He signed up with the Ukrainian forces for two years.
Belmont Lay | March 13, 2022
A 19-year-old UK man, who loves video games and worked at a local Subway outlet, signed up to fight Russians in Ukraine and went over within 36 hours, despite having zero relevant combat military experience.
This turn of events, which has left his family incredulous, was reported by ITV Granada.
The mother of the post-pubescent teen, Jamie, approached the outlet to reveal what happened to her son.
What happened
Jamie's mother, who refused to be named, revealed that her son does not speak Polish or Ukrainian.
via ITV Granada
All the lad did was email a website that was facilitating the recruitment of foreign fighters to join the Ukrainians and booked a one-way ticket that cost £45 (S$79).
He then travelled on a child's passport on March 5 from Manchester, UK to Warsaw, Poland, where he would cross the border into Ukraine.
His mother said he had never left the country prior to this trip.
In total, he signed up and went to Ukraine all within 36 hours.
Influenced by online content
The mother said her son was influenced by online comments and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss who supported those who want to fight Russians.
The mother of three said there was no vetting involved, and instead Jamie was simply accepted and told where to meet others like him once he landed in Poland.
The lack of vetting extended to the lack of alarm bells going off when Jamie's introductory email contained a spelling error, suggesting he was not even old enough.
When Jamie contacted the London-based organisation, he wrote: "Hello, I am here to sign up to help ukrain fight off Russia. I was told to email you to get more information."
The organisation wrote back and thanked Jamie for his support and asked him to fill out a form, adding a note to say he should only book tickets if he had military/ combat or medical, rescue, fire fighting or mechanical experience.
Jamie wrote back saying he had booked his flight to Poland.
He is believed to have crossed into Ukraine by March 7.
Loved video games
In comments reported by ITV Granada, the mother sounded exasperated as she said her son had only completed just one year of Army Cadets when he was at school.
Jamie's mother also said her son enjoyed playing Call of Duty.
"He hasn't got any military experience or anything like that -- it's just literally from Call of Duty," the mother said.
"He's never shot a rifle or anything like that."
Despite his paltry military background experience, she was aghast he still managed to sign a contract with the Ukrainian forces for at least two years.
Jamie's mother said the teen goes to work to make sandwiches and comes home to watch videos of soldiers and refugees in Ukraine, as well as videos of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
His internet search history was littered with news about what was happening in Ukraine.
Family got in contact with him in Ukraine
The family then tried to use geo-tracking tech to locate Jamie.
The last place he was at was just miles from the border with Lviv, a large western Ukrainian city.
Once he crossed into Ukraine the site stopped working.
Some 24 hours later, Jamie messaged his family to confirm he had signed up to join the ground forces.
The text exchange in the morning after 9am read:
Jamie: I'm in I've signed the contract and got the here
Gear
Family: For how long? Are you ok?
We have been worried
Jamie: Until marshal law is over
Family: Are you ok
Jamie: I'm fine got here last night, going on a run in a second but I'm surrounded by the whole world so it's amazing
Will speak to you later
Family: Stay safe please
Jamie: I will as I stated the whole world's around me.
Got people from every where
Family: Try to keep in touch please as often as you can
Jamie: I will send a message every morning saying I'm alive and healthy and that's it
Family: That's enough, I just want to hear your safe xx love you
Family still shocked
The mother told ITV Granada: "Every day you're just waiting, I'm constantly on my laptop, on my phone, just checking."
His uncle added: "In the eyes of the law he is an adult, but if you look at the email he sent it says 'I want to come and fight Russia', it even has spelling mistakes -- an email like that you'd hope they'd pick it up."
"The fact that in 36 hours he was able to sign up is unbelievable."
"He didn't take anything with him, he just told us, 'I've got my army cadet uniform'."
UK authorities said it is advises against travelling to Ukraine and anyone who travels to conflict zones to engage in unlawful activity, should expect to be investigated upon their return to the UK.
