As a United States military veteran, watching the Russian invasion of Ukraine made Weston resident Paul Schwennesen feel that this was a significant moment for liberty, and a time to stand up to blatant authoritarian bullying, so he decided to take action.
“Seeing pictures and hearing stories about kids being separated from their parents in the midst of premeditated attacks just triggered something,” Schwennesen said.
He decided to reach out to a deep network of contacts who work to support liberty in Europe and laid out a travel plan stretching from Poland to Kyiv. He was willing to do whatever was needed to help, including, pushing a broom.
He served in Afghanistan during his 10 years of military service, and as a military veteran, his training and skills have helped him navigate the challenges of the war in Ukraine.
Schwennesen believes a lot of the operational aspects of the Russian/Ukraine war feel very familiar to what he experienced in Afghanistan.
“You learn to read a situation and try to make some kind of sense out of the chaos, and work to route resources where they are most needed,” Schwennesen said. “You also learn to read people carefully, recognizing the quiet professionals from the posturing blowhards. We are standing up special teams of foreign fighters with unique skill sets that can help turn the tide in this David-Goliath scenario.”
A large part of what he is doing is helping to keep the supply chain open for the people of Ukraine, but it’s a hard job.
“Everything takes longer than you think possible,” Schwennesen said. “Not only logistical realities, but political and cultural complexities make things tough. But we get it done - everyone is fighting the same enemy.”
For the most part Schwennesen feel safe, although Kyiv is always under bombardment.
“The intensity varies on where you are at any one time,” Schwennesen said. Oddly people have gotten kind of used to it. Most things are closed but they are starting to open up. People still do regular things, like family walks.”
A lot of what he is doing concerns helping people get out of Kyiv by securing transportation, tactical gear and communications equipment.
“The refugee system is actually pretty robust, and people who want to get out of Kyiv are quite able to do so without our help,” Schwennesen said. “So we are focusing more on ending the war as soon as possible by bringing the best tactics, training and equipment to the front.”
Hearing the frequent shelling in Kyiv reminds him of his past military experiences.
“I’m reminded that even in active war zones, there is a great deal of difference, even in 1 kilometer, between completely normal and completely hellish.”
When Schwennesen decided he had to help the people of Ukraine, he started with the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine.
“I started with them and am nominally under that umbrella, though at a smaller independent command. They have attracted a large number (of foreign fighters), which has been a blessing and a curse. We’re trying to help organize that system into better effectiveness.”
While Schwennesen has no Ukrainian ancestors, he has many friends and colleagues from the country.
“Their spirit of courageous resistance to overt an overwhelming force and tenacious attachment to freedom inspired me,” Schwennesen said. “Whether it is students on the Maidan (large square in downtown Kyiv) facing down batons and rifles, or hugely outnumbered Ukranian divisions fighting heroically, it just reminds me that moral courage is an unbelievable force multiplier.”
Schwennesen’s wife, Benthe Warnaar-Schwennesen, said her husband decided to go and help Ukraine mostly because he can’t stand injustice. “And of course what Russia is doing is not right,” she said. “That’s why he felt compelled to go there.”
Benthe coordinates and keeps track of the funds that are donated.
“Through my network I was able to connect hosts and a Ukrainian family together, back in Holland where I’m from,” Benthe said. “I mostly am keeping an eye on calls online who need anything. I have also directed some combat-trained volunteers to the group where they had to go.”
Schwennesen has been handing out cash from donations of friends and family to people in Ukraine who have been directly affected by the chaos.
Challenges in providing help continue to mount and Schwennesen said that trying to peer through the fog of war and anticipate what the most pressing needs will be when things change is particularly challenging.
“We are all good at reacting, but it takes an exercise in imagination and patience to become proactive,” Schwennesen said.
Heartbreaking events surround Schwennesen in Ukraine. “We get desperate requests from families deep behind Russian lines: A family of four with an 11-year-old girl running out of life-saving medications. And they are so far away (40 kilometers inside occupied territory) it is next to impossible to plausibly plan an extraction. All you can do is pray.”