Thousands of Latin American volunteers joined the ranks of the Ukrainian army and, shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainians, defend Ukraine from Russian aggression. The Ukrainian people honor them and are grateful to them for their heroism and sacrifice. But it is worth saying that at different times many Ukrainians contributed to the formation and development of the countries of the South American continent. On the occasion of the 34th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence, we will tell you about three natives of Ukraine whose names are inscribed in the history of various Latin American countries.

Colombia, Peru, Venezuela

Miguel Rola Skybitsky (1793-1847) - a participant in the war for the independence of the Spanish colonies in South America, an associate of Simon Bolivar.

Born into a noble family in the village of Korchivka in the Ukrainian region of Volyn (now Khmelnytskyi oblast). After receiving his education, he became a military engineer. At the age of 30, through Sweden and England, Skybitsky Skebitsky reached Latin America and volunteered for the army of Simón Bolívar. He distinguished himself and was wounded in the decisive battle for independence from Spain - the battle on the Ayacucho plateau in Peru on December 9, 1824. For courage and heroism, he received the highest military decoration - the Order of the Liberator (Orden del Libertador) - personally from the hands of Bolívar. Soon he became an officer of his staff.

Starting his service as a lieutenant, Skybitsky rose to the rank of engineer-lieutenant colonel of the Federative Republic of Gran Colombia. He was responsible for the construction of fortifications and, among other things, developed the first project of the Panama Canal, which began to be built more than half a century later.

In 1830, after Bolívar's death, he became an associate of the first President of Venezuela, José Antonio Paes, and worked in the main department of the navy. In the same year, in the port of Maracaibo, Skybitsky built the Villa "Ukraine", which later became the Hotel "Ukraine".

In 1831, he resigned and left for Paris. He spent several years in France, carrying out diplomatic missions for the President of Venezuela. He arranged a meeting with his sister and left for Austria, but there he was arrested and extradited to the Russian police. For his service in the Colombian Republican troops, the Russian imperial authorities sent Skybitsky into exile in the north. After 10 years, Skybitsky was allowed to return to his ancestral estate. He tried to go abroad but was arrested and died in a Russian prison.

In 2020, a monument to Miguel Rola Skybitsky was erected near the military college in the Peruvian capital of Lima, on which the words are carved: "Friendship. Faith. Dignity".

Argentina

Jorge Polanski (1892-1975) – a leading Argentine geologist.

Born near the city of Lviv (now the center of Lviv oblast), which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in the family of a Greek Catholic priest. He studied at the universities of Vienna and Lviv. He participated in the First World War and the Ukrainian National Liberation Wars. In the 1920s and 1930s he taught geography and geology in various primary schools.

Polanski arrived in Buenos Aires in 1947 as a refugee after World War II. Despite the fact that he had a doctorate, he initially had to work in the mines. But this did not stop him on the path to great achievements. He joined the national geological survey of Argentina, where his work in the Andes brought revolutionary discoveries. He studied the processes of glaciation and proved that the Andes have the highest level of snowline fluctuation in the world. This discovery changed the perception of the world's mountain systems!

In 1956, Jorge Polyanski became a professor at the University of Buenos Aires, where he wrote the first geology textbook in Argentina and many other scientific works that gained international recognition, and trained many geologists.

His contribution to science was recognized by membership in the National Academy of Sciences of Argentina and the award of the National Prize of Argentina in 1964. His tombstone reads: "Professor Jorge Polyanski – a teacher, scientist, patriot and humanist, who fought for his native Ukraine, enriched the geology of Argentina with his work...".

Brazil

Clarice Lispector (1920-1977) - an outstanding Brazilian writer.

She was born into the family of a small businessman in the town of Chechelnik in the Ukrainian region of Podillia (now Vinnytsia oblast). Fleeing the horrors of war and pogroms, her parents and children soon left Ukraine, and in 1922 the family settled in Brazil. Therefore, Clarice later said that she never had time to walk on the land on which she was born with her own feet.

