Irish fighter in Ukraine recalls ‘mural of misery’

Ivan Farina, 51, said he was wrongly declared dead by the Russians after a series of missiles struck the Ukrainian base where he was located.

An Irish man who served with the Ukrainian military has stressed the importance of taking in refugees, having seen first-hand the devastation caused by Russia.

Ivan Farina, 51, said he was wrongly declared dead by the Russians after a series of missiles struck the Ukrainian base where he was located.

Now back home in Kildare, after travelling to Ukraine at the start of March, Mr Farina said that young recruits wept as they passed by the endless lines of refugees fleeing the country.

“There were women and children as far as you could see, lines that were miles long,” he said. 

“Just a mural of misery, with people carrying whatever they could fit into a bag, on their backs. It really is a catastrophe.

I would invite anyone to take a look around them, at all they own, and all they’ve built in their lives. Then imagine it all gone. 

"That is what these people are facing. So they would appreciate the Irish welcoming them, giving them a hand, a roof over their heads.”

Following the Russian attack on the Ukrainian base, Mr Farina said his daughter believed him to be dead.

This was due in part to a communications blackout on the base and Russian propaganda that wrongly claimed that the foreign legion unit had been wiped out.

“The Russians had already said that foreigners would not be given the rights of the Geneva Convention, so we knew they were out to get us,” Mr Farina said. 

“But they specifically targeted us that night and they believed they killed us all.”

Mr Farina, who injured his leg in the aftermath of the attack, made the decision to travel back to Ireland.

“I had to talk to my family but I couldn’t do that without getting off base and I couldn’t do that without revoking my contract. So I did,” he explained.

“The Ukrainians were very understanding. They were very decent.”

Mr Farina said he met around 20 Irish men who were also serving in the foreign legion unit.

He warned those considering going over, who do not have experience, that they would not be taken in as the foreign legion was only recruiting those with previous military training.