Daniel Bilak
Everybody in Ukraine and beyond its borders are involved in russo-Ukrainian war.
About it in a conversation in podcast Ukraine Calling says Canadian lawyer and soldier in Ukraine’s territorial defense Daniel Bilak.
It was just fantastic to watch, he said, and it was a humbling experience because in a very real sense it’s total resistance.
«You are either on the front or you’re working for the front. And I try to explain to audiences in the west, this isn’t, you know, we are supporting the Ukrainian army. The Ukrainian army is us, and we are the Ukrainian army in a very real sense», — he says.
Daniel Bilak joined the territorial defense forces at the start of the war.
«And, you know, I’ve never been in the military. I never held a rifle except to shoot some clay pigeons once in a while, but knew nothing about tactics or bullets or weapons. And there were thousands, if not millions, of people like me», — he says.
You may listen to or read the entire conversation with Daniel Bilak here
«And when they created the territorial defense forces, they basically were giving us a platform from which we could help defend the country. But it’s not just about the territorial defense forces because they are part of the armed forces of Ukraine. But you have from, you know, babusi in the villages, grandmothers in the villages to students, to professionals, to business people, to housewives, to ordinary citizens.
Everybody is either involved in volunteer work, medical assistance, any sort of support, and not just to the army, but to the millions of people who have been displaced, the IDPs — internally displaced persons — building housing, shelter, providing them with food», — says Bilak.
This podcast is produced within the project «EU Emergency Support 4 Civil Society», implemented by ISAR Ednannia with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of Hromadske radio and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.