to city hall had no positive result. I was only granted my folding table and papers but nothing else and left to meander past the hundreds if not thousands of Ukrainians standing in line to purchase commemorative stamps. I think maybe one person of the hundreds that had watched the whole conflict unfold offered to help me as I struggled with the few items I was granted. I furiously declined and proceeded back to my humble hostul. I spanstha.amsi p.nax< wrik aceity hall in an a~trmp< <o gat that verbal permission in writing, but they were not willing to do that, just verbal agreements, so I proceeded on a limited disposable scale. My table and chair, eventually a banner, and slowly a flag for each country that was supporting and which had volunteers fighting, and I started with small Ukrainian flags with the names of the fighters on them to recognize their sacrifice. Doing this I recognized that I must also recognize the Ukrainians that have also died in the war, so I started with small flags for each of the fallen that I was aware of and made signs to explain the project. Ilater added a book so that written stories could be shared. As I supported getting fighters into units and volunteers placed the number of country flags represented grew to 25 and filled the rope from end to end. While my banner was substantial, it was no match for the high winds of Ukraine and was beginning to get shredded as it hungloose. I got permission from the park fountain manager to mount my banner on plywooTM" in the closed fountain and ordered plywood and mounted the banner to the plywood, within minutes the same swarm of police arrived and demanded that allberemoved. Again the fountain managers words had not bearing, so I ripped it all down as they demanded and moved on. In subsequent days our vocal protest in the square to rescue the soldiers stranded at the Azov Steel Plant got us all arrested, luckily I was released and chased away when they learned I was American, none of the others were so lucky. No longer allowed at Independence square, I was forced to move to Sofivska Square just up the hill, actually directly across from the poiice station, but besc£ e ti-e biggest press hote*, so it was tie oniy oext vcabe option. SoIand my ferow p-otesterfoet up camp thgre for tie next mont®f I enTM& up covering the fot bag coveret monument with banners and signs and coincidently Ukraine began to bring all the destroyed tanks and Russian artifacts to our protest and coordination spot, so it ended up acentral hub.
With the flag memorial in the grass at Independence Square a successful focal point and a blank plywood wall covering a monument it seemed local to put my flags up on the wall even if the police might yell at me, as they served no purpose in the my locker. One Saturday some guys with a ladder came out and were measuring the wall with the flags on it and stating that they were going to put some Kazak artwork on the wall instead, to my disbelief. The supervisors arrived soon thereafter and reinforced the idea that a drawing of the historic fighter’s statue from a 1000 years ago behind the wall was going to be drawn on the wall. After alengthy debate on the relevance of the current war and the need for global support and terms of the layout it was allowed to remain for the moment. Ieventually added a wall of small flags to honor the foreigners that had come to Ukraine to die for freedom, so that their names could be honored and not ignored. I also tried to recognize the humanitarian agencies that were on the ground helping and delivering supplies and on the far wall tried to encourage every country from around the world to send fighters and volunteers to come and help in the struggle for all of humanity and what is right and good in the world. I tried to supply all the valuable phone numbers for all of the military units that needed fighters so that people would know where to go and set up a website to help get military where they needed to go. On occasion there were conflicts and discussions on certain country flags and the locations and I tried to keep every volunteer and country happy. I added flags from many of the small countries such as New Zealand and Isle of Man and Scotland and added all the ones that had people in Ukraine fighting. One lady that did not like Taiwan demanded that I put up a sign saying that the flag represented just the fighters here and not the government which I did. Often flags would get defaced or stolen and I would have to fix or replace the damage, but honoring the people that gave up their comfortable lives to come and die for Ukraine and humanity had to be recognized. The flag of Taiwan was removed and I had to replace it again. Many world leaders visited the squares and got to see the flags and banner;, and symbols of the war. One Friday morning early the lady that hates Taiwan cut down all the country flag;, and replaced them with one large Ukrainian flag that covered the whole wall. I asked her what message did that send- that she and Ukraine did not want any outside support or help? That was her stance and no one around cared one bit, nor did the police have any thoughts or option on the situation. The police gave me the address of an office 5 kilometers away at which to file and report, so I drafted some documents in Ukrainian and took the subway and a hike to go file a report, but my prepared documents were not adequate, I needed to hand write in Ukrainian on the form supplied. It was obvious that it was a waste of time, so Ileftit at that.