All media via ITV Granada
All the lad did was email a website that was facilitating the recruitment of foreign fighters to join the Ukrainians and booked a one-way ticket that cost £45 (S$79).
He then travelled on a child's passport on March 5 from Manchester, UK to Warsaw, Poland, where he would cross the border into Ukraine.
His mother said he had never left the country prior to this trip.
In total, he signed up and went to Ukraine all within 36 hours.
Influenced by online content
The mother said her son was influenced by online comments and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss who supported those who want to fight Russians.
The mother of three said there was no vetting involved, and instead Jamie was simply accepted and told where to meet others like him once he landed in Poland.
The lack of vetting extended to the lack of alarm bells going off when Jamie's introductory email contained a spelling error, suggesting he was not even old enough.
When Jamie contacted the London-based organisation, he wrote: "Hello, I am here to sign up to help ukrain fight off Russia. I was told to email you to get more information."
The organisation wrote back and thanked Jamie for his support and asked him to fill out a form, adding a note to say he should only book tickets if he had military/ combat or medical, rescue, fire fighting or mechanical experience.
Jamie wrote back saying he had booked his flight to Poland.
He is believed to have crossed into Ukraine by March 7.
Loved video games
In comments reported by ITV Granada, the mother sounded exasperated as she said her son had only completed just one year of Army Cadets when he was at school.
Jamie's mother also said her son enjoyed playing Call of Duty.
"He hasn't got any military experience or anything like that -- it's just literally from Call of Duty," the mother said.
"He's never shot a rifle or anything like that."
Despite his paltry military background experience, she was aghast he still managed to sign a contract with the Ukrainian forces for at least two years.
Jamie's mother said the teen goes to work to make sandwiches and comes home to watch videos of soldiers and refugees in Ukraine, as well as videos of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
His internet search history was littered with news about what was happening in Ukraine.
Family got in contact with him in Ukraine
The family then tried to use geo-tracking tech to locate Jamie.
The last place he was at was just miles from the border with Lviv, a large western Ukrainian city.
Once he crossed into Ukraine the site stopped working.
Some 24 hours later, Jamie messaged his family to confirm he had signed up to join the ground forces.
The text exchange in the morning after 9am read:
Jamie: I'm in I've signed the contract and got the here
Gear
Family: For how long? Are you ok?
We have been worried
Jamie: Until marshal law is over
Family: Are you ok
Jamie: I'm fine got here last night, going on a run in a second but I'm surrounded by the whole world so it's amazing
Will speak to you later
Family: Stay safe please
Jamie: I will as I stated the whole world's around me.
Got people from every where
Family: Try to keep in touch please as often as you can
Jamie: I will send a message every morning saying I'm alive and healthy and that's it
Family: That's enough, I just want to hear your safe xx love you
Family still shocked
The mother told ITV Granada: "Every day you're just waiting, I'm constantly on my laptop, on my phone, just checking."
His uncle added: "In the eyes of the law he is an adult, but if you look at the email he sent it says 'I want to come and fight Russia', it even has spelling mistakes -- an email like that you'd hope they'd pick it up."
"The fact that in 36 hours he was able to sign up is unbelievable."
"He didn't take anything with him, he just told us, 'I've got my army cadet uniform'."
UK authorities said it is advises against travelling to Ukraine and anyone who travels to conflict zones to engage in unlawful activity, should expect to be investigated upon their return to the UK.
All media via ITV Granada
Ex-tennis pro Stakhovsky in Ukraine ‘with a gun in my hands’
By HOWARD FENDRICH
By HOWARD FENDRICH
March 12, 2022
-Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine reacts as he wins against Roger Federer of Switzerland in their men's second round singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Wednesday, June 26, 2013. About 1 1/2 months after the last match of Sergiy Stakhovsky’s professional tennis career, the 36-year-old Ukrainian left his wife and three young children in Hungary and went back to his birthplace to help however he could during Russia’s invasion.
-Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine reacts as he wins against Roger Federer of Switzerland in their men's second round singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Wednesday, June 26, 2013. About 1 1/2 months after the last match of Sergiy Stakhovsky’s professional tennis career, the 36-year-old Ukrainian left his wife and three young children in Hungary and went back to his birthplace to help however he could during Russia’s invasion.
(AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File)
About 1 1/2 months after the last match of Sergiy Stakhovsky’s professional tennis career, the 36-year-old Ukrainian left his wife and three young children in Hungary and went back to his birthplace to help however he could during Russia’s invasion.
“I don’t have the words to describe it. I would never imagine in my life that it would come to this — that I would be in my home city ... with a gun in my hands,” Stakhovsky said Saturday, rubbing his left cheek with his palm during a video interview with The Associated Press from what he said was a residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine’s beleaguered capital.
“A lot of people are saying that they’re waking up and hoping ... it was just a bad dream. But, you know, on Day 16, (that) doesn’t work anymore,” he said. “First couple of days, (it’s) surreal. You don’t believe that it’s actually happening. And the next thing you know, you get used to it, and you’re just trying to find a way of helping your country to actually survive.”
At age 12, eyeing a life in tennis, Stakhovsky began splitting his time between Ukraine and the Czech Republic to improve his game. He turned pro in 2003, won four titles in singles and another four in doubles, and earned more than $5 million in prize money. Highlights included rising to a best ATP ranking of No. 31 in 2010, reaching the third round of Grand Slam tournaments six times, and pulling off one of the biggest upsets in the sport’s history when he ended Roger Federer’s record streak of 36 consecutive major quarterfinal appearances by beating him 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 7-5, 7-6 (5) in the second round at Wimbledon in 2013.
In January, Stakhovsky walked away from the sport after losing to American J.J. Wolf in the first round of qualifying for the Australian Open.
Retirement did not go as planned. On Feb. 24, Russia began attacking Ukraine. In the wee hours of Feb. 28, Stakhovsky arrived in Kyiv.
“You’re one second safe. The next second, something flies in, and no one is safe,” he said.
He said he’s received hundreds of messages of support from members of the tennis world -- players, coaches, officials -- and mentioned a few by name: Richard Gasquet, Lucas Pouille, Aljaz Bedene and Novak Djokovic, the 20-time Grand Slam champion whose text messages Stakhovsky shared via social media.
Working with what he described as a branch of the Ukraine armed forces that can only be used inside the city premises — he said it was created “a couple of years back to actually support the infrastructure of the city in case of war, which nobody actually believed in, but unfortunately did happen” — Stakhovsky said his days are divided into two-hour shifts followed by six hours off.
That “off” time, he said, is often spent with what he called humanitarian efforts.
“Just trying to do whatever we can on a 24/7 basis,” Stakhovsky said, “because otherwise you’re going to go crazy.”
He said he still has family who live, and have remained, in Kyiv, including his grandmother, father and a brother.
As for how long he will stay, Stakhovsky isn’t sure.
“I hope not long,” he said. “I hope this will get resolved rather fast and short.”
Later this month, his daughter turns 8 and one son turns 4; the other son is 6 1/2.
He did not tell them where he was going — and why — before he left.
“They’re fairly young and I just don’t believe they would understand the meaning of war. And I don’t believe they would understand any of it. My wife knew ... but she never asked the direct question, and I never told her directly. So when ... I told her ‘I’m leaving,’ she started crying. So there was not really a conversation,” he recounted.
He said communicating with the children now is not any easier.
“It’s tough to call with kids, because every time they ask, ‘When are you coming?’ or ‘What are you doing?’ I’m just, ‘I don’t know, honestly.’ For me, it’s not a right decision to be here and it was not the right decision to stay home. Any of this is not right,” Stakhovsky said. “But I am here because I believe that the future of my country — and the future of my kids, and the future of Europe as we know it — is under great danger. And if there’s anything I can do to change the outcome, I will try to do it.”
