Canadian With "No Formal Combat Experience" Goes To War In Ukraine

Former Canadian infantry soldier Hunter Francis has no connection to Ukraine. But when he saw that Russian troops were shelling residential areas there, he flew over to join the battle.

"It wasn't really a decision. Just something that you had to do. It's the right thing to do," said the 24-year-old, who is from the Eel Ground First Nation reserve in New Brunswick.

"This stuff's not supposed to happen. There should not be a full-scale invasion of another country in the 21st century," he told news agency AFP.

The criminology student's travel plans came as a shock to his friends and family -- especially to his mother.

"Everyone I've told said I'm insane. You've gotta be insane to voluntarily walk into a warzone," he said, calm and cool-headed and wearing combat fatigues.

"No-one likes to do this stuff... I'm just doing what needs to be done. Someone's gotta do it. That's been my mentality my whole life," he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky openly invited foreigners to his country to form part of an "international brigade" that would fight side by side with Ukrainians against the Russians.

Francis heeded that call after putting himself in their shoes.

"They are just like us. Just normal folks. That are now drawn into a conflict and staying there to fight," he said.

"What if Canada was attacked and everyone left Canada? We'd be all alone. Wouldn't we want help? I know I would," he added.

Morale Booster

After packing his rucksack with essentials like a bullet-proof vest, hearing protection and a wilderness survival kit, Francis flew nearly 6,000 kilometres to Warsaw.

"In my wallet, in a little vial, I've got a bit of my grandmother's ashes. She always wanted to come to Europe. Now she's here," he said.

In the Polish capital he got help from a foreign exchange student friend from high school, who booked Francis a hotel room and drove him part of the way to the Ukrainian border.

There, Francis plans to help out at an aid station, before travelling to Lviv and onward to Kyiv.

Once across the border, he will get a Ukrainian armband and a weapon.

Coordinating his crossing is Jan Plewka, a Polish firearms instructor who has been helping dozens of foreign fighters both from Poland and elsewhere.

"I've never been to Afghanistan, I have no formal combat experience but I have lots of training. Hopefully I can put it to use," Francis said.

Some 20,000 international volunteers have already joined the fight against invading Russian forces, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Sunday.

Their presence can help Ukraine's troops on multiple fronts, according to Francis.

"They're getting more manpower. They're getting more firepower. They're getting more of whatever kit we bring. I have tons of medical supplies I can hand out," he said.

"We would also definitely help their morale just by being there."

"No One Wants This War"

The last few days have been a blur for Francis.

"It's been pretty sleepless. You psych yourself up, right? Like you're constantly thinking of what can happen," he said.

Though he is wary of Russian tanks, in general Francis said he is not afraid.

"It's war. If I catch a bullet over there, I catch a bullet. So be it," he said.

"I know what I'm getting myself into but I wouldn't be able to sit back and watch all this on Facebook and not help -- with the skillset that I have," he added.

"You've just gotta make peace with yourself. And once you do, then you're not scared of anything."

Still, he expects Russia to target foreign fighters like him with vengeance.

"Any chance they get to get a Westerner, oh they're gonna use that propaganda. There's gonna be torture videos," he said.

For his part though, he has no hatred towards the enemy on the battlefield.

"I don't feel any anger towards the Russians. They don't want to be there," he said.

"No-one wants this war. No-one wins from it."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)