The girl showed an early interest in books and writing. She wrote her first story at the age of 9. Despite difficult financial conditions, Clarice received a good education and entered the prestigious law faculty of the University of Rio de Janeiro. She worked part-time by giving private Portuguese lessons and working in the editorial office of a newspaper.

In 1944, her debut novel "Along with the Wild Heart" was published, which literary critics praised for its "sensitive interpretation of adolescence". The book was said to be the best novel ever written by a woman in Portuguese. Lispector's greatest success was brought by the collection of stories "Family Ties", in which she comprehensively reflected the problems of women.

In total, the writer's creative output includes 8 novels, 8 collections of stories, literary articles, and translations into Portuguese of works by English-speaking writers. Her works have been translated into many languages and repeatedly filmed. Clarice Lispector was awarded several national prizes and awarded the Order of Cultural Merit of Brazil.

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Now heroic volunteers from various countries of South America have inscribed their names in the history of Ukraine and are writing a new, perhaps the most important, page in the history of Ukrainian-Latin American relations.

US President Donald Trump’s peace initiatives to end Russia’s war against Ukraine are gradually gaining momentum. After the US President’s meeting with Russian ruler Vladimir Putin in Alaska and talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in Washington, there is talk of direct Ukrainian-Russian talks at the level of heads of state.

Back in early summer, Putin categorically rejected the possibility of talks with Zelensky. And now they are going to organize their meeting within two weeks! And then it is planned to organize a trilateral meeting of the heads of the US, Ukraine and Russia. It must be admitted that the owner of the White House is making extraordinary efforts to reconcile the aggressor and the victim of aggression.

But does this mean an early and unconditional end to the war? No.

We must remember that this war was started by Russia in February 2022, and it is she who has been making exorbitant demands on Ukraine from the very beginning. Peace on Russian terms is impossible, because Moscow cannot force Kyiv to surrender. Let us remember: the Russian offensive has not yielded results.  

Neither side can force the other to surrender. Under such conditions, a peace agreement is possible only as a result of a compromise, which will be difficult and painful for both sides. Therefore, freezing the conflict seems much more likely. But freezing the conflict is also possible only under certain prerequisites. At least two key questions remain open at the moment:

- what concessions are both sides ready to make?
- what will be the security guarantees for Ukraine?

In any case, the main guarantee of security and state independence of Ukraine was, is and will remain the strong and powerful Defense Forces of Ukraine and, above all, the battle-hardened Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is emphasized by both President Zelensky and Ukraine's international partners, who continue to financially and militarily assist Kyiv.

And the modern Ukrainian army includes foreign volunteers. The struggle for the right of Ukrainians to live in their own independent state continues. Ukraine continues to invite foreign volunteers to the ranks of its army. The Ukrainian military continues to be ready to teach them the methods of modern warfare and jointly stand in defense of freedom and justice.

A volunteer from Great Britain, “Shucks”, talks about the features of modern drone warfare, his experience of serving in the ranks of the Ukrainian army and his own vision of the russian-Ukrainian war.

1. Came as a tourist – and became a soldier

I came and stayed in Ukraine as a tourist when the war started. And I decided to stay, because all the men were asked to stay. I am not Ukrainian, but I really wanted to help. I started working with NGOs, providing support to the Ukrainian army. I also recorded and published evidence of russia’s criminal attacks on civilian infrastructure. In addition, I took care of hungry dogs and cats that were abandoned or lost their owners in the cities and villages of Donbas.

After two years of helping in this way, I decided to join the Ukrainian army. Because during these two years I saw a lot of evil and damage that russia did and therefore became very motivated to join the armed struggle.

But I did a lot before joining the Ukrainian army. On my own initiative and at my own expense, I learned to fly drones for a month, took a two-week course in tactical medicine, and learned to handle weapons for two weeks, because I had no military background.

