Date of publication: Apr 5, 2022 • 2 hours ago • 5 minutes of reading • 47 comments A screenshot from a Facebook video posted by the Norman Brigade. Photo by Facebook / Norman Brigade
Content of the article
Early one morning last month in an unknown area of Ukraine, Canadian infantry veteran Hrulf went for a briefing with Ukrainian officers.
Advertising 2
This ad has not been uploaded yet, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
The host soldiers had already warned him that at some point that day an attack was to be launched to liberate a village occupied by Russia. But almost immediately Hrulf – a lawmaker using it for security reasons – found himself climbing into the command vehicle and heading straight for a fierce battle against Russian and Chechen troops. Within minutes, two of the Ukrainian vehicles were burned in the flames as fragments from an artillery wall fell and Russian planes fell low above the battlefield to bomb the attackers. It was the first combat operation for members of the Norman Brigade – the volunteer unit run by Quebec native Hrulf – and may mark the first time a Canadian has seen action in Ukraine.
Advertising 3
This ad has not been uploaded yet, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
And it was an eye that opens. Hrulf said he and his troops – a mix of Canadians, Americans, British and Europeans – all had experience fighting insurgents in places like Afghanistan. The fight in Ukraine against a modern army is something completely different, he stressed in a video call from the unit’s base camp. “The intensity of this conflict nullifies everything we know,” Hrulf said, with a scarf covering most of his face, with the brigade flag hanging behind him. “What makes it a living hell is the real artillery and the huge amount of anti-tank weapons used; and the extensive use of tanks and armored vehicles and the air force.” “The Taliban did not have planes,” he added. “The Iraqis (the guerrillas) did not have planes, they did not have artillery.”
Advertising 4
This ad has not been uploaded yet, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
Hours later, after the Canadian neutralized a Russian infantry vehicle with a targeted missile grenade, they took control of the village. Hrulf spoke on condition that the National Post did not disclose where the battle took place or information that could be identified by brigade members, measures he said were necessary for operational and personal safety. The Post could not independently verify the details of the operation on March 26. But the brigade posted videos taken during the battle on its Facebook page that align with Hrulf’s account. In an interview from the war zone, he also described how the Ukrainians have embraced such foreign volunteer soldiers and related unconfirmed new narratives of Russian atrocities.
Advertising 5
This ad has not been uploaded yet, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
Hundreds of Canadians have traveled to Ukraine to help repel the invasion as part of the newly formed International Territorial Defense Legion of Ukraine. The legion said about 550 fighters from Canada formed another unit, the Canadian-Ukrainian Brigade. The name of the Hrulf unit refers to the fact that many Quebecs are descendants of settlers from the Normandy region of France. Its members are almost entirely military veterans, who either have families in Ukraine or are terrified of the invasion and reports of alleged Russian war crimes, he said. It is unclear to what extent such foreigners will make a tangible difference in the war, but Hrulf said it seems at least to be a morale booster for the Ukrainian army and civilians.
Advertising 6
This ad has not been uploaded yet, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
“I have seen older women cry and bless us and kiss us,” she said. “It’s something you do not forget, because in previous campaigns – all children can confirm it – it is the same narrative. They hated us, they did not want us there. “But here, they want us.” In previous campaigns they hated us, they did not want us there. But here they want us Hrulf, commander of the Norman Brigade The intensity of the fighting in Ukraine – and the deadly environment to which many Canadians are rushing – became apparent 10 minutes after last month’s attack, when two of the Ukrainians’ armored vehicles were hit. The Ukrainian commander jumped from the military vehicle he was sharing with Hrulf and ran to the battlefield, managing to free a crew member from a burning vehicle. The soldier was “bleeding profusely” from shrapnel wounds, but the Ukrainians had only a piece of cloth to take care of him. Hrulf had an extra tourniquet and used it to stop the bleeding as the group started firing with small arms. Moments later, the wounded soldier shouted at the Canadian, pointing to his neck, which turned out to have also been pierced by a piece of shrapnel. Miraculously, the flammable metal appeared to have cauterized the wound and was not bleeding, Hrulf said.
Advertising 7
This ad has not been uploaded yet, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
Another Ukrainian was not so lucky. Hrulf saw a piece of shrapnel being crushed to the back of his head, killing him immediately. The Ukrainian commander himself was shaken as the shells exploded around him, but he continued to lead his men, “scaring and running at the same time,” Hrulf said. “It was inspiring.” Eventually entering the village, the attacking soldiers noticed a Russian BTR infantry vehicle firing “hard” at another group of Ukrainians with a 30 mm cannon. Hrulf said he aimed an RPG-22 – a Soviet-designed anti-tank rocket launcher – at the armored car and struck the turret with deadly force. “After this round, he fell silent and just left,” he said. “This commander and this shooter (inside the BTR) had no chance that day.”
Advertising 8
This ad has not been uploaded yet, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
A member of the Norman Brigade is hit in the leg by a civilian. Photo from Fecebook / Norman Brigade Canadian sniper Hrulf had brought with him help in caring for a civilian wounded by Russian bombing, tying him to an IV bag, also depicted in one of the brigade videos. A day after Khrulf’s attack took place, the Russians recaptured the same village and forced several of the citizens to cross the border, he said. If true, it would go along with many other reports of Ukrainian civilians being deported to Russia. Hrulf stressed that he and his colleagues are there only to help, they do not receive salaries and have paid their own expenses. However, they value donations to help fund medical supplies and the like, with various options on the brigade’s Facebook page for contributions. As this is a 21st century war, there are even Norman Brigade T-shirts for sale. He said he slept 13 hours after that exhausting, hairy day of fighting and realizes there were times when he could have been killed. But Quebec said he had “absolutely zero” remorse for coming to Ukraine to fight. “I’m here for good reasons,” Hrulf said. “In the end, I do not care if I die. If I die, I die, but… I will die satisfied, knowing that we are stopping this bad thing. “What is happening is not normal.”
Share this article on your social network
Advertising
This ad has not been uploaded yet, but your article continues below.
NP Posted
Sign up to receive daily top stories from National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. By clicking the subscribe button, you agree to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300
Thank you for your registration!
A welcome email is on its way. If you do not see it, check the junk folder. The next issue of NP Posted will be in your inbox soon. We encountered a problem with your registration. PLEASE try again
Comments
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but political forum for discussion and encourages all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour to monitor before appearing on the site. We ask that you retain your comments regarding and with respect. We’ve activated email notifications — you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, an update on a comment thread that follows, or if a user follows the comments. See the Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to customize your email settings.
