Kildare man who lost eye in Bosnia heading to fight in Ukraine

Ivan Farina, from Celbridge, Co Kildare, has been accepted by the Ukrainian military.

An Irishman who lost his eye while fighting in Bosnia is once again putting himself in the line of fire as he prepares to travel to Ukraine and take on Vladimir Putin’s forces.

Ivan Farina, 51, from Celbridge, Co Kildare, will leave his wife, Marija, his two daughters and his home comforts when he travels to Ukraine on Saturday, to join a war the outcome of which, he says, will alter the course of history.

“We live in a republic, and it's a very, very precious thing. We have been trying to accommodate living beside tyrannies for quite a while now and it hasn't worked,” Mr Farina said, ahead of his trip.

This is the seminal moment that will change history. The world after this, if Putin falls and I think he will, will change forever.” 

Mr Farina is no stranger to conflict, having fought in Bosnia with the Croatian Armed Forces from 1992 to 1995.

Ivan Farina in Bosnia in the 90s.

It was here he suffered the loss of his eye.

“I got hit in the face by shrapnel and was very badly injured. It blew away 10% of my skull and shot my brain full of shrapnel,” Mr Farina said.

He wasn’t out of action for long, however, thanks in part to his future wife, Marija, who was his nurse in Bosnia. In three months he was back in action, where he would see out the rest of the war in uniform and on the front line.

“Bosnia was the heart of darkness. There were things that made me question life itself. But you don’t fold, you soldier through,” the Kildare man said.

Giving an insight into why he would return to an active battlefield, Mr Farina said the conflict ongoing in Ukraine would be a watershed moment in history.

“This is the moment, and we have to do everything we can to make sure that we win,” he added.

Having already been accepted by the Ukrainian military, Mr Farina booked his flights and got his affairs in order.

“My wife's behind me, she's emotional, but she knows, she lived through the war,” he said.

As things stand, the advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs is “strongly against all travel to Ukraine, for any purpose”. 

“Our capacity to provide consular assistance is extremely limited and our Embassy in Kyiv is not currently operational,” a department spokesperson added.

However, despite this, a number of Irish people have declared their intentions to travel over and take part in the war, either in a military or medical capacity.

The Irish Examiner understands the Ukrainian army is not looking to recruit foreigners unless they have combat or medical experience.

Ivan Farina: 'We have to do everything we can to make sure that we win.'

Mr Farina gave some advice for those who were still considering the trip, saying he was aware of a number of young Irishmen who were planning on joining the fight.

“I would say be careful. Listen to advice. Understand what you're risking. I've known soldiers who couldn't deal with the consequences of what happened to a war,” Mr Farina said.

It's jarring, no matter how strong you are. In some hour of darkness, you will break. You have flashbacks, you will feel the terror for no reason. It’s going to change you.” 

According to the Ukrainian London Foundation, which is assisting the Ukrainian embassy in the recruitment process, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will allow foreign nationals to join one of the 150 territorial defence battalions. 

“The President of Ukraine has also recently announced the creation of an international brigade,” the spokesperson said.

On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a call to arms for foreigners to join this "international brigade".

'All foreigners wishing to join the resistance against the Russian occupiers and protect global security are invited by the Ukrainian leadership to come to our state and join the ranks of the territorial defence forces,' Mr Zelenskyy said in a statement on the presidential website.