Operation Fearless Guardian

Almost 300 U.S. Paratroopers  arrived in Ukraine on the 17th of April 2015, to conduct Operation Fearless Guardian. A military program to help Ukraine in its effort to train the newly formed National Guard. Which would be later on deployed on the front line against pro-Russian rebels in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblast.

All the following pictures were taken last August at the Starychi Military Base located 40Km outside of Lviv, western Ukraine.

U.S. paratroopers demonstrating how to clear a room to Ukrainian soldiers.

Ukrainian and U.S. soldiers discussing about tactics to use while taking assault on buildings.

Ukrainian soldier listening to U.S. instructors.

Ukrainian soldiers joking around after their theoretical course.

Staff Sergeant Murray and Staff Sergeant Dolce from the 173rd Airborne Brigade.

Ukrainian soldier covering his brother in arms during an exercise where they take assault on a fake village hold by their American counterparts.

Ukrainian soldiers peaking at the corner of a fake building while an American officer monitor the exercise.

Ukrainian soldier covering his comrades from behind railways.

Ukrainian soldiers clearing the fake village building by building.

Ukrainian and American soldiers leaving the fake village at the end of the exercises.

Ukrainian soldier.

American soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade eating lunch at the shooting range. 

U.S. paratroopers training at the shooting range.

U.S. soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade searching and gathering their ammunition casings.

Paratroopers marking their target hits.

U.S. soldiers sliding a nasal trumpet inside the nose of their comrade during medical training.  

Paratroopers inspecting the chest of their comrade during medical training. 

Officer supervising the medical training giving instructions.

Team leader from the Ukrainian National Guard giving instruction to his soldiers at the beginning of a patrol exercise.

Ukrainian National Guard on patrol exercise.

Ukrainian soldiers walking past an American HUMVEE during a patrol exercise.

Ukrainian soldiers hitting the ground and returning fire after being ambushed by U.S. soldier during the patrol exercise. 

Ukrainian soldiers returning fire from behind cover as they slowly progress inside the forest.

Ukrainian soldier from the national guard running through the forest towards the attackers position during a patrol exercise.

Ukrainian soldier guarding one of his U.S. counterpart playing dead during exercise.

Ukrainian serviceman searching the U.S. paratrooper as his comrades secure the area.

Ukrainian soldiers from the national guard returning to their patrol path after successfully defeating  an ambush during their training exercise.

From the Rada to the Hospital

On 31st of August the protest, against the revision of the Ukrainian constitution, lead by the Sovboda in front of the Rada in Kiev turned to a tragedy. A protester, allegedly a member of the Sich Battalion, tossed an explosive device at the National Guard which was protecting the Ukrainian Parliament in Kyiv. The balst killed three servicemen and injured over 90.  

The clashes looked like an inverted scene of the Maiden. People who once stood on Maiden facing the brutality of  the Berkuts, were now standing in uniforms of the National Guard with the same will of building a better Ukraine. Holding their position in an incredible calm.  The Sovboda protesters on the other hand, managed to reach an unprecedented level of irony,  were beating up lonely volonteers and servicemen they managed to pull out of their ranks with their party leader, Oleh Tyahnybok,  at their side. 

After hearing about the explosion, I made my way to the Rada and arrived an hour and a half after the blast.

Members of the National Guard smiling as an old man yell at them in from of the Rada an hour and a half aft er the explosion that killed three and injured over 90. 

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Riot Police getting on formation as a small group of protesters from Svoboda attack them on Mykhaila Нrushevs'kogo street.

Protester next to the National Guard on Mykhaila Нrushevs'kogo street.

Shortly after being hit in the forehead by a rock, medics provided me first aid and bandaged my head. The National Guard secured my way to the ambulance, which was later stoned stoned by the protesters as we it was starting to drive away in direction of the hospital.

National Guard officers making a corridor to extract me to an ambulance after I have been provided first aid by medics.

Corridors of the Emergency  Hospital.

Doctor and the Nurse walking to the operation room.

Light from the operating table as I wait to be stitched up

Balcony on the 10th floor of the Emergency Hospital in Kyiv

Nurse attending to a patient inside a corridora of the Emergency Hospital 10th floor.

Hospital 6 beds room at 6.45am 

Breakfast offered by the head Spinal Surgery.

My injury was rather superficial, just a 4cm cut which was 3mm deep and no contusion.  On the next day my head wasn't even painful, my swollen eye was the biggest annoyance.

FAO poultry distribution in Donbass

FAO provided 20 chickens to 350 household in small villages on the edge of the contact line between Ukrainian Forces and Separatists held territories. 

Anton volonteer from the Free People Country NGO, center, helping babushkas collect their chickens in Troicke

Young boy and villagers from Troicke about to catch a chicken is trying to escape

IRC package to be reused as a transport container for chickens as people massing at the rear of the FAO truck.

Babushka waiting for her 20 chickens

FAO (left) and Free People Country volunteers (right) discussing upcoming projects of the FAO in Eastern Ukraine.

Opytne village.

Villagers from Opytne about to collect their chickens from the FAO.

Villagers taking out chicken cages from the FAO truck in Opytne.

Babushka putting a chicken inside her bag.

Young chicken in a wooden cage.

Smoke rising during shelling in Luhanske during the poultry distribution.

Luhanske's villager checking if he has collected all the chickens from the cage in front of the FAO car.

Ukrainian soldiers ridding on a millitary truck as villagers collect their chickens in Klynove