In early March, 48-year-old Victor went from being an oilfield paramedic in northern Alberta to a paramedic fighting the streets of war-torn Ukraine.
“When this war started, it was really my duty to come here and help,” he said.
The father of two has been in Ukraine twice before – in 2018 and 2019 – to help with the military. His girlfriend is Ukrainian and she decided to stay and fight for her country when war broke out two months ago.
Victor said that the first night she slept in the barracks, it was the target of the Russians.
“They were hit by heavy artillery, they were hit by artillery.
“She texted me one last goodbye. She said, ‘I love you. I will never see you again. ‘”
What happened was the worst ten hours of his life – he thought the worst. But when his girlfriend tells him she’s still alive, Victor decides to join the fight and book his next flight abroad.
“I left my two children behind – my daughters. Pretty much everything I have. ”
He said he wanted to do something good with his life. Working with a Ukrainian special forces soldier, he helps soldiers when they are injured. When possible, he also helps civilians.
“Fight first, fight second. I’m basically a soldier. I have all my gear, my guns. ”
At one point, he said his team slept under the bridge for days, helping families escape shelling in Irpin.
Victor recorded a number of videos showing the horror he had to go through during the seven weeks he fought. One shows the bodies of civilians lined up on the streets in Bucha.
“I have seen people with their hands tied behind their backs – they were killed on the streets, in their backyards, in their basements. Yes, I have witnessed it with my own eyes”.
Plastic body bags unearthed from a mass grave are lined up in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, April 8, 2022.
AP Photo / Rodrigo Abd
Victor’s shock is captured in the comments section of his videos. He said the devastation was unimaginable.
For Canadians back home, he compares it to documentaries about World War Two.
“It was an all-out war. The Russians are using everything: heavy artillery, mortars, rockets. Everything. Everything they have.”
In another video, he shows some used weapons lying on the burned ground where an airfield was once located in Gostomel.
Victor said his battalion was recently withdrawn from the front lines, after suffering heavy casualties. Some of his friends have died.
Victor has been in Ukraine fighting the Ukrainian army for the past seven weeks.
Courtesy: Victor
“Right now, for the first time in a month and a half, in the last few days, I have a decent bed that I can sleep in and a roof over my head,” he said.
Victor said they are regrouping, preparing against a second wave of Russian attacks.
He feels this will be the pivotal moment of the war, and has no intention of going home right now.
“In the next two weeks we will see if Ukraine survives or Ukraine is destroyed.”
Victor said he is grateful to the people of Canada and the Canadian government for supporting the Ukrainian army, but added that his soldiers are in dire need of optical equipment such as night vision and professional rifle scopes as well as night vision glasses.
Global News did not publish Victor’s last name due to safety concerns.
He said he can use the money to buy food now and is accepting electronic transfers. Those who want to help please email sarah.ryan@globalnews.ca for information on how to support.
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