Africa-Press – Gambia. A Ballymena man and former soldier has spoken of why he is travelling to Ukraine to fight against the Russian invasion.
In an interview with the Ballymena Guardian, Alan McCroary (33) said this is not the first time he has travelled to fight alongside Ukranian troops.
Posting updates on his Instagram page, one photo appears to show him in army fatigues with Ukranian colours and AK-47 assault rifle.
“I spent seven years in the Irish Guards as an anti-tank Javelin specialist. I left the army in 2011,” he said.
“I went to Ukraine in 2015 when the war in Donbass broke out. I fought with the Georgian Legion until 2017 when the first major ceasefire took place.
“Then I moved to Thailand. In 2019 I worked for the Gambian PIU in West Africa training the President’s body Guard.”
He added that he had been living in Tanzania when he started to hear rumours about the situation in Ukraine.“I’m going back out this weekend through Poland again joining the Georgian Legion,” he said.
On Thursday, the Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 16,000 foreigners have volunteered to fight for his country. In an emotional video appeal, he said the “international legion” of 16,000 foreign volunteers is joining “the defence of Ukraine, Europe and the world”.
Visa requirements for foreign volunteers have also been lifted temporarily for those wishing to fight against Russian forces.
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