In conjunction with placing fighters in units and celebrating volunteers the demand for drones became a pressing and important issue. A great many units were requesting drones and we were able to assemble a team of engineers and builders to work together to build drones for the army. We had engineers from England, Azerbaijan, Iran, Ukrainian, USA and seemingly an unlimited network of support and a million ideas swirled in a million directions and when it came timy, for a focus;d plan and time to buy materials all of the brilliant minds and mofivoiizz feu flsn Agfhwa cpfficoe projec=e onnger I wopunnbie <o hgraess thwsr of fhwnogpfonTMobid-des nssve bieTMfp guit wille cpc'eciivwunifiiy spg e sort of solution. Looking back now, I am baffled, as I caressed and cajoled every partner it would have seemed that I would have ended up with 10 or 20 different drones and yet I ended up with nothing. In the end I had to build my own drone based on all the ideas that were presented and mesh and meld it all together, using only what materials were available in a war torn country. Most suppliers were back alley secret meetings for security making sourcing parts hard. The electronic circuit board flight controllers ultimately were impossible to source and the downfall of the entire project. While other teams may have had contro-ers, tley were not offered or s'*ared. Likewrse, askmg for a smpie yard or field for a runway to test a fixed wing drone proved impossible. After exhausting 15 to 20 options in Kyiv for testing, I was forced to load up everything in a supply van and move to the front line in Mykolaiv to be allowed to test. Even in a war zone with rockets and cruise missiles flying I was unable to do any testing after 5 or 6 meetings it was obvious that Ukrainian cooperation was not going to happen and the project was abandoned. With the flog memorial destroded and the end of any coopecgtion on the d, one p oject from gnyone, i€ wgs £imj, to dispose of thj,profo.ypes gnd Ibols and head homa. The fab jic cove sd uni_ wgs dumped in Mykolgiv and 1h;, glumi,um ges end electric planes piled in the corner of the Kyiv shop awaiting the next run to the recycle yard and all the tools accumulated were donated to Alex the young brilliant electronics engineer that helped immensely. I had given every ounce of motivation and energy that I could muster for Ukraine and came up empty handed. While I had helped get fighters and volunteers hopefully where they wanted to be, I had done little more. In the war between myself and Ukraine, where I had hoped that I could bend Ukraine towards democracy and freedom and human rights and be a representative of the USA, I lost the fight. It was a childish idealistic endeavor that was unwinnable.
granted as an International Volunteer Center to help recruit foreign soldiers and direct volunteers that wished to help and did not know where to go. The police balled it up and destroyed it while I was in the Subway making another sign.
Chapter 1 - Let’s Leave the Door Open- Always
I must emphatically clarify at the onset that while I argue that the war is unwinnable for Ukraine and that Russia will win, my hope and desire, just like the rest of the world, is that Ukraine will win the war. I would not have spent five months on the ground in Ukraine working everyday if winning was not in my heart. While so many arrive at the border with an idealistic view of this war between right and wrong and overflowing with confidence that humanity, freedom, human rights and all the basic values in life will win this fight, it now seems impossible. One realizes over time that that day may never come. Certainly the goal here is not to tear down the heroic efforts of everyone involved, especially those that have died, but rather to share the defects in the current operating procedure in hopes that we can all come together and find solutions. Then, perhaps, this war can be won. Obviously, all of this nonsense would be irrelevant had more world leaders stepped up to support and reinforce Ukraine’s fledgling democracy anytime over the last 30 years and more importantly over the last 9 years. But, just as now, most have failed to respond. It is shameful, irresponsible and embarrassing how the world has failed Ukraine and other struggling nations.
We must start at the beginning and the collapse of the USSR 30 years ago. We mistakenly handed Russia all of their nuclear weapons and missiles back. Ukraine struggled alone for 20 years to find its footing and finally secured freedom at Maidan, but precipitated the invasion and loss of Crimea shortly thereafter. Russia proceeded to move inland into Donetsk to continue its influence and control over as much of the world as possible. It seems the world and its leaders were given ample time to establish military bases and amass a strong force to defend human rights and freedom yet failed to act again, leaving the door open for Russia and Putin.
It seems the world has left Ukraine to fight Russia alone. With Ukraine not being a wealthy country it is starved for cash and should be thankful for any and all support that it can bring in from outside countries. Who can argue with supporting a new democracy that is being attacked by a powerful neighbor? But, couple that with their lingering communist heritage it appears that the only way to get ahead is to steal. A culture of corruption is inevitable. There are innumerable monuments that show corruption such as the Podilskyi Bridge and Subway/Metro that have been under construction for 30 years. Where has the money gone to complete these projects? Contrast that with the Communist Crimean Bridge that is ten times as long and it took only 10 months to construct. That makes a strong argument for the efficiency of a communist system.
With outside financial support flowing for 8 years and being in this new phase of the war with vast increased support, it seems there is no motivation to win or end the conflict. The war keeps Ukraine in the spotlight and the cash flowing. The obvious end calculation will always be a colossal net loss. In an unsettled government, the increased influx and increased general cash flow gives more flexibility and surplus funds to keep life comfortable for those at the top while deferring the massive expense of war down the line to future generations. It is an egregious crime for all civilians inside and out of the Ukraine and the governments, again, local and worldwide, to sit around and enjoy life as normal. We survive a menial day to day life of no great contribution while countless buildings and lives are destroyed at incalculable cost. It is selfish, short-sighted and ignorant to prolong a conflict that could be ended decisively and forgo all outside global support.
