– He is the enemy of all mankind
On a bumpy road we drive into the Kherson region.
We pass fields full of withered sunflowers as we try to keep up with the car we are following. We are on our way to one of the houses where Chechen foreign fighters rest between battles.
SECRET: TV 2 is asked not to tell which village we are in when we meet the Chechen foreign fighters in Kherson. Photo: Simen Askjer / TV 2
We have been given clear and unambiguous instructions to keep the location a secret. The house is not far from the front line, and the Chechens are afraid the Russians will bomb them if they find out where they are.
LEFT THE FAMILY: Hussein Dzhambetov has lived in Belgium for 13 years. In March, he left 7 children and wife and traveled to Ukraine to participate in the battles against Russian forces. Photo: Simen Askjer / TV 2
– I am here to get revenge for my people and to protect Ukraine, says Hussein Dzhambetov as we get out of the car.
Both he and Fathi Baraev fled from Chechnya a long time ago, now they want to fight against Putin and his forces here in Ukraine. And they are not alone.
FOREIGN WARRIORS: Ukraine claims 20,000 foreign fighters have come for a battle on the Ukrainian side. The Chechens will not say how many they have in their force here in Kherson. Photo: Simen Askjer / TV 2
– We are many Chechens who have come here. Most are from Europe, from Poland, from Denmark and Germany, says Fathi.
– Things are going really badly for them
The majority of those we meet hide their faces when we come with a camera. They don’t want the Russians to know that they have gone to Ukraine to fight.
They are afraid of the safety of the family’s home in Chechnya, and fear that they may have problems if the Russians find out who is fighting on the side of the Ukrainians.
Hassan and Fathi just came back from the front line in Kherson. There, together with Ukrainian forces, they have made great progress in recent days. Russian forces have been driven back tens of kilometers.
– They fight well if I have to be honest, but right now things are going really badly for them. They have lost many soldiers and we have liberated many villages. Of course we have lost many men, but they have lost more, says Fathi.
Will fight to the end
They show us mobile videos from the last training they were out on.
– This is from the front line, you can see artillery fire quite close to us, says Fathi.
PHOTOS FROM THE FRONT: Fathi and Hussein rest after fighting at the front line. Soon they will be back. Photo: Simen Askjer / TV 2
Hussein claims they killed 30 Russian soldiers in one of the attacks.
– Even though I have lived half my life in Denmark, I feel more at home here. I like what I do and I am willing to fight to the last. I will risk my life for this, says Fathi.
While Western countries give the Ukrainian forces weapons, these Chechens are willing to give their lives in the fight against Russia.
– We will fight here to the end, until the last dirty boot until the Russian soldiers leave the country, says Hussein.
Dreaming of own country
On the other side of the front line, a large number of Chechens are fighting on the Russian side.
FIGHTING AGAINST THEIR OWN: Several of the Chechens we meet know many of those who fight for the Russians on the other side of the front. Photo: Simen Askjer / TV 2
Several of the men say that they know that old schoolmates and people they know from childhood fought with the Russians.
– I see those who volunteer as traitors. Like that time in Denmark when Germany, Nazi Germany, occupied Denmark. That time it was Danes in German uniforms. I see that as the same thing, says Fathi.
These men dream that the Chechens will secede from Russia and that they will have their own country, Ichkeria.
But with military power, Putin has ensured that this does not happen. Hatred of the Russian president is therefore great.
– He is not just the enemy of Ukraine, he is the enemy of all humanity! He is a threat to us all. He will do everything to achieve his goals, says Fathi.
DREAMS OF OWN COUNTRY: Fathi home he can one day travel to his family and the Chechens will have their own country. Photo: Simen Askjer / TV 2
He says that he has traveled here because he got the war may be started at the end for Putin and his regime. The hope is that the Russian army will be crushed on the battlefield in Ukraine, and that this will ensure that conditions in Chechnya will also improve.
– I will have the Russian Empire destroyed and that I can return to my native country and live as I live in Denmark. Freedom and a good, safe life. That’s what I want in my home country!