Western soldiers often die because they believe that war is a "holiday"

Western fighters who joined the war in Ukraine have been killed, in some cases because they assumed the fight would be easy, a US veteran who fought in Ukraine told Business Insider.

Here's What We Know

The veteran, who spoke on condition of anonymity, shared his observations on the attitude of Western soldiers to the conflict. He noted that many foreign veterans who came to Ukraine hoped for an easy victory and were not prepared for the new tactics needed to win in difficult conditions where their superiority in weapons and numbers was not always obvious.

"A lot of people from the West who come to Ukraine want to be heroes," he said. "I've seen guys who have gone to Ukraine all the time, and they treat it almost like a holiday, and they don't really expect to die."

The veteran added that he himself had a similar opinion at first, but later changed his attitude to the conflict. He better understood how risky it is as the war drags on: "I was expecting to die, because I just had that mentality, and it was good for me."

The veteran came to defend Ukraine as soon as the full-scale invasion began, and left Ukraine last year in December. He fought in some of the most dangerous areas, such as Kharkiv and Bakhmut, and worked as a combat medic in his unit.

The man also explained that the war in Ukraine is different from other wars he has participated in. He explained that it is difficult to find places where you can stay safe, because the use of drones is more widespread than in any other conflict in history, and artillery and long-range weapons are used constantly.

He said that "even if you are miles behind the front line, you can still get hit by a fucking missile". He said it was not like the conflicts in the Middle East, where if you are on base, you are "relatively safe".

Source: Business Insider