T would suggest it criminal to allow a war to continue needlessly for 8 years with nearly 5000 people murdered and to continue financial income while leaving the door wide open indefinitely for continued increased invasion. Itisa crime that should be the burden of every Ukrainian citizen. Not a single citizen can avoid responsibility for the escalation and cost of this war when each and every citizen has had 8 years to end the conflict and stand for their beliefs. If there were wavering groups of philosophical thought, some desiring democracy and others communism, leadership should always put matters to a final and decisive vote. Let the majority decide and make it a final and permanent decision without an open ended conflict leading to confusion. Arrive at a majority consensus for the region and be mature and respectful enough to honor the population’s decision of how they wish to be governed. The fundamental basic core of human rights and freedom is the simplest right for each of us to determine what type of governments, systems, rules, and social mechanics that we desire and agree upon. Every country and region’s style of functioning is constantly changing and no one’s structure has the best answers. We should allow our fellowmen to decide collectively how they wish it should be for them and not allow one person or entity to make and force unwanted choices on the population. Allowing that force to happen without regard or input is unjust. Certainly Russia, Syria, Afghan, Myanmar, Turkey or wherever, can have any system that they wish as long as it is the will of the majority and not one man or a few. So in however many years time, a regional election should have been initiated and a final decision made and all forces used countrywide to enforce the will of the people. The US, EU and the entire world had ample time to help with the definite choice and global mobilization to enforce whatever outcome. For every nation and civilian around the world to allow a tremendous door to stand wide open for 8 years as an open invitation for Russia to invade was a major blunder of epic proportion. We each may have well mailed Putin an invitation. We have failed in our global responsibility. And now we sit at home again and leave countries such as Taiwan, Myanmar and Afghanistan, and countless others, unguarded. We again are being naive and ignorant. Hong Kong should have been encircled and protected yet we failed Hong Kong. Shall we let Taiwan fall> We should encircle Taiwan with military ships and support with military might. If we wait, such as we have done in Ukraine, it will be a 10 minute war and we will all be standing around like fools yet again. We may as well put Taiwan on a silver platter for China. Our entire world functions as a collective whole and we should have enough foresight to stop these conflicts before they start. We have now gone backwards with Afghanistan which we will have to rectify in the future once again. We still must fix Syria, Myanmar, and Yemen and support any other troubled people. We should be the peacekeepers and policemen for the world. It is our humanitarian obligation, at a minimum, to stop selfish, greedy, and selfserving individuals from controlling the narrative while they worry about their rich lifestyles as children suffer around the globe.
We have allowed the DOOR to remain open for Russia for 8 years and we must, as a global military unit, shut the door quickly as a unified force. This war will continue for many decades as Ukraine begs for more money and does the minimum to maintain the status quo to keep the funds flowing. I stand beside the Ukraine office of corruption, as multitudes of people flow in and out of the high security facility, and I constantly wonder how the international funds are being allocated? Many of us on the front wonder why a team of accounts do not accompany every dollar sent to Ukraine for tracking much like a postal package being tracked. We will all be saddened by lush private islands discovered in the wake of destruction while there are mounds of bodies found in Ukraine. More sadly, while Russia marches slowly west, the world may eventually abandon Ukraine totally and cut off financial support and let the Ukrainian population decide their own fate.
But as the title of this chapter suggest; Ukraine’s biggest blunder was to allow this conflict to last for eight years without the awareness and intellect to know that it must be won and quick and decisively. It was totally foolish for the entire nation to allow Russia to have any part of Ukraine. Crimea may have been an unwinnable short term loss with a defined border that could be accepted, but the Donbas fight was ignorant to allow lingering. So if Ukrainians did not have the gumption the crush the Russians over an eight year time period it is inconceivable that they will have the unity to ever win, much less win in less than twenty or thirty years. It will become a way of life that is acceptable to Picture- A typical Kyiv street in March with checkpoints every kilometer and tank-traps-
Picture- All of the tents during the occupation of Independence Square to overthrown the false tyrannical government where 100 were killed by police snipers from the rear hotel windows. Notice the sign mentioning a March of Millions which we fail to have today. It was my argument that tents were allowed then, but today under true independence my single modest tent was found illegal and unacceptable. I had hoped for a tent for every country around the world with flags affixed to both sides of the roof, but Ukraine would not have it; flags either.
Chapter 2- It is not my Back Yard-
How would each of us respond in a time of crisis, in our own countries, as neighbors and fellow citizens, if this happened to us? If your country was under attack how would every citizen react, contribute and participate? What percentage would show up and, to what degree? Will we reflect in disappointment, just as George Orwell does in Homage to Catalonia, and be let down by human goodness? How do we calculate one’s duty to their community and society and be the judge and jury for everyone’s contributions? How do we even quantify the ambitious and arbitrary influence that we each add in a negative or positive way? How does that balance sheet read with an entire population? How do we reconcile those that run towards the fight and sacrifice it all while blood brothers run for the hills and hide in selfish fear? How do we set the bar and stand for acceptable contribution to our community and condemn those that take far more than they contribute?
