By Matthew Parish
It was my great pleasure to interview an international volunteer who has been working in Ukraine with the military for over two years, since the second Russian invasion of Ukraine began. He has his own distinctive network and mode of operation, which I witnessed first hand. He focuses principally on bringing good quality food and liveliness to soldiers on front line positions, acting directly and without going through intermediaries to distribute the food so that corruption and wastage is minimised. From the Netherlands, Edward is a lively character well liked by his military colleagues and who brings camaraderie and vigour to all those around him. He is talkative and well liked and I enjoyed spending my time with him.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Good morning everybody, this is Matthew Parish, from the Lviv Herald, interviewing Edward Hirschfeld, this bright and early morning, for him to describe his volunteer works in Ukraine. Edward is from the Netherlands, and Edward I’d like to start by asking you when you came here, and what was it that really drove you to come?
I find the war here is not the war of Ukraine, it is the war of Europe, and I am here to help out as much as I can.
When did you arrive to start this work?
The really front line work I started in November 2022.
So you’re doing front line work. What can you say about that?
When I’m doing front line work I do morale boosts, so I will go in with a barbecue and cook for the teams. We make the food at my location, and they will bring [the food] in, in ammunition boxes. It’s really a big hit. So [the troops] think they are getting new ammunition, and they see, oh no, there’s good food in it. So it’s very good for the morale, and people like it.
I know a lot of teams, I know drones teams, I know artillery teams, I am a volunteer for the [redacted] Brigade, the [redacted] Brigade that is, and they gave me this position, so I am allowed to work with different teams, so I work with the [redacted] Brigade - I can’t name them all, but yes I work with really a lot of Brigades or teams.
What’s your background? How did you end up doing this?
My background is I’m a Pit Master, I cook without resources, so how can I say it, without gas, without electricity, I cook with charcoal or wood, so I can make all kinds of things.
How did you make your connections in the military? Answer only if you can.
I was selected, by [name redacted], and he put my in contact with [name redacted] and he knew the Chief Commander of the Brigade, and introduced me to him, and let me drive the car. They checked me out, they came to Holland to my house, to check out whether I was stable enough, and if I can handle it. And things went from there to the Chief Commander, and the Chief Commander gave me this position.
Can you describe a typical day?
A typical day will involve trying to do my social media, because I have to do a social media thing, because I need sponsorships, that’s the main thing; so in the morning I will do my social media, and then I will go and get some meat, and then I will do a barbecue, and two or three times a week I will prepare a barbecue.
And I also get humanitarian aid in, to southwest Donetsk, so that would be southeast of Ukraine, and there’s not much coming, and that’s sometimes very frustrating. People don’t dare to drive there, and I have 22 organisations that said ok, we’re going to send supplies and then they didn’t come at all.
Why do you think they didn’t come?
Because it’s too dangerous.
What’s so dangerous about the southwest Donetsk region?
[The aid agencies] think there is a lot of artillery; the front line is really, really big there, it’s really active, it’s a really active front line, so it can move in one day, if the Russians want to do it, 15 kilometres, so instead of being 30 kilometres you are only 15 kilometres from the Russians. That’s life there; I feel that if you are in contact with the army then you will be safe.
You must spend a lot of time driving on the road?
Yes, because I have travelled almost all over the front line now; I have a new position, and it will be in the Sumy region, so yes, it will be interesting.
Can you tell us anything about your new position in the Sumy region?
No.
Do you see yourself continuing to travel between the Sumy region and supporting the region in southwest Donetsk?
Yes of course, yes, that’s what I’m going to do.
So you’ll be driving between the two an awful lot; you’ll be doing many hours on the road. Does it ever get you down? Does it ever frustrate you?
No, for me it makes me laugh, I was thinking that in the Netherlands a one-and-a-half hour drive is really long. Over here a drive is normally six hours, five hours, or ten hours, for me it’s normal.
What are the best parts of doing this voluntary work? What pleases you the most?
I don’t think it really pleases me, because I’m missing my daughter and I’m missing my girlfriend, and my family; but if you see how the men [the troops] react when you give them food, and it is good food, something that they would never eat, then it’s like hey, this is something really special, we’re getting something from somebody from the Netherlands.
Even if I don’t have food, and I am taking pictures on the Zero Line, and [the soldiers] may stop me and ask me what I’m doing here, and they find out that I’m Dutch, and they’re like Wow!, and they shake your hand and they give you patches, and they love it.
What are the most upsetting and difficult and frustrating parts of this work?
That people don’t listen, that we really need humanitarian aid, in that region and that’s in the southwest Donetsk region. They’re now at a point where they’re saying, please don’t send any humanitarian aid anymore, please send us weapons, because there’s a lack of weapons too.
It must take people who are quite brave, such as you, in order to be able to help this region?
Yes, well I don’t consider myself brave, this is just for me work, and it is a good thing to do.
Do you get a break from working in Ukraine from time to time; do you get to go to safer parts of the country to relax a little bit?
Yes, for the last two months I had a safer position, and I could do barbecues for the teams [in an environment] that is easier, just much easier.
How long do you think you’ll be spending here doing this kind of work, missing your girlfriend and your daughter of course?
Sometimes I think I will go home tomorrow, and then people will cheer me up, and I will be fine. At the end of November, I want to go home.
So your time here is almost up?
Almost, yes, two months, yes.
Well, on behalf of all the people in Ukraine, and on behalf of everybody in the West, I want to thank you for your fantastic service, and the work you’ve done helping the troops, and helping people living on the front line.
I will be back, because after Christmas I will go back.
So your tour of duty is just taking a temporary pause, and then you’ll be back?
Yes.
Well we’re looking forward to that, so we’re going to have more good work from you and we are absolutely delighted. I think I can say that on behalf of the whole of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the whole of Ukraine. Thank you for everything that you’re doing.
дякую! [Thank you in Ukrainian]
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Edward's website, where more can be learned about his work
and donations can be made, is at
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