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- Alexey Tritenko is a famous actor, Korney Gritsyuk is a filmmaker, and Yegor Chernev is an MP.
- All of them spoke to Insider about what it's like to volunteer to fight in the war against Russia.
Alexey Tritenko, actor
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Alexey Tritenko has lost track of how many times he's held a firearm. A famous actor in Ukraine, he's mostly known for his roles in war movies.
A week ago, war suddenly became a reality for the 40-year-old. He's joined the many Ukrainians who've taken up arms to defend their country against Vladimir Putin's invasion.
Tritenko has joined the capital's "Territorial Defense" force. With a rifle in hand and dressed in camouflage, he patrols Kyiv, on the lookout for Russian sabotage forces and ready to go to extremes if needed.
When we asked him how it feels to take up arms without any real military experience, he said, "When you have to, you understand all kinds of things really quickly."
On the second day of the war, Tritenko said he went out with a friend — a director he knows from working in theater — and signed contracts with the Ukrainian government and army to join the 'Territorial Defense' of Kyiv.
"I would never leave my city," Tritenko said. "Even if the enemy was right behind me. I'd rather defend myself and say: 'No, you asshole!'"
He said that if Russia tries to invade the capital, they'll be met with fierce resistance. He worries about how long the war will last but says that people around the world are helping him persevere.
"I want to tell people in Germany, 'We see all you are doing for us. We feel your anger at Putin. We know that no one around the world approves of what Russia is doing here. That inspires me to keep fighting for my country," he said.
Korney Gritsyuk, filmmaker
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Korney Gritsyuk, a filmmaker who turned 31 on March 3, is on a waiting list for the Ukrainian army. Originally from Kyiv, he sat in an apartment in Lviv, about 550 kilometers west, and told Insider he imagined his birthday differently.
Gritsyuk and his wife cancelled a trip to Barcelona in favor of hunkering down at the vacant apartment of an acquaintance who had already fled Ukraine. He also paused work on the marketing plan for his new documentary about Ukraine before the Soviet occupation.
"Life just changes," he said.
In Lviv, Gritsyuk, who's never had the slightest involvement with weapons or the military, made his first Molotov cocktail.
"It's not nice making something like this," he said. "But we have to protect our country. These things will save our lives."
Many Ukrainian beer and wine factories have provided millions of bottles to the population to make Molotov cocktails, Gritsyuk said.
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He said he almost feels sorry for many of the people he and his compatriots will have to throw the Molotov cocktails at.
"The guys from the Russian army who are captured by our soldiers are so young," he said. "The soldiers look like they just finished school. And Russia sends them here anyway."
Gritsyuk said he believes that in Ukraine, someone inexperienced like him would only be drafted at the last moment.
"I don't know how you can feel ready for something like war," Gritsyuk said. "If I have to go to war, I will."
Yegor Chernev, Member of Parliament
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When Insider spoke via Whatsapp call with Yegor Chernev, a Ukrainian member of parliament for President Volodymyr Zelensky's ruling party, one of the first things he said was "We will win!"
The 37-year-old from Kyiv is currently in the capital and has voluntarily joined Kyiv's "Territorial Defense."
Chernev previously fought for Ukraine in 2014 and 2015, when Russia invaded the eastern Ukrainian Donbas. It was his first combat experience. This time around, he's been working night shifts.
"I watch what's going on in the streets, if something seems suspicious, if I see Russian saboteurs," he said.
He said he worries for his family, parents, and girlfriend's safety.
"It must be clear to everyone: Russia is attacking civilian targets," he said. "They're killing our women and children."
On Tuesday, March 1, President Zelensky signed a decree that allows foreign nationals to enter the country if they want to join an international legion and help in the fight against Russia.
Chernev, who chairs the delegation to Ukraine sends to NATO's Parliamentary Assembly, said he's coordinating the entry of people from Poland, the United States, Great Britain, and Georgia.
The MP said he's pleased with the sanctions that have been imposed against Russia by NATO and other countries so far, but that more drastic action could be taken.
"The assets of all oligarchs and close friends of Vladimir Putin should be frozen," he said.
He said he thinks all Russian banks — not just seven of them — should be excluded from the SWIFT international payment system. In addition, Chernev wants an embargo on oil and gas from Russia and a "no-fly zone" for Russian planes, helicopters, and missiles over Ukraine.
(Most foreign policy experts from Western countries reject the latter outright, saying that such a no-fly zone would drastically increase the risk of a third world war because it would mean NATO intervening directly.)
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