I presume the first step is the need to recognize the entire world as a whole and the fact that we all move forward as a collective unit. We rely on each and every individual around the world to be productive. It is essential for us to realize that we cannot exist as humans if no one worked. If we all sat around at home and did nothing, we would all starve and die. I think that early communities saw this first hand, but now it is not so obvious we each must contribute. We each influence the progression of our community and country. We must take a moment amidst this crisis and remind ourselves that we depend on each other to be as productive as possible so that we can eat, survive and thrive. We study history and how certain civilizations and nations thrive more than others and the obvious correlation is the mere productivity, motivation and ingenuity of its citizens is what makes the difference. We cannot sit idle and expect to succeed as a whole without this. We each enjoy the residual benefits of our neighbor’s successes, and likewise, we all feel the losses that our communities and the world face. I am baffled by the photos and videos of people playing cards or checkers as the structures around them are falling apart and hear the prevailing comments, “This place is going nowhere.”, and “Things will always be the same.” It blows my mind that there is a lack of self-awareness that we control our own destinies, and, that life is cumulative. We build on our previous work and accomplishments. I think that smart people realize this early in life and do not waste time. As we allocate our weeks allotment of time, what percentage should we appropriate to personal wealth and what part to our communities and what to leisure? In an ideal world we would give 100 percent to our community. How grand would it be if every single citizen in a country stopped every single stupid task and drove to the front line of the war and camped out there and helped until it was done? How amazing would that be?! A human chain, arm in arm, prepared to die against these barbaric invaders. Communism demands this unity while the free world hopes for the good nature of humans to somehow take over. I fear in this case communism will certainly win as it has mechanisms to ensure unity and compliance while our free world has no mechanism of safeguard. While the media brags that no adult males are allowed to leave Ukraine, it certainly does not mean that any are forced to join the fight.
My teeth were firmly clamped onto my tongue daily as I passed thousands of healthy men and women in fancy outfits and new shoes out for an enjoyable day. As long as the war is not in your back yard you can ignore it and go on about life, as normal. It is not my problem. As I would pass all these people without a care in the world and also passed a massive fancy building project, I went to build drones for the war. Ukraine poured new driveways, sidewalks and grand structures as their gravel and debris washed out into the road while not a single individual took the notion to sweep their debris out of the road. The trash was no longer on their property so it was no longer their problem or responsibility. The attitude of drawing a hard line between what is private and what is public is a sad direction for humanity and a sad future for free enterprise, democracy and human rights. It is a mentality that points to communism as being the better system, which on its face does not rely on people to have common sense and basic goodwill. It would seem that our civilizations fall apart when we expect humans to be kind and caring and to take care of one another. The system shuts down when we expect people to do things for free with nothing in return. It should be second nature, and a culture that we foster around the globe at this late century. We are a world with vast resources and wealth yet most humans cannot seem to grasp the concept of caring and supporting one another. We fail to realize that the simplest of daily interactions are the whole of life and most enjoyment derived from life should be the things that we get for nothing. It seems the most frivolous of items and the most inconsequential things bring the most joy. I think that most humans realize this sooner or later as we age, no matter where we live, but it is a concept that must be sold and shown and practiced in the old communist countries where everything had a price and no one does anything for free.
