“In our youth, I see a worthy future for the country,” — the guard with the nickname “Swede”
The soldier with the call sign “Swede” serves in one of the brigades of the Northern Union of the National Guard. Before the war, he lived in Sweden for five years and worked as a roject manager in the construction sector.
“On the day of Russia's full-scale invasion, I was abroad. That day I could not find a place for myself, watched the news all day. For myself, I decided that I could not stay away, I had to go back. When I came to the principal and said that I would go to defend the house, I was told that I could go for a month, but then I had to come back. Then I wrote an application for dismissal. And in a few days I was already standing on the border of Poland and Ukraine,” the guard shares his memories.
Most of all, the Swede's mind was not the destroyed Kyiv region and burned houses, but the faces of people fleeing the war.
“When we went to Ukraine, there were only about 50 people in 12 cars for the whole train! Instead, there was a train in front of us with people who had gone abroad in search of shelter: they were mostly women and children. There was no free space even in the vestibules. It made a great impression on me,” says the guy.
According to Shveda, Ukrainian society has made a significant step forward since he moved to Sweden. The guard is especially inspired by communication with young people: “In 2015, Ukrainian society was torn by political disputes. However, I see that our country now has a vector where it is moving. Now I am inspired by communication with the younger generation: they are the ones who will develop and build our state. They are only 18-20 years old, and they are already conscious and integral individuals.”
The guard chose his path: to fight for the Ukrainian people, for justice, for the future of his state, his children, for his own future.
“Evil must always be punished. And now the evil is Russia. In 30 years, Russians should have understood that our society has only the desire for its own freedom, that Ukraine is a strong, independent and promising European country.”
Press service of the NGU
