'Nobody Is Stepping Up': Twin Cities Man Travels To Ukraine To Fight Against Russian Invasion
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Although he has no military training and doesn't speak the local language, a Twin Cities man has traveled to Europe to fight for Ukraine against the Russian invasion.
Eric Creager joined the International Legion of Territorial Defense and arrived in Europe earlier this month. In an interview with CTV Canada, he said that he volunteered to fight to defend Ukraine's freedom.
"This is a job for somebody far more qualified, but nobody is stepping up," said Creager, who described himself as a middle-aged man who works data entry. He added: "I'd rather professionals do this instead of me. I'd rather armies show up with tanks and training and guns and intelligence."
Creager says that he has had no war experience before enlisting Ukraine's international legion, which has attracted some 16,000 fighters from across the globe, according to CBS News.
"I've handled a couple of weapons at home, but that doesn't count for anything," said Creager, who told WCCO-TV on Wednesday that since arriving, his unit has received medical, survival and weapons training. He acknowledged that he doesn't speak Ukrainian.
In the interview with Canadian journalists, Creager explained that he graduated high school around the time the war in Iraq began, but he said that he didn't enlist then because he didn't believe the war was just. He says he felt the same way about the wars in Afghanistan and Vietnam, although he would have volunteered for World War II.
"We should not be going into other peoples' homes and starting wars," Creager said. "That's what Russia did, and that's why it's wrong."
Russia invaded Ukraine nearly two weeks ago, and the former Soviet state has mounted a fierce resistance to the forces of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, the United States and other countries have placed harsh sanctions on Russia, including banning imports of oil and gas, Russia's chief exports. The U.S. and other nations have also supplied Ukraine with humanitarian aid and weapons.
When asked if he's scared to fight, Creager told the Canadian journalists that he's terrified.
"I know that there's a decent chance that I'll be killed by someone who's better armed and trained than me," he said. "Everybody likes to talk about freedom, but freedom only really goes to people who show up and fight for it, whether it be at the ballot box or in a war. Just because I don't know them...doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed to live their lives."
Creager told WCCO that he enlisted by signing a contract that made him part of the official Ukrainian army. He says that while he's currently in Ukraine, he's not exactly sure where, explaining that his unit is not told for security purposes. He said other volunteer fighters have come from Sweden, Iran, Japan, Germany, France and Canada.
He told the Canadian journalists that while his friends and family understand why he wants to fight in Ukraine, they don't agree with his choice to enlist. He told WCCO that he hopes to return to them "whole and intact."
When asked if he had any message for Putin, the Minnesotan told WCCO the Russian leader wouldn't heed any message from him.
"He knows exactly the pain he is causing, and would not care for my pleas or warnings to stop," Creager said. "You can't appeal to the 'better nature' of a monster."
U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Kristina Kvien does not encourage others to follow Craeger's lead, and instead she said all Americans should leave the country.