in one in the height of Tulip season and gives a bright red color of blood as the fallen soldier is given his last respects by the sandbags and brass bandChapter 3- Lingering communist mindset in Ukraine
The most common question that I was asked while in Ukraine was, “Who is paying you?” The notion that one would do anything for free is a totally foreign concept in Ukraine and it baffled and blew minds. Istill do not think that some people believed that an individual would pay to go and help another person or country without monetary compensation. It is unfortunate to see a mentality where generosity and giving are unfamiliar, unusual acts. What kind of world or life does one lead if that is the standard or norm? What type of childhood must that be like growing up where everything has a price? Is the simple act of love and caring omitted from day to day life as there is no mechanism for reimbursement? I have nyver lived anywh3re othsr than the USA so doys deting becomy solely trensectionet, if doing somsthing with mo yxpectetion of sometting imreturmis eliy; ineted? How does a sociery farrerion without ttat grey area of non-profit and good will? The most tender and cherished moments in life should revolve around simple actions for no gain. Every meaningful moment should be derived from selfless kind acts. I would suggest that charity, kindness and selflessness are the whole of and essence of life. This unfettered giving attitude is the human character trait that we should wish for every civilian to be overflowing with every moment of every day. How do we foster such giving? This war against an evil aggressor has brought the best people to Ukraine that the world has to offer. The most honorable, selfless people on the planet have come here willing to die for a people and a country that they do not even know. These most amazing people have risen to the top of the pile and pushed themselves to the front lines of humanity and in its strife collide with a Ukrainian culture that is vastly different. The war for the foreign volunteers ends up not being with Russians, but against Ukrainians, in a culture clash, where foreigners must constantly sell the benefits of freedom and democracy. Which war consumes more energy? I think many foreigners would wholeheartedly agree that our Ukrainian war is far more exhausting than the Russian war. It is an unexpected twofold challenge that leaves many reeling and contemplating daily when to return home. It is a sad situation when the strongest people on the planet that cannot be broken by any struggle placed before them are slowly torn down, and the mightiest in the world find that they are not wanted or needed. So, two wars will be lost, not one. But we foreigners cannot let lose the battle against the Ukrainians and their lingering communist mindset. We must be the ones to win this battle. It is our duty to patiently show them the value of kindness and caring and that no matter how badly you treat us that we will always stand for freedom and humanity and do what is right for the world even if certain Ukrainians do not appreciate our efforts. As foreigners in a foreign country fighting we must teach our Ukrainian partners how much patience and resolve that we have no matter how difficult the conditions or treatment we will always stand with them and teach them how democracy and humanity supports one another. We must be the teachers to this fledgling democracy and teach it how leaders behave and that we will not falter or waver for their cause. We must win over the Ukrainians while we fight the Russians simultaneously. It is our duty to always be an example of how civilized democratic civilians should behave and support one another and represent our countries and ideals everyday by our actions and be the example and leader of what one should do and that is what the majority of foreigners in Ukraine are doing. It is a two-fold task laid before us all to educate, shape and mold our partners that have the taste of freedom and democracy and wish to salvage that and move it a step further. We must come to their aid and not abandon them even if they do not fully grasp their responsibilities and duties. It is a delicate partnership that we must nurture for as many decades as it takes.
Picture- This is the most amazing photo that was forwarded to me and it shows the sentiment that seems to be lacking today in Ukraine that I so longingly wish to happen. So many foreigners think that because they do not have military experience that they cannot support, but this picture shows what civilians can do. We each must be willing to stand in harm’s way and shield our fellowman from wrongdoing and we must not be afraid that we will be targets, because that is what we need to be. It is a practice to hide the numbers of victims that are killed by Putin and that is unfortunate; we must do the opposite and scream about the atrocities and losses. We cannot be ashamed of the horrors of war as failures or missteps. I have begged for marches and protest daily but everyone’s overriding fear of crowds and being targets dissolved any hopes for continued awareness and media attention. It is my dream that millions of people would have flooded Ukraine to create massive tent cities of volunteers with the country flags affixed to the top of the tents to show the world that we stand in solidarity with Ukraine. How can we occupy Wall Street and other problem spots and not Ukraine? I had started with one transparent benign tent but it was balled up and thrown away in the matter of two weeks. And not even flags on a rope or flags on a wall were allowed to stay for long. But we must persist and duplicate what we see in this old photo from 1989. We must be as strong as these free independent spirits that stood steadfast for change even in the face of obstacles and bombs. We must be at least equal to our forefathers and not disappoint our children as we must live up to our responsibility or Kuliana as we say in Hawaii. Come on people, nothing in anyone lives is more important than winning this war and standing up for humanity-
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Picture- The crew dispatched to remove my tent and dump it in the trailer pulled by the tractor; the police refused to give me my banners; just my papers and table. You can almost see the thousands that are lined up across the street at the post office wasting the day to buy stamps of war as they watched me fight with the police and shuffled by with remainders of my efforts in my hands. Chapter 4- No Gratitude or Respect-Just Arrogance
We must remember that these Ukrainians that we battle were raised as children of communists from Russia. They were taught to hate democracy, the USA, free enterprise and the whole world. They were raised where the government did everything for them and no thought, innovation, generosity or charity was ever required. The collapse of the USSR yielded some decades of chaos and some transition and exposure to modern life, but the mix of the most selfless with the proud, old fashioned communist mindset make for interesting interactions. As if extreme opposites collide. The mere act of passing another on the sidewalk is met with skepticism and questioning eyes. A cheerful hello or any greeting is rebuffed. The more rural the town and the farther East it was, the more stern the facial expression and the more you are harshly judged. Numerous groups requested foreigners to build drones for Ukraine to help the fight. We had countless meetings to promote support but the Ukrainian partners disliked everything about our ideas, progress and work, yet failed to offer any support towards achieving a result that they desired. In meetings with over 10 drone teams, it was always the near identical response or superiority, pride and ego that would not allow a partnership with which to move forward. I often felt I was the common denominator of failure, but how can 10 to 12 teams not extract one beneficial scrap from a project. If a foreigner came to the USA to help me fight a war, I would give them the moon and every asset I had at my disposal and push and pull them until we had war winning solutions. I would never walk away from foreign funds, energy and ideas that have come to assist me. I wouldn’t complain, argue or put down the path of progress and discard the help and investment from those supporters. It is an unusual mindset, to say the least. A friend from a nearby country tried to offer an explanation of the thought process that was different than mine. He sighted that the reason for the difference in thinking was that the USA moves faster with innovation and change and is farther ahead. Because of this slower adaptation to ideas, collaboration and sheer bureaucracy became a challenge. 1had always expected that the most basic human tendency to merely want to help another and have joint success on a mutually beneficial project would take over; but did that ever happen. NO, it never did. The drones are now mere art work that hangs on the wall of the shop for amusement.
