Hidden away on the front lines
of eastern Ukraine is a potentially deadly force. Volunteer fighters who saved
the nation from invaders remain armed and dangerous. And could always turn the weapons
on their own government. One day we’re considered heroes but tomorrow the President could
declare us terrorists. So, what would you do if the
government declares you a terrorist? It means you're a criminal. If the government
tried to take our base, they would fail. We would form a circle and destroy them. [Ukraine
Rogue Militias] Smells a little bit like
powder. Yeah, it does. They’ve been shelling
this piece of road. The war has been
dragging on here for years. Ukrainian armed forces are
locked in a stalemate with Russian-backed separatists. And civilians are left
to pick up the pieces. When it all started in 2014, Ukraine's military was
totally unprepared. We’re heading to meet the guy who,
back then, took charge and urged anyone, regardless of
their past or motive, to get to the front and fight. Another checkpoint. Yeah, we should stop filming
somewhere here. Camera down. I’ve followed the conflict
in Ukraine for a while, obviously you’re a very powerful guy. I heard you have a sniper
rifle in your office. There’s a lot of things in my office. Turchynov is a controversial guy. In 2014 he stepped in as Ukraine’s
acting president. At the time, anti-government
protesters were in open revolt. Neighboring Russia moved in
and took over Crimea, and then began arming
separatists in eastern Ukraine. Russian armies began gathering
at our northern and eastern borders. The situation was intense. So there was two wars and no...
basically, no army? I was forced to turn to Ukrainian
patriots and ask them to voluntarily
defend our country. They gave their blood
and lives for this. It’s on the record that some of these
guys that were fighting were criminals, neo-Nazis, fascists. Honestly, some of them
had a dark side. But they were the exception. So you don’t regret that decision
at all? If it happened again,
I would do the same thing. My only goal was to
save the country. And we succeeded. Are they still there? Are they still actually undertaking
serious operations? Today only the
armed forces are defending Ukraine. You’re sure the volunteers
are just doing assistance now? I’ll say it again. On the front,
only the military are in command. Turchynov is sticking to the script. To secure western military aid, Ukraine must show that proper command
and control are firmly in place. As if to prove Ukraine’s
military might to us, they roll out the big guns. It’s like bringing out the
show horse... except it’s a live tank. It’s an impressive show, but most of
these top-of-the-line tanks are for the export market, not the
front lines of eastern Ukraine. It doesn’t quite add up, and makes us
question the party line that there aren’t any rogue
volunteers out there still fighting, unwilling to hand over their weapons
to their own government. We have to sneak in, because the
Ukrainian military that set up all these checkpoints to vet
who goes in and out is not really keen on us
covering the battalions. You need the passports. So we’re going to follow them in? -Yeah.
-Perfect. It’s like an apocalyptic movie set. OK guys, here we are. This sign says, “We are not here.” -The sign says, “We’re not here?”
-Yeah, “We’re not here.” We got through a military checkpoint
as volunteers helping the military. We’re here kind of completely
clandestinely. Yeah, I wouldn’t **** with
these guys. Everyone keeps talking about the
snipers, so... let’s go hang out with snipers. This used to be an orphanage. And this is the pool for the kids. Clearly, it’s not that anymore. An extra set piece from<i>
The Walking Dead</i> or something. Even the cats are stressed out. Let’s move. Let’s go. This is basically your home? Yeah, for now at least. Well it’s cozy, that’s for sure. No windows. The more sandbags, the longer you live. What were you before the war? I was a civilian,
just like everyone else. What do you like about the war
right now? What do you like about
what you’re doing? Of course war is a bad thing. But you must learn
to like fighting if you want to
end the conflict. People who join us here don’t see the world
the same way they did before. The blood and the soil. It changes everything. I mean you got an AK, AK bullets,
you’ve got some tea, dogs... what more do you need? I need freedom. It’s cool to see how these guys live, but I really want to see if they’re
actually fighting. Are they just out here
playing soldier, or do they have a crucial
combat role... despite what the government’s
told me? Ready now,
have them gear up. Hello, hello. This is Thunder, he’s taking us to
another position. I’ve got to say, I like his bandana. Looks like a proper Cossack warrior. In the grand scheme of things,
there’s nothing here. When life returns to normal, they’ll have to tear it all down. There’s nothing to rebuild. Why are you called Thunder? My brothers in arms gave me the name. You can hear me but you can’t see me. Did you ever think that you were
going to be in a place like this, fighting in a war? That could be important. Thunder seems like a
take charge kind of guy. If these volunteers are
actually fighting, he’ll be in the middle of the action. -Sniper?
