Australian pensioner reveals why he went to Ukraine to fight

An Australian pensioner has revealed why he has travelled to Ukraine not once, but twice to help in the fight against Russia.

Aussie man Brian Williamson is an unlikely soldier in Ukraine’s fight against Russia.

The 57-year-old pensioner travelled to Ukraine last March to join the country’s foreign legion after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky called on foreign nationals to ‘fight side-by-side with the Ukrainians’.
Since then the Maroochydore man was threatened by Russians, injured in a missile attack and stranded in the country after his pension was cut off.
Speaking from Ukraine, where he is now involved in frontline aid work, Mr Williamson said he felt compelled to travel after watching news reports on the war.

“Early March I was sitting at home watching TV and a news story came on about Russians attacking a day care centre and a maternity hospital. I thought I should help and I arranged to come over and join the foreign legion,” he said.

Shortly after his arrival in the country, the base Mr Williamson was living in was hit by a barrage of Russian missiles in an attack that killed dozens of would-be fighters and injured more than 100.

Brian Williamson (left) has travelled to Ukraine twice.

“I was in Ukraine for five days. I went to sleep in the army barracks and was blown out of bed by an explosion. I knew what it was straight away, I grabbed my boots and jacket and headed for a predesignated rendezvous point.

“The building straight across from us was ablaze, flames and fireballs. I ran up the side of the building to the road that led to the rendezvous point, a second missile hit the building, throwing me about 50 metres in the air and into the side of our barracks. I was showered with concrete and steel,” he said.

After five nights waiting for more attacks in freezing forest trenches, Mr Williamson was told to leave due to a back injury he sustained during the missile attack.

But after just three weeks back in his native Sunshine Coast, he decided to return to Ukraine. This time as a humanitarian worker, where he spent several weeks delivering aid to frontline hospitals.

A former Australian Defence Force member who is now training in Ukraine.

“We were driving vans from the west full of medical supplies and food and delivering to frontline hospitals and aid centres. The day before I was due to come back the government suspended my pension and I ended up stuck in Ukraine for another three weeks,” he said.

After spending some time back in Australia, he made the difficult decision to return to Ukraine again.

“When I got home I felt like I didn’t belong. I felt like I was better being here helping people. I’m back now and we currently have a bus that we’re converting into a stretcher carrying vehicle to travel to the front lines and evacuate injured civilians and possibly soldiers to cities where they can receive treatments,” he said.

Mr Williamson is part of a small motley crew of Australians in Ukraine, some are delivering aid and working in emergency medicine while others are frontline fighters and trainers in the Ukrainian military.

Earlier this month an unknown Australian fighter was injured in a battle in the east of the country.

This came just days after the death of Australian man Michael O’Neill a friend of Mr Williamson.

While many Australians have been placed on ‘no fly lists’ after attempting to join the foreign legion, several slipped through and are now serving with the Ukrainian military.

The Australian government continues to strongly advise against all travel to Ukraine and those who travel to fight could face prosecution when they return to Australia.

Travel advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade states: “Our ability to provide consular assistance in Ukraine is extremely limited in these circumstances. The Australian Government will not be able to evacuate you from Ukraine”.