2. Training and motivation

When I joined the International Legion, I was given all the necessary equipment. In general, in the Ukrainian army you will receive everything you need. Equipment is not a problem here. The International Legion, where I started my service, gave me very good basic training and became a good start for me. Then I joined the 25th brigade.

At the beginning of my service, I went through many different training courses, including specialized ones. There were many different interesting and difficult training exercises. As a result, I was satisfied, because I benefited a lot from the training. Now I feel like a truly versatile soldier. I can be an infantryman, I can work with drones: launch, program, fight them.

Anyone who joins the military needs to think about what role you will play and how you can be useful. Only you know your skills and your potential, and most importantly – your motivation and the work you want to do. You need to explain it clearly and, as a rule, they will be happy to accommodate you, because it suits everyone. If you are ready and motivated to do a certain job, then it is very likely that you will be given such an opportunity. I was pleasantly surprised by how flexible the command is to provide a foreign volunteer with the work they want.

3. Drone War

A guy I worked with in an NGO told me that the best way to be useful in a war is to become a drone pilot. So I gave it my all and went through both simulator and real school training.

I worked with drones in various positions. I started as a pilot, but I was more drawn to engineering. I learned to program. I programmed drones for missions, prepared them for combat missions. It is a complex technical job, but very interesting and useful. You need to be able to work with radios, understand electronics. This area is constantly changing and improving. This is a truly exciting time for drones.

There are two key areas in the drone race: attack and defense. Attack is developing faster now. We know how to attack better than how to defend. That is why it is a difficult time. But it is precisely in such dynamics that there is a great opportunity for innovation. If you come up with ideas, even simple ones, and have an unconventional view, you can be very useful. I have seen more than once when someone says “what if we did it like this?” — and it works!

Technology changes every three months. Optical drones have changed everything. A new race has begun. Optics require new solutions. We are no longer thinking only about electronic warfare, but also about kinetic countermeasures. We cannot get stuck in old technologies. We need new solutions to protect our infantry.

I was in the infantry myself and I know: drones save our lives because they stop the russian infantry.

I played a lot of computer games. And I noticed the correlation between gamers and drone pilots. If you are really good at playing computer games, you can become a good drone pilot. You can learn in a few months and be very useful.

 

4. Why is it important to learn Ukrainian

Knowledge of the Ukrainian language is really important. Therefore, if there is any way to improve your level of knowledge, then use it. Because it is really important and helps. If you do not do this, then your command will make sure that there is always an interpreter with you in the unit. But knowing Ukrainian is an advantage. Especially important is the vocabulary, which is necessary for completing missions and for communicating in stressful situations.

Leadership opportunities completely depend on your team. If you, like me, are in a Ukrainian team, and your level of Ukrainian is insufficient, then you will not be a commander. But if you are in a team of foreigners, then you can become a sergeant, even without knowing Ukrainian.

5. About Ukraine and the importance of resisting russian aggression

The longer you are in Ukraine, the more you want to stay here. I have been here for a long time, and for about three and a half years I consider Ukraine my home. I am now defending people who care about me. And I want to stay here after the war. I think that many people who came here to fight for freedom have the same desire. They want to be part of Ukraine after the war, because they dedicated so much to it, fought so much for it, got to know and love Ukrainian culture and identity - given all this, there is a desire to stay.

Almost every foreign volunteer I have met here believes that this is a war that will be seen in history as a war of good against evil.

russian ruler Putin says that he is defending some "traditional values". But the truth is that he is leading a country that is stagnant. Real progress is in the West. Not only technological, but also social, moral. Ukraine wants to be part of Europe because that is where it sees its future. russia is a country of obscurantism and stagnation. That is why Ukrainians are resisting russia. With the development of technology, especially AI, it is important that governments are democratic. When a tyrant subjugates his country and then attacks a neighboring one, it is truly dangerous. If people like Putin remain in power, and modern technology only strengthens them, it threatens the future of all humanity. Therefore, for me, it is not just about protecting Ukraine, not only about protecting democracy, but even about protecting humanity.