This video offers a deep insight into the operations of paramilitary fighters in Ukraine who are not officially part of the country's armed forces. These fighters, remnants of the national volunteer movement from 2014, continue to operate unofficially near the front lines. Despite efforts by the Ukrainian government to integrate these volunteers into official ranks, groups like Yuri Olshin, known as Greek, and Ruslan Polstavoit, known as Spider, pursue independent military activities, reflecting on their dissatisfaction with formal military orders.

In the exploration of these paramilitary operations, the video highlights the precarious situation these fighters create for the Ukrainian government, especially amidst fears of a potential Russian invasion. While the official stance from Kyiv is that no paramilitary forces exist on the front lines, these factions appear to be coordinating with official military command posts, blurring the lines of military engagement in the conflict. The fighters' willingness to engage on their own terms and with potentially aggressive strategies poses a challenging dynamic and political liability for Ukraine.

Main takeaways from the video:

Please remember to turn on the CC button to view the subtitles.

Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. paramilitary [ˌpærəˈmɪlɪˌtɛri] - (adj.) - Resembling a military force but operating independently of the official armed forces. - Synonyms: (militia, auxiliary, guerilla)

But these men say they are not part of Ukraine's official armed forces. They're paramilitary remnants of the national volunteer movement.

2. imminent [ˈɪmɪnənt] - (adj.) - About to happen; forthcoming. - Synonyms: (impending, near, approaching)

But with fears growing of an imminent invasion.

3. integrate [ˈɪntɪˌɡreɪt] - (v.) - To combine or incorporate parts into a whole. - Synonyms: (merge, unify, assimilate)

The government has tried to integrate fighters known as volunteers into the military's official ranks.

4. escalation [ˌɛskəˈleɪʃən] - (n.) - An increase in intensity or magnitude of a situation or conflict. - Synonyms: (intensification, increase, expansion)

We wanted to understand the role they could play in a new escalation with Russia.

5. surveillance [sərˈveɪləns] - (n.) - Close observation, especially of a suspected spy or criminal. - Synonyms: (observation, monitoring, scrutiny)

They take us to an open field where they say Russia backed separatists fly surveillance drones.

6. jammer [ˈdʒæmər] - (n.) - A device that disrupts or blocks signals, such as radio or surveillance signals. - Synonyms: (blocker, disruptor, interferer)

The fighters say they use this jammer to bring down enemy drones.

7. resistance [rɪˈzɪstəns] - (n.) - The refusal to accept or comply with something; the attempt to prevent something by action or argument. - Synonyms: (opposition, defiance, struggle)

The battlefield looked very different when Greek and Spider first joined a civilian armed resistance.

8. insignia [ɪnˈsɪɡniə] - (n.) - A badge or distinguishing mark of authority or honor. - Synonyms: (emblem, badge, crest)

Inside Greek and Spider's headquarters, the walls bear insignia of volunteer units formed over the years.

9. provoke [prəˈvoʊk] - (v.) - To stimulate or incite someone to do or feel something, especially by arousing anger. - Synonyms: (incite, inflame, arouse)

They pose to a government that doesn't want to provoke Moscow.

10. intractable [ɪnˈtræktəbl] - (adj.) - Hard to control or deal with. - Synonyms: (unmanageable, stubborn, unruly)

This paramilitary group remains in the shadows of an intractable war.

The Ukrainian Paramilitaries Ready to Fight Russia - NYT News

They look like the military, they train like the military. But these men say they are not part of Ukraine's official armed forces. They're paramilitary remnants of the national volunteer movement that bolstered the Ukrainian army against Russia backed separatists in 2014.

In the last eight years, the government has tried to integrate fighters known as volunteers into the military's official ranks. And officials in Kyiv insist they no longer operate on the front lines. But with fears growing of an imminent invasion. We spent several days with these paramilitary fighters who seemed to be operating there unofficially.

We wanted to understand the role they could play in a new escalation with Russia and the risk they pose to a government that doesn't want to provoke Moscow. Yuri Olshin goes by the call name Greek, and Ruslan Polstavoit goes by Spider. They're battle hardened veterans who command a paramilitary unit of about a dozen fighters in southeast Ukraine.

Both men joined the armed forces in the early years of the war, but they left frustrated with the chain of command and orders not to return fire. They say they want to fight aggressively and on their own terms. Principal Ukrainian law prohibits independent armed groups from entering the conflict zone. Even so, on a drive to the front lines, these guys breeze through military checkpoints.

They take us to an open field where they say Russia backed separatists fly surveillance drones to guide attacks. The fighters say they use this jammer to bring down enemy drones. Spider is using the same technology. In this video, filmed near the site of an artillery attack on Ukrainian armed forces last maybe the battlefield looked very different when Greek and Spider first joined a civilian armed resistance in 2014.

They appeared in videos from the early years of the war. Back then, it was open street battles, and Greek and Spider were part of volunteer battalions that were hailed as the country's first defenders. Some battalion members were accused of harassment, torture and attacks on civilians. And some members held neo Nazi views. According to Greek, only a small fraction of members shared those views. The majority, he says, just wanted to defend their country.

Inside Greek and Spider's headquarters, the walls bear insignia of volunteer units formed over the years, in many ways a reminder that this grinding war is their life today. Sources familiar with these groups estimate there are dozens, if not hundreds of fighters like Greek and Spider operating at the front lines.

Greek and Spider take us to an official military command post to show us how they coordinate with soldiers. But they ask us not to refer to them as volunteers in our questions. Under Ukrainian law, unofficial fighters like them are not allowed to be here, and he doesn't want to put the local commander in an awkward position.

When we arrive, both groups appear to be familiar with each other. The commander tells us his brigade collaborates with fighters like Greek and Spider. Noticeably, the commander avoids calling them volunteers.

Back in the car, Spider reflects on the visit. The official line from Kyiv, hundreds of miles from the frontline, is that paramilitary fighters do not exist here. While the threat of an invasion looms, officials worry that any uncontrolled activity risks an escalation with Russia. Politically, these fighters pose a liability.

When we pushed the Ministry of Defense and the intelligence agency for more answers about Greek and Spider status, they declined to comment. So for now, this paramilitary group remains in the shadows of an intractable war. But they say they are eager to fight and are preparing for a larger war with Russia.

Global, Politics, Conflict, Paramilitary, Tensions, Ukraine-Russia, The New York Times