GRP 166-The art of living well and the art of dying well are one: A conversation with two Ukrainian Special Forces Operators
Global Recon
John Hendricks
4.8 • 592 Ratings
🗓️ 7 December 2022
⏱️ 103 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Two active-duty Ukrainian Special Forces Operators are joining me for this week's podcast. Back on the show is Mikko, and joining us for the first time is his teammate Quebec. Quebec joined Special Forces in 2014 when the Russians annexed Crimea.
He was wounded during a battle in eastern Ukraine, leading to his retirement from the military. He later worked as a security contractor in Afghanistan. Once Russia invaded Ukraine, he went back into Special Forces and has been fighting ever since. We discussed the Partisan movement and undercover operations in Russian-controlled territory, Bahkmut, the Wagner Group, and much more. Tune in.
Main Takeaways
- Quebec's path into Ukrainian Special Forces
- Deployed to Afghanistan as a security contractor
- Undercover operations in Russian-controlled territory
- Bakhmut, the location of the heaviest fighting in the war
- Quebec's father was killed fighting the Russians
- Assaulting Russian positions in Kherson
Connect with Mikko: www.instagram.com/1_am_mikko
Connect with Quebec: www.instagram.com/denys_q.u.e.b.e.c
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Bachmoud has been pulverized by Russian fire for six long months. |
| 0:07.0 | Despite major defeats, Russia has been unrelenting in trying to capture the city in the Donbass. |
| 0:13.0 | The war here has descended into a muddy, wretched mess. |
| 0:17.0 | Soldiers shoot at each other from trenches and foxholes, and just outside the city, |
| 0:23.0 | Russians tried to dodge grenades, dropped on top of them by Ukrainian drones. |
| 0:28.2 | It's reminded me a situation of the First World War. Retired Ukrainian colonel Sergei Grabsky |
| 0:34.0 | says Russia is using century-old tactics, sending waves of conscripted men, paid mercenaries, |
| 0:40.3 | and even drafted prisoners to their deaths. Putin wants a victory, he says, and the body count doesn't matter. |
| 0:47.3 | There is only one option where that success may be shown because it was a political target, and they must do that. |
| 0:57.0 | Ukraine's losses in Bachmut may be 50 to 100 dead every day, say analysts. |
| 1:02.9 | Russian numbers could be four times that. |
| 1:05.9 | So you spoke exclusively with the former president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko. |
| 1:10.6 | What is he telling you? |
| 1:12.4 | I'm definitely for negotiation. Okay. |
| 1:15.2 | But we have a very great negotiator from Ukrainian side. He is a top diplomat. And the name of this |
| 1:26.2 | negotiate is armed forces of Ukraine. We have a very successful |
| 1:31.8 | to a negotiation when we throw Russian away from around Kiev. Russia said that that was a gesture |
| 1:38.7 | of goodwill. Second round negotiation was when we threw Russian away from Chernege of Suma. Third round was when we threw Russian away from Chernegev, Sumer. |
| 1:45.0 | Third round was when we threw Russian away from the Kharkiv region. |
| 1:50.0 | And a few days ago it's happening that this negotiated through Russia from Kerso. |
| 1:55.0 | So you think the armed forces of Ukraine can retake the Russian occupied areas |
| 2:00.0 | with support from the international community? |
... |
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