-Sniper, yes. Come on now,
put on your helmet. Although this isn’t going to protect
me from a sniper round. I want to see some of the
fighting myself. Because if I’m going to tell the
story back home, I have to show what’s
happening to you, personally. If the commander gives you
permission to stay tonight, you’ll probably see a firefight. Every night there’s a risk
of them firing on us. Thunder seems eager to go,
he’s keen to show me something. Special stash. If you really need to be evil,
here you go. Sorry. What’s up? Yes. They’re with me,
it’s under control. OK, bye. Commander. He’s worried about
where you went. The commander seems a bit twitchy. We’ll need to sort it out
if we’re going to stay. Already hearing artillery, but we
just heard one that was really close. All right let’s go.
Let’s get out of here. Oh ****, that’s an artillery. Look at that, Jesus. Holy ****, that’s a heavy gun. Obviously some shelling
and some fighting started already. You can tell everyone’s
kind of getting a little jumpy. I think they’ve got
an artillery cannon here. We finally scored a meeting
with the commanders. -So, we will talk to him right now.
-Cool. Hopefully they'll let
us stay the night. The girl has a lot more clothes on
than most of the... military barracks I’ve been to where
they have pin-ups. I don’t know where it came from. It was up when I got here. Funny. I kind of completely get why you guys
are volunteering to fight this enemy, to save your nation and your people. But why did you both join the
volunteer army, and not the regular military? It’s just a better fit. It’s a lot more radical
and revolutionary here. than in the army. It’s simple,
we’re different. So what would you do guys do if
the volunteer military had to be folded into
the regular military? We refuse to join a system that would swallow us up. Nothing good would come from this. And would you say that you’re both
willing to die for this cause? After over three years here, it’s no longer
a question of ready or not. The answer is obvious. Yeah, cool. We can stay tonight. -Nice.
-Yeah. Now we’re doing what
every soldier does in every war, sit around and wait. That’s some pretty heavy guns. And the soundtrack of Ukraine
has begun already. Get ready. You hear that? That’s a sniper. Holy **** that was close. Quiet. Go for it. You beautiful son of a ****. That’s the thing about this war, it’s no longer this raging,
hormonal teenager. It’s now this jaded adult, and it just keeps on going... and going. Over 10,000 dead, almost 2 million displaced, with no end in sight. We’ve heard about another position held by a different group
of volunteers. So we head north of the contact line. This is a pretty advanced
position, right? It's almost on the front. Really close. So we have another checkpoint here. We’re heading to Avdiivka. That was easy. There used to be heavy fighting here,
but it’s been pretty quiet lately. The volunteers show no sign of
leaving, though. Drawn to stay with their
legendary leader, Santa. Hello, Santa? I like your... cottage. Obviously, you’ve got this
kind of fearsome reputation. A little bit of a Ukrainian
folklore hero. We deliver different kinds
of presents, not to good kids but to enemies. How long have you been
fighting in this war? About three years already. So why did you choose to join a
volunteer brigade rather than joining the
actual Ukrainian military? How can you put your life
in the hands of someone who isn’t as committed
as you? When I first got to the front
I almost **** myself. If you aren’t afraid of anything,
you’re either an idiot or dead the next day. So is it important for you? One moment, I’m going to
grab a smoke. I start panicking if
I go too long without one. How would you describe
yourself, politically? Anarchist. Anarchist? Anarchy is the mother of order. So, do you think in some ways
you’re almost better off, now that you’ve experienced this war? I don’t know if it’s for
better or for worse. But it changes you.