Far more saddening than the difference in mindset is the lack of appreciation for those that pay to travel to Ukraine and risk death to fight for their freedom. There seems to be a total disregard for the sacrifice, when 9 years earlier 100 civilians died and many more injured to secure freedom for Ukraine. Foreigners coming to do the same are met with no enthusiasm, respect, appreciation or support. Foreigners expend great sums of money to make their way to the border to join the fight and some are not even allowed to cross the border. Others go to the military recruiting office at the border and are turned away. If you call the legion office in Kyiv ajid do not have major combat uxpurience thuy tell you to “GO HOME”. One would somewhat assume that volunteers coming to help defend a nation at war would be greeted with cooperation and support. It seems the leadership would have notified all agencies and government branches to foster foreign support, but this is not the case. It seems quite the opposite. Interactions with many government employees left it abundantly clear that we are not liked nor wanted.
When you first arrive in Poland there is a volunteer registration center and unlimited volunteer tents on the Polish side of the border, but not a single welcoming committee on the Ukrainian side to ensure that you are cared for. There is a recently added Ukrainian/Foreign Legion tent at the border. There were some signs and a center in Lviv, and a help desk at the last secret door in the train station in Kyiv but that was all that was found available to support or inform foreign volunteers. If you do not pass the grilling and phone scrub at the border military office and be allowed to join, you are sent aimlessly out into Ukraine looking for other options to support the war. Many people, such as Jessica from Sweden, with military experience and gear were turned away by the border guards and not even allowed to cross. Tom Richards spent his own money to buy a load of supplies that the Ukrainians requested, along with a vehicle to donate to them and, was not allowed to cross the border without spending a month getting an import license with costly legal assistance. If you are lucky enough to enter to help, Ukrainians see foreigners as rich targets for easy profit or to be taken advantage of. While most foreigners’ goals are to help, there is a wide difference when asking politely for needed supplies and grossly overcharging for a simple task or item that should be free to someone who has come to help your country. Most recently I believe that new volunteers are required to show proof of medical insurance at the border in order to cross. And there is a five mile long line at the border to cross of some 600 trucks waiting to get into Ukraine with desperately needed supplies and the government fails to hire more border guards to speed the process. Volunteers bringing in donated cars must wait for 24 to 48 hours in line to get an old vehicle across the border to the front line for soldiers that need any kind of vehicle to get around the front line that is expendable and can be blown up by Russian artillery without much pain and great loss. It is a common story about supplies that get stolen and sold and that never get to its destination; Ukrainian tanks that get stolen and sold. Foreigners’ gear is always getting stolen and Ukrainian commanders hoarding supplies and not giving it to volunteers. Most of the early volunteers never even asked about getting paid; they just simply wanted to fight for freedom and humanity and many died without getting a penny and had to raise money to ship the body home. It would seem that a country at war would roll out the red carpet for anyone that was willing to risk death to stand up for their sovereignty but I have yet to see a red carpet or the smallest amount of appreciation or respect. If the US was invaded and foreigners came to help, I would give them the shirt off of my back and give them anything they desired. My car, my house, whatever they needed to fight my war. I had put on my banner the need for host families to host foreigners so that the foreigners could serve as human shields for the Ukrainian families but I did not have a single offer from anyone to house a foreigner; granted the sign was in English but no one bothered to translate or then offer room in their homes. Every foreigner must find a hotel or hostel and not a single Ukrainian has the forethought to offer a free place to stay. When I sought out office space for my volunteer center and housing for my military recruits I had assumed a greatly reduced rate but it seemed the rents doubled when they saw I was American. The only free accommodations I ever located was in a bomb shelter that was open to the whole community that we could use, or the bus mechanic shop that was a partial base for some local military guys that had a few extra beds. Foreigners are required to pay for all their lodging off base and all travel to the base and away from the front line and any lodging between. All of the foreigners in Ukraine end up bouncing from unit to unit trying to find one that values their sacrifice and has the smallest amount of respect for them. Some fighters may only last one week in Ukraine and go home. Others may last two weeks or a month and the real glutens for punishment last for months. It is a good thing that this a war and the soldiers volunteering are the strongest most determined type of people on the planet; otherwise they would all leave in a week. It is totally unfortunate that the leadership of Ukraine does not have the forethought and insight to implement a protocol and proper practices toward foreigners in country to help. I would seem that a government directive would have been issued and echoed continuously to respect, help and support our foreign volunteers, but that was never put in place. And the Ukrainians never seem bothered when 10 or 20 or 30 foreigners get up and leave the unit; it is as if they do not care. I would be the ambassador to leadership and tell them that the group was leaving and they would not even try to find a solution. I would be very interested in the total number of foreigners that went to fight and eventually left because of being mistreated as I am sure it is in the hundreds if not thousands. The horrible thing on top of that is that these soldiers then in turn tell their friends to not go to Ukraine and help and the situation keeps getting worse. Image if the military leadership was extremely nice and inviting and wonderful how many more fighters would Ukraine have now; would the war already be won. My hat goes off to all fighters that have stayed and endured many months dealing with the Ukrainians as well as fighting a war. It makes me extremely sad that the greatest heroes on the planet that are willing to sacrifice the most end up getting treated the way that they are. I had called to volunteer at a supply center and the contact met me on the corner with his AK47 and 4 magazines and demanding to know how I got his number and wanted to kill me for wanting to help.