___
Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HowardFendrich
___
More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
About 1 1/2 months after the last match of Sergiy Stakhovsky’s professional tennis career, the 36-year-old Ukrainian left his wife and three young children in Hungary and went back to his birthplace to help however he could during Russia’s invasion.
“I don’t have the words to describe it. I would never imagine in my life that it would come to this — that I would be in my home city ... with a gun in my hands,” Stakhovsky said Saturday, rubbing his left cheek with his palm during a video interview with The Associated Press from what he said was a residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine’s beleaguered capital.
“A lot of people are saying that they’re waking up and hoping ... it was just a bad dream. But, you know, on Day 16, (that) doesn’t work anymore,” he said. “First couple of days, (it’s) surreal. You don’t believe that it’s actually happening. And the next thing you know, you get used to it, and you’re just trying to find a way of helping your country to actually survive.”
At age 12, eyeing a life in tennis, Stakhovsky began splitting his time between Ukraine and the Czech Republic to improve his game. He turned pro in 2003, won four titles in singles and another four in doubles, and earned more than $5 million in prize money. Highlights included rising to a best ATP ranking of No. 31 in 2010, reaching the third round of Grand Slam tournaments six times, and pulling off one of the biggest upsets in the sport’s history when he ended Roger Federer’s record streak of 36 consecutive major quarterfinal appearances by beating him 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 7-5, 7-6 (5) in the second round at Wimbledon in 2013.
In January, Stakhovsky walked away from the sport after losing to American J.J. Wolf in the first round of qualifying for the Australian Open.
Retirement did not go as planned. On Feb. 24, Russia began attacking Ukraine. In the wee hours of Feb. 28, Stakhovsky arrived in Kyiv.
“You’re one second safe. The next second, something flies in, and no one is safe,” he said.
He said he’s received hundreds of messages of support from members of the tennis world -- players, coaches, officials -- and mentioned a few by name: Richard Gasquet, Lucas Pouille, Aljaz Bedene and Novak Djokovic, the 20-time Grand Slam champion whose text messages Stakhovsky shared via social media.
Working with what he described as a branch of the Ukraine armed forces that can only be used inside the city premises — he said it was created “a couple of years back to actually support the infrastructure of the city in case of war, which nobody actually believed in, but unfortunately did happen” — Stakhovsky said his days are divided into two-hour shifts followed by six hours off.
That “off” time, he said, is often spent with what he called humanitarian efforts.
“Just trying to do whatever we can on a 24/7 basis,” Stakhovsky said, “because otherwise you’re going to go crazy.”
He said he still has family who live, and have remained, in Kyiv, including his grandmother, father and a brother.
As for how long he will stay, Stakhovsky isn’t sure.
“I hope not long,” he said. “I hope this will get resolved rather fast and short.”
Later this month, his daughter turns 8 and one son turns 4; the other son is 6 1/2.
He did not tell them where he was going — and why — before he left.
“They’re fairly young and I just don’t believe they would understand the meaning of war. And I don’t believe they would understand any of it. My wife knew ... but she never asked the direct question, and I never told her directly. So when ... I told her ‘I’m leaving,’ she started crying. So there was not really a conversation,” he recounted.
He said communicating with the children now is not any easier.
“It’s tough to call with kids, because every time they ask, ‘When are you coming?’ or ‘What are you doing?’ I’m just, ‘I don’t know, honestly.’ For me, it’s not a right decision to be here and it was not the right decision to stay home. Any of this is not right,” Stakhovsky said. “But I am here because I believe that the future of my country — and the future of my kids, and the future of Europe as we know it — is under great danger. And if there’s anything I can do to change the outcome, I will try to do it.”
___
Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HowardFendrich
___
More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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