I'm Arthur Snell. A major war is taking place on the European continent with Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Bringing you a series of special episodes to help you understand the crisis as it unfolds. This is Doomsday Watch.

Welcome back to Doomsday Watch. We hope you're finding these war bulletins value.

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Welcome to Doomsday Watch. A year ago, on our sister podcast The Bunker, I spoke to Mesa Gifford about his extraordinary story as a volunteer in the International Brigade in Syria fighting against ISIS.

And now a year later, Mesa continues his work as an international volunteer, but in this case, with relation to the Ukraine conflict.

I'm delighted he's joined us today to tell us a bit about that. Mesa, welcome.

Good afternoon, Arthur.

Let's just start with that backstory. For those who missed your fascinating podcast and the book you've also written, perhaps you could briefly summarize your experiences in Syria and how that set you up to be involved with this Ukraine story.

Sure. Well, I went out to Syria in 2014. Obviously, just like everyone else at home, I was appalled at the horrible and vicious rise of the Islamic State.

And what frustrated me at the time was that Britain, America and others, perhaps because of years of war fatigue, because of the war on terror and et cetera, really didn't have a plan to get rid of ISIS.

And with the cool from the Kurds for people around the world to come over and support them, I was inspired.

So I went out in 2014 and fought for three years alongside first the YPG, later the STF, the Syrian Democratic Forces.

And I ended my time in 2017 in Raka, which was just a brutal, brutal battle.

Prior to that, perhaps unusually, you hadn't been a soldier, you hadn't come from a military background.

So you were a genuine volunteer in the sense of somebody who saw something they cared about and stepped in.

Yeah. Well, my background really is after doing a degree in politics and tax relations, I was very much politically engaged in the UK.

I joined the Conservative Party years ago, ran to be the head of the National Management Executive of the Conservative Party for the Youth Wing, a local counsellor, that sort of stuff.

I got so bored of it, so I went over to work for the MDC, the Movement for Democratic Change in Zimbabwe.

And I also spent time in the Congo, Somali land, Ethiopia.

But then obviously in 2008, with the 2009, the big recession, I graduate into a time of great uncertainty, so I almost fell into the city.

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