According to a retired British sniper who has joined the fighting in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenzky’s forces fight like the “Taliban on steroids.”
Shane Matthews, a former Lance Corporal with the 2nd Battalion Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment, is currently based in Kyiv and assisting in the fortification of the city against Vladimir Putin’s approaching troops.
Despite their military superiority, Russia has yet to take the capital, which is one of the Russian army’s primary objectives.
Shane Matthews, a former Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, told MailOnline that he does not believe Kiev will fall to the invaders.
“The Ukrainian artillery absolutely hammered the Russians while I was giving one of my medical lessons,” he explained.
“Apparently the Russians have got no defensive positions in Irpin so the Ukrainian boys are absolutely hammering them, which is good news.
“The guerrilla-style tactics being employed by the Ukrainians is something you simply cannot defend against, it’s like the Taliban on steroids.”
Mr Matthews flew to Poland before being given rides to Kiev to assist the Ukrainians in preparing for the brutal invaders.
Last week, Armed Forces Minister James Heappey stated that both serving and retired soldiers should not fly out to fight Russia.
“Nothing good comes from British service members or veterans going to Ukraine to be a part of this,” he said.
The former Army officer went on to say that the British public, particularly servicemen and women who have a “deep sense of wanting to do the right thing,” need to know what is going on behind the scenes.
He continued, saying: “They need to know that the Royal Air Force has a lot of people flying a lot of important stuff forward, not just from the UK but from other European partners as well.
“There are British soldiers in other European countries, primarily Poland, where that stuff (resources) is received, and what happens next is not public knowledge.
“The Russian army’s might is still up against them” (Ukraine). They have unrivalled power at their disposal.
“Unfortunately, that overwhelming force appears to be fairly indiscriminate; we will see some brutal things on our television screens in the coming days.
“However, a torch has been lit for the Ukrainian people, and it is burning brightly. I am confident that they will now resist for as long as they possibly can in a force-on-force military setting.”
His remarks came after Foreign Secretary Liz Truss stated that Britain would “support” British participation in the war effort.
