KHARKIV, Ukraine – Wearing a military uniform marked with the flags of Ukraine and Canada, Matthew McGill called for more support to fight the Russian invasion.
“We need equipment,” the Canadian Armed Forces veteran and a member of Ukraine’s international legion said Thursday. “Legion needs money to buy equipment.”
“Any way you help us continue our struggle is appreciated.”
McGill, a 49-year-old Calgary resident, serves in a group of Ukrainian army signals on the Kharkiv front, where there have been heavy missile and artillery attacks.
“A lot of artillery,” McGill said. “Everyone reacts differently. For me, I just listen more closely to find out if it’s coming in or out and how far it is. And if it’s too close, you go into a trench. “
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Read more: Russia intensifies attacks on Kharkiv
Russian and Ukrainian forces have clashed with a handful of villages outside the city of Kharkiv. Russia wants to move the Ukrainian army away from its border and protect supply lines in support of its attempt to seize the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.
Among those fighting the Russians in the region are members of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, and at least one is Canadian.
Speaking to reporters on the edge of an agricultural field far from the nearest Russian position, he said he was driving fuel trucks on ice roads in the Northwest Territories when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy soon invited foreign volunteers to join an international legion that would operate as part of the Ukrainian army.
Matthew McGill, near the front line in Kharkiv, Ukraine, June 30, 2022. Stewart Bell / Global News
A veteran of the 735th Canadian Forces Communications Regiment, McGill said he thought he had something to offer.
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“I felt I could do more than just post on Facebook that I support Ukraine and maybe donate some money,” he said. “I have skills that I thought would be useful here.”
His family didn’t want him to go. He is the father of two children and recently became a grandfather.
Although his family understood why he wanted to help Ukraine, they were worried, but in the end they supported him, he said.
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He found the application form online and underwent a check. Almost two weeks later, he learned he was approved and flew to Poland.
“My employer gave me a lot of support and I will have a job waiting for me when I come back,” he said.
Matthew McGill of Calgary near the Kharkiv Front, Ukraine, June 30, 2022. Stewart Bell / Global News
Volunteers met him at Warsaw airport and in March he crossed the border for a month of training. He said that while the international legion may have been disorganized in the early days, it has improved.
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“I would say things are fine right now,” he said.
According to the international legion, “many” Canadians have joined the fight against Russia, although it will not give figures. Many but not all are Ukrainian-Canadians.
“There are a few Canadians here,” agreed McGill, who has no Ukrainian roots.
One is a drone operator that helps target Russian positions, he said. McGill said he has also come across equipment provided by Canadians, such as night-vision goggles and prepared meals.
Read more: When NATO Summit Ends, Canada Promises More Military Aid to Ukraine
Canada has provided M777 artillery pistols, rifles, ammunition and other military support, but Ukraine remains outnumbered by Russia and has called for more weapons.
Following Russia’s missile attack on a crowded mall in Kremenchuk on Monday, Zelensky called at the NATO summit in Madrid “much more modern systems, modern artillery.”
McGill said he would make an upcoming call with a Russian missile. He was in a building used as an observation post and was about to leave when a missile struck and his glasses were blown off his face.
“Fortunately, no one was injured, but just so close it opens your eyes,” he said. “Being hit by missiles and artillery nearby is something that will change everyone.”
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Explosions are not the only risks. Two British members of Ukrainian forces captured by Russia were sentenced to death earlier this month. Two Americans are also now in Russian custody.
The Russian government calls on foreigners fighting for Ukraine mercenaries who have no right to the protection of prisoners of war from the Geneva Conventions.
Investigators at the scene of the Russian missile attack on an apartment building in Kharkiv, June 25, 2022. Stewart Bell / Global News
McGill said he would stay in Ukraine for two more months and return to Canada in late August.
“I think six months is enough to be away from my family,” he said.
He said his experiences had reinforced his views on the need to defend Ukraine from Russian territorial expansionism.
“Just seeing how horrible the Russians are in their dealings with Ukrainian civilians has made me feel more strongly about the need to be here,” he said.
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“Just be thankful we don’t have war in Canada.”
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
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