All nations, along with weapons and personnel Ukraine also needs guidance and leadership, so if you can please send as many ambassadors and greeters to help sort through the chaos and make everyone’s lives easier. I know it is a tall order for a country at war to be nice to the foreign help but that just seems that it would be natural. We all must do more to help support our foreign volunteers.
The beginning days of a flag memorial to honor those that have been killed in the war in Ukraine by placing a flag for those that have died with their name and country as a reminder of the great loss. Behind are the flags of the countries with volunteers in Ukraine supporting the war effort with the numbers hanging below and how many have been killed from each countryChapter 5 -Foreigners at war with Ukraine
Just like any random location around the world, the whole essence of life boils down to the simplest of interactions with every single human through the day and the positive or negative results make up our existence. There is nothing more important. And nothing more important than the daily interactions of volunteers that come to help in Ukraine, yet no one in Ukraine was notified to be nice to foreigners that come to help. If foreign fighters and volunteers were surveyed I would estimate that 75- 90 percent eventually realized or felt that they were not wanted, needed or respected. Likewise, if you were to survey the Ukrainian population and ask if they wanted foreign volunteers fighting and helping, 80 to 90 percent of the populations would say NO. This showed up daily in most every interaction. As foreigners in a country at war we analyze each and every interaction with extreme vigilance and sensitivity and record and recall them vividly. We hang on every word and respond as if it is a test. If the majority of fighters and volunteers that were interacted with had a majority of good reports on their relationships or experiences this would not be atopic or issue in this book, but to the contrary, the majority of the interactions would land on the average to below average spectrum of feeling accepted or appreciated. The constant joking amongst foreigner volunteers would be ---“Well, they’re Ukrainians’ or “f’ing Ukrainians” as if this was the excuse for their behavior. The simple lack of urgency, respect and bureaucratic red tape would always render a shrug, a nod and a “We are in Ukraine”. Some valuable assets sat for over a month doing paperwork while the minimum timetable expected is 2 weeks for anyone to get processed. That may not be a big issue but the seeming lack of respect or appreciation is always evident in the attitudes and interactions. I have witnessed raised voice arguments between legion office staff and new volunteers from foreign countries in the first few seconds of interacting and a parting of ways in a matter of moments. Volunteer fighters thinking that “Ijust quit my job at home, sold everything, and paid to come and die for you and your country and you will yell at me in the first few seconds of my arrival?”. What kind of reception is that, yet the others in the room allow it to happen, and allow us to leave without a word.
If you call or visit the Kyiv International Legion office without combat experience they will promptly tell you to go home. This office is 12 to 15 hours from the nearest border. Instead of suggesting that you go help rebuild homes in Irpin, gather supplies and food for the frontline cheer on the troops or merely support the economy, they scream that you should go home, over and over. On one occasion in Mykolaiv, while I was shopping for drone parts, the lady behind the counter, that spoke perfect English, asked “Why are you here?” My response and sales pitch to her are irrelevant but the mere idea that people wonder why you would come and support another country is befuddling. Why is that such a strange concept for Ukrainians to grasp? Why has their media not informed them that the world wants to help? The fact that most volunteers that go to
Ukraine are faced with the tremendous challenge of winning the war against the Ukrainians is a disappointing reality.
