The ex-Bundeswehr soldier fought for Ukraine in Bucha and Irpin. In the Merkur interview, he now gives an insight into the reality of the war.
Munich/Kiev – He could not sit idly by and watch the injustice in Ukraine: The 25-year-old ex-Bundeswehr soldier Jonas Kratzenberg fought as a legionnaire in Irpin, Bucha and in the Donbas against Russia – until he was seriously injured in a drone attack by shrapnel all over his body . In conversation with the Munich Mercury and in the book “Schützenhilfe” (Yes Publishing, 22 euros) the man from Aachen describes what he experienced in the International Legion during the Ukraine War.
Münchner Merkur: You were trained in the Bundeswehr as a Panzergrenadier. As a German soldier, why did you go to fight in Ukraine?
Jonas Kratzenberg: Weeks before the war broke out, I knew that Russia would invade Ukraine. I was disgusted by the inactivity of the German government, by the inactivity of NATO and suffered because Ukraine was left completely alone in this war, at least in the early stages. And I was impressed by the fighting spirit of the Ukrainians. When the war broke out, I had just left the Bundeswehr. I had no job, no girlfriend, no commitments – so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to do something for peace in Europe and to use what I had learned in the Bundeswehr for five years on the battlefield.
Did you just drive to the Ukrainian border and say you would like to fight the Russians?
More or less. You can register at the consulate, after which you just have to go to the appointed meeting point in Ukraine, where you will be accepted or rejected. The International Legion is roughly divided into three groups: The Russian speakers, most of them come from Georgia. Then there are a lot of Spanish speakers from Latin America. The rest was put into the pot of English-speaking foreigners, which also includes Germans or French who don’t speak English at all. But somehow we always understood each other.
Ukraine war: “It’s the details that you can’t get rid of”
And then it went straight to the battlefield?
At the end of March we were sent to Irpin and Bucha without any formal training. Even as I experienced it, I knew that what I saw there would never let me go. In Irpin we stood at an observation point, right on the last section before the Russian front, almost in the no man’s land between Russians and Ukrainians. Even if you know the images of the war from the media, you cannot imagine how bad it really was. It’s the details that you can’t get rid of.
Can you describe these details?
(pauses, long pause) The bodies. The corpses…
Did you also lose comrades in these battles?
Yes …
How do I handle this?
You live on.
Experiences from the Ukraine war: “Panic accompanied us at all times”
Is there psychological help?
I’m lucky that as a former member of the Bundeswehr I have access to the Bundeswehr’s social service. If I hadn’t been in the army, I wouldn’t know who to turn to – except maybe the village priest. There are things that cannot be dealt with alone. Artillery fire or standing in combat: Nothing prepares you for that, whether you are a battle-hardened soldier or a civilian in peaceful Germany. You can’t get out of there unscathed. No matter how brave or even crazy you are: When the bullets whizz past your head, when you hear the whistle of the artillery, everyone shits themselves. Panic accompanied us at all times. The main thing is to suppress that fear and move on anyway.
Ukraine is a corrupt country from head to toe, and so is the military.
How did you experience your Ukrainian superiors?
Ukraine is a corrupt country from head to toe, and so is the military. Foreign fighters who do not speak Ukrainian and cannot defend themselves legally are at the mercy of the commanders. Any kind of complaint falls on deaf ears at best.
Haven’t you thought: If you treat me like this here, I’ll go back to Germany!
Basically, you are not prevented from walking. But my comrades and I were not ready to give up the fight, especially after what we had seen in Irpin and Bucha.
Ukraine war: “It’s ‘nothing new in the West’ with combat drones”
It is often said that the war in Ukraine is reminiscent of the First World War with its trenches. Is that correct?
Yes, it’s “Nothing New in the West” with combat drones. Prepare artillery, infantry waves with armored support – all like in the First World War. We were fortunate to be part of a special forces unit, so we had more dynamic, dangerous missions. But we were spared having to sit in the trenches all the time.
It is said that Russian soldiers are burned like cannon fodder.
Yes, but both sides didn’t take much from each other. Only: The Russians have more people to burn.
We were on our way back to base. A drone came in the last few meters, I threw myself on the ground as I was taught. The drone chose me, then there was a bang.
Are the International Legions also burned in Ukraine?
In fact not. Wrong decisions were made due to a lack of experienced officers. As a result, lives were wasted unnecessarily. But at least the legion part, run by the secret service, which I was with, was basically not misused as cannon fodder.
How was it when the Russians withdrew from Irpin and Bucha?
We cheered. The point where the suffering has paid off, where you can just switch off, is pure happiness. If Ukraine’s victory comes at some point, the news will mean far less to me in Germany than if I could have seen them fighting in Ukraine.
You were not able to fight until the end of the war because you were seriously injured near Mikolayev in southern Ukraine in November 2022…
It was one of my toughest missions, we had casualties, wounded, but we made it out after a heavy firefight. We were on our way back to base. A drone came in the last few meters, I threw myself on the ground as I was taught. The drone chose me, then there was a bang.
Gruppe Wagner “significantly more competent and dangerous than the Russian army”
How was the medical care?
I was stabilized by my comrades and taken to a hospital in Odessa, where I had all the help in the world. The medical care at the front is also very good. But it was still very difficult in a hospital where you don’t speak the language properly, where you don’t know what’s going to happen to you, where you feel completely helpless.
Didn’t you regret going to Ukraine as a fighter?
No! Not a second! I will never regret it either.
Did you also fight against mercenaries from the Wagner group?
Thank God no. But after I was wounded, my comrades moved to the Donbass and fought Wagner there. They say that Wagner is significantly more competent and dangerous than the Russian army.
German legionnaire describes impressions from the Ukraine war: not comparable to the Afghanistan mission
Is it illegal to fight in a foreign country?
Basically, a civilian can do more or less what he wants. But anyone who works for the German state in a security agency or in the armed forces is liable to prosecution if they fight for another country. So I had to wait until the end of February before I could go to Ukraine.
You were also in Afghanistan as a Bundeswehr soldier. Was that comparable to what you experienced in Ukraine?
Not in the least. Sure, there was a war in Afghanistan, but what we did down there wasn’t a war. It was a stabilization mission. The highlight of my mission was when a rocket hit our camp and destroyed a generator. But what helped me in the Ukraine was that I received good infantry training before I went to Afghanistan. And in Afghanistan I learned things that you don’t immediately think of when you’re a soldier: In combat, it’s extremely important to keep everyday stress to a minimum. Whenever possible, I read during the breaks in fighting in Ukraine. And in one village there was WiFi. When we weren’t in the trenches, we went there to talk to our loved ones back home.
How did your parents feel that you went to war?
(Long Pause) They sort of got over it. It was terrible, especially for my mother. She hasn’t spoken to anyone about where I am, not even her sisters. She knew that when the subject came up, she couldn’t stop crying.
victory against Russia? “It’s better for Ukraine than many think”
Do Ukrainians have a chance to win against mighty Russia?
Ukraine is in better shape than many of us think. As long as the West doesn’t let up on its support, it’s doable. The question is how many more lives that will cost. If Ukraine wants to achieve the complete war goal of liberating Crimea, it will take a long time. The only hope for a quick victory is that there will be a coup in Russia.
Are you going back to fighting in Ukraine after your recovery?
I still feel the urge to go back and fight again. But my place here is with my girlfriend, who I met in Ukraine, and with my family, and that’s where I have to start building a future without the war.
Interview: Klaus Rimpel
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