We are at a moment where the outcome of the war no longer depends on the military but on politicians. This is starting to make people like him uncomfortable, who have been fighting against the Russians not since February 14, 2022, but much earlier, since that distant 2014 when Ukraine broke free from Moscow's yoke with the Maidan revolution. Yuri Chekh, Lieutenant Colonel of the Azov Brigade 12, is one of the most decorated veterans in the country, although his greatest reward is having survived Russian captivity after being taken prisoner in Azovstal, the last bastion of the defenders of Mariupol. Today, he leads the foreign volunteers of his unit, one of the elite groups facing the Z troops.
Q. What are the current problems of the Ukrainian army?
A. Our structure is not effective. In a defensive line, we can find units from the Border Guard, several army brigades, a police brigade, another from the National Guard... Each unit has its own leader, its own radio frequencies, its own trenches... The coordination between them does not work. You may prepare very good defenses in depth, with bunkers and fortifications, but if the unit next to you has not done that work and the Russians break through the front in that area, you are exposed because they surround you from behind. Sometimes they don't even communicate it to you. The Russians, of course, know that we are a strong unit, so they do not attack from our front but flank us by attacking weaker units. Additionally, each unit has different weaponry. Some with Soviet caliber, others with NATO caliber... The Russians have a more unified command.
Q. What are the problems of the Russian army?
A. The problem for them and also for us is that the regular army no longer exists. Now there are conscripts and volunteers, but there are hardly any professionals left. That's why there is a competition to see who can train that mass of soldiers better. Although since they have a larger population to recruit from, they care less about how to train them. They are also increasingly using motorcycles, vans, and even electric scooters for assaults because they are running out of armored vehicles. I personally interrogated two Russian prisoners we captured when they attacked us with electric scooters. They told us that their commander gave them a choice: "Either you go to the Ukrainian positions on scooters or you go on foot." The best part is that they had to buy the scooter with their own money. Russian commanders don't mind advancing with horses or bicycles.
Q. Are the units formed in European countries well trained?
A. No. Our soldiers were not trained to build quality trenches because in some countries it is not allowed to dig. In other cases, brigades arrived without knowing anything about night combat, because for example in Germany training ended at four in the afternoon and they did not have night vision goggles. Most did not know how to use drones because, for example, in Spain and other countries they are prohibited or unavailable... But it turns out they arrive in a war where drones are key, fighting at night, and building effective defenses is crucial.
Q. Do you think Trump can achieve a ceasefire?
A. I am a soldier. If I am ordered to jump, I will ask, how high? But if you want my opinion, I will tell you that this is not the time to sign anything, because the Russians continue to advance and it will be very difficult to obtain guarantees of lasting peace. There is talk of bringing international troops to monitor the front line, but Putin will not sell that to his own population, he cannot accept having foreign armies on his borders. But this will be decided by high-level politicians, not us.
Q. Is the flow of foreign volunteers who started in 2022 and want to fight with Ukraine continuing? How many do you have in your unit now?
A. I cannot talk about numbers, but yes. I will not compare the situation with the first months of 2022 because at that time I was in Russian captivity, but I can tell you that we are still recruiting and many young people want to continue fighting for their ideological position. Most are Americans, because it is the country where we find more and better military experience, but we also have many volunteers from European countries. [To demonstrate this, a Portuguese volunteer named Tuga sits with us].
Q. What requirements do you ask for to join your unit?
A. Not only do they need military experience, but we prefer that they have it here, in Ukraine, in any other unit like the International Legion. We choose who can enter, and then they will undergo a three-month training with a signed contract. From there, if they pass and decide to renew that contract, they can join Brigade 12. We are the only military unit that does not receive soldiers from the general mobilization, but we choose our own members.
Q. What is the mission of an elite brigade like yours?
A. We are currently in the Toresk area, one of the most challenging points on the Donbass front. We are ordered to stabilize the front when other units have problems and retreat. We have to assault positions already occupied by the enemy again. That's why we have asked the command to move us from the defensive positions we are in now and send us to the rear to be prepared to intervene quickly when the situation requires it.
Q. Have you received Western weaponry? Do you have enough ammunition?
A. We have problems with this because we are integrated into the National Guard of Ukraine, which receives fewer resources than the Armed Forces or the Border Guard. That's why we have to start our own fundraising. The Azov One foundation channels this, traveling to several countries to raise money for everything we need. Some countries decide to provide non-lethal aid, such as ambulances, which we also need, or the rehabilitation of our wounded soldiers in their countries.
Q. What condition did you leave Russian captivity in? How long did it take you to return to service?
A. I usually weigh about 105 kilos and I arrived from Russia weighing 67. You can imagine.
A. No. They did not give us any food. It was a form of torture. The treatment by the older Russian soldiers was, at least, correct. But that of the younger ones, who have been swallowing imperial propaganda for decades, was shameful. In any case, they released me in September 2022, and in December, I had to return to service because we were ordered to form this Brigade 12, and we did it in record time.