It changes you a lot. It must be difficult to lose people
here on the front. Do you feel like you’re almost
a little bit responsible for that? Yes. This is where the grave is? Shaman? Shaman. How many... how many of your guys
have you lost? A lot. We’re always burying them here. Every human life is a huge loss. Do you think when regular life
comes back, you’ll be OK? Dear God, no. That definitely makes me think
about things. They don’t know what they’re
going to do after this. They haven’t thought about it. Nobody has an answer about
what happens after. Just a few hours’ drive from
the front is Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. It's a bit strange being back here. It kind of just feels like
life goes on as normal. At Ukraine’s National War Museum, it’s business as usual. But they’ve got a new exhibit about the ongoing war in the east. I’ve been there. Lots of bang, bang, bang. -Action.
-Action, yeah. It’s definitely weird
being in a museum with an exhibition on a war
that you were just in. And advertising the exact location... where you definitely saw
actual fighting. It’s almost as if people are
celebrating it like it’s over. But it’s not. The war in the east already feels
like a distant memory to some. But the battle is far from over, especially for volunteers
recently returned from the front. We’ve tracked down a couple of these
guys just outside the city, who’ve invited us over for a hang. Get it going. Barbecue. Yeah? So we can eat a little
Ukrainian meat. These guys are clearly enjoying
a break from the front, trying to take the edge off. -OK?
-OK. Andriy, come on! I wanted to wet my lips. Let’s do it together. Cheers. To us meeting. To us meeting. So some people will say
that the volunteer battalions have done damage
and are villains, and not heroes. What do you say to people that think
it’s a negative thing? Who says this? I haven’t heard this is a thing
where everyone thinks this. It’s just one of the criticisms
I’ve heard about it. Everyone has the right
to their own opinion but any volunteer will tell them
that’s **** and will just keep doing
what they do. My kids will grow up and ask me, “What did you do in this war?”
And what will I tell him? What will I tell him? I protected my country,
you, and your mother, my wife. It’s a man’s job to do this. After more food and even more drinks, things get pretty real pretty fast. That’s going to hurt
the ears a little bit. Interesting dudes,
clearly nationalists. They also said, “**** the police, **** the government, burn it down.” Makes me wonder about... what a bunch of young guys that have
been fighting a war are going to do when it’s over. Or whether they’re ever
going to be OK with that. It’s the annual Day of the Defender. The police are on high alert. The event is meant to mark
Ukraine’s recent resistance to Russian aggression. But it’s become a rallying point for
people who celebrate violent struggle and love defying authority. People like the volunteers. So, on this glorious
Day of the Defender in Ukraine, I’m seeing a lot of volunteer
battalion flags and patches. I’m also seeing a lot of angry,
yelling dudes in black masks and various forms of balaclava. What could go wrong? It’s hard to know how
this will all play out. But one thing is certain, the volunteers are still out there, and don’t seem to be going away
anytime soon.
I know Vice covers a lot of laughable shit nowadays but their coverage of shit like this is still spot on.
Okay, say what you will about Vice, but they actually went there and heard out the voices that matter the most in that conflict, right now.
I can now understand my friend's enthusiasm behind showing me the Azov patch.
Serious question, actually curious: why do people hate Vice? I'm not that familar with them except when they put out snapchat stories which, most of the time are really interesting and are a fun read. Did something specific happen?
This remind me so much of the stalker games. Maybe it's only because it is happening in ukraine, but also because of the post-apocalyptic look of the war-zone, the fact that there are different political faction fighting, how they hang out in their vault, even the sound of the radios. This is so surreal.
Slava Ukraini!