An Australian soldier who is fighting in Ukraine against Russia opened up about what it's like to fight on the frontlines.
The Queensland man, known only by his callsign 'Ninja', told Nine News that he felt compelled to join the foreign legion in the battle against the Kremlin's invading army.
Ninja arrived in the war-torn country earlier this year and began working on the frontline to help free Ukrainian villages Russia's cold and far-reaching grip.
"Ukraine was in trouble, they needed people to come and help, so we came and helped," he told Nine News.
Ninja is one of several Australian vigilantes who took up arms as part of the Ukrainian resistance.
He told Nine that Ukrainian and coalition troops are 'winning pretty much everywhere', as Vladimir Putin's grip weakens on the Ukrainian peninsula that borders Mother Russia.
Although he recently suffered from shrapnel wounds during a particularly nasty bout of enemy crossfire, Ninja revealed he has no plans to return to the Land Down Under.
"I've beat the odds once, so let's just see if I can do it again," the Queensland-born soldier said.
He added that he's determined to remain in the besieged nation until Putin's invasion is over.
Last week, the Russian President announced he would annex four Ukrainian regions, despite international criticism over the 'illegal' move.
During an event at the Kremlin at the end of September, Putin declared that Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are now part of Russia, following widely criticised referendum votes.
Putin said he planned to sign laws to annex the areas, which he said he would protect using ‘all available means’.
According to the Associated Press, the annexation ceremony began with Putin urging Ukraine to sit down for talks, but warned that Moscow would not give up the newly incorporated regions.
He told his nation: "Everyone in the world understands what such an attempted annexation would actually mean. It will not mean what the Kremlin hopes for."
Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said he had spoken with leaders in Italy, Poland and France, building on efforts by the US and other allies to create an international stance rejecting the annexation attempt.
He added: "Now I repeat for everyone in this country: Russia will not get a new territory of Ukraine. Russia will annex itself to the catastrophe that it has brought to the occupied territory of our country."