It is an arduous but most noble task for each and every one of us to help influence the mindset of a population and a nation. The more important task than firing bullets is to help encourage a philosophy of kindness and caring. Perhaps as the entire Ukrainian nation teeters in ambivalence of an unsure future, the simplest showing of human support and encouragement may be the best gift of all. Just to stand there, next to them, even if we accomplish nothing at all, but merely constantly saying that I am here to support you is enough. While in many cases it has taken me months to break down the walls around some Ukrainian hearts it is a challenge that we must undertake. If we must, week after week, month after month, show our dedication and concern, which is what we must do to win the hearts of the Ukrainians and push forward the cultural shift toward the type of world that we all wish to live in. Chapter 6 — No one is driving the Ship
Sadly, this war between Ukrainians and foreign volunteers is being won by the Ukrainians. Foreigners on the ground are quick to see the lack of respect and appreciation for having come to Uktaine to offer help and put their lives at risk o-evendying. The Uktainian attitude is one whereby this is there wanand they wish to be left alone and if mou want to help, you will be just that, just mere helpers under the thumb of the Ukrainians. Even if you speak with leadership way up the ladder that have been here on the ground for the entire 8 years of war, they have all resigned themselves to the reality that Ukraine demands to be in charge, and this, their war, and they wish to fight it however they want and do not want to be helped. As absurd as it may sound, the Ukrainians are proud and somewhat egotistical to the point that they want this to be only their war. Leadership will boldly declare that they have it all handled and all they need is money and equipment. This may be true, as they turn away foreign fighters, but they also turn away vast numbers of Ukrainians’ that wish to fight and some with many years of military training. I have been told by long term senior leadership that we foreigners should all go home and that we are no good and not needed, because they can win alone. My obvious question back is, “Do you think the EU and US are not capable of beating Russia?” The response was that foreign military trainers that can teach Ukrainians are welcome, but foreign fighters are generally unimportant. I have had countless discussions and arguments for hours on end that foreign civilians should have a task or a role and be given a list of needs and duties to support the war in some form or fashion and not sent home. It seems no one wants to be bothered or doesn’t know how to put everyone to work; they would rather turn them away. Many of the foreign major powers have turned their backs on Ukraine so outside leadership available to coordinate volunteers and support a massive assault is impossible.
So any foreigners and volunteers in Ukraine are left to navigate the entire system alone and to do the best that they can to learn as they go and to jump all the hurdles Ukraine puts in front of them. It is a situation of make it up as you go. And who is in charge of the war effort-who knows. I have spent the last 7 months trying to figure out who is where and what and I still have no clue where to send anyone. Granted it is a difficult task to fight a war along maybe 400 miles but I cannot see any movement of the front line from the time I arrive to the time I left in over 5 months. While it is certainly a good thing that the front line barely moved in all that time, but how could Russia have been pushed back that far in a month or so and then stop. I the current front line where Ukraine likes it now and this is where it will stay forever. The line at the river in Kharkiv has not move in forever as soldiers sit in trenches and watch as Russia bombards Kharkiv with artillery for 9 months without a change. In what world does a military sit on the status quo. And worse than that give up key power plants to ensure that the population will remember that a war is still going on. Certainly Ukrainians are smart enough to realize that the government gave up those installations because any normal leader would naturally think that to be the most important asset with winter coming; but it is understandable that if a nation and a world does not respond to help I think it is smart to make the population pay, but the problem is that Ukraine does not get the hint. They do not equate the lack of power with maybe they need to go fight on the front line. Leadership must spell it out and say that if you want power and heat that you must go and fight. Leadership is waiting for the civilian population to respond and only a small fraction has acted. Most everyone still thinks like a communist and that it is the government’s problem to fix; but they can’t because they cannot draft civilians into the army. So it will be a quagmire of non-direction for decades to come as the front line never moves; until Russia catches up and refortifies and slowly moves forward.
I could write hundreds of pages on incidents of absurd interactions and differences in leadership and decision making within the Ukrainian military machine and EU norms but those details are unimportant. The root problem is the mindset of a population of Ukraine. Unfortunately the course of history and the future of democracy and communism all hinges on the personality of the Ukrainian nation. The handful of insignificant foreign fighters is so small it is irrelevant to the equation and we must look more closely to the thinking of the individual people of Ukraine, as the outcome depends wholly on them. It is extremely unfortunate that the world has put the entire weight of human rights on the shoulders of Ukrainians. We said 30 years ago that we would always defend Ukraine if they gave up their nuclear weapons and missiles but the world abandoned them. It is a shameful, criminal and irresponsible international response. With the entire world unconcerned, disconnected and unwilling to help Ukraine, their population stands on the balance bar of the scale as the world just sits and watches to see how it will bend. 1 will tell you; it is impossible. There is no conceivable path that leads to a favorable outcome and none of it the fault of the Ukrainian people but rather our unrealistic idealist systems and expectations. We have set them up for certain failure. It is very unfortunate and cruel that this system that we have established makes this war unwinnable for them. They are a fledgling democracy struggling for freedom. Itis like a child that we have abandoned and then set then up with mechanisms that ensure failure. It is a nasty joke that the world has played, and Ukraine its victim.
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