A Lanarkshire garage owner with no military experience has joined the foreign legion defending Kyiv from Russian attack.
Biggar's Adam Ennis has signed up for an international platoon that is newly embedded in the Ukrainian capital as it is encircled by Russian troops.
The 35-year-old spoke to our sister paper the Daily Record from his position in the city yesterday - and revealed that he escaped death after leaving a base near the Polish border days before it was destroyed by Russian bombs.
He left for Kyiv just days before 30 Russian cruise missiles hit the base at Yavoriv, suspectedly killing at least three British special forces soldiers among more than 100 dead.
Adam, who owns Big B’s Garage in Biggar, has been on daily patrols and has seen active combat, firing on Russian soldiers.
Kitted out in army uniform and touting a Russian PKM machine gun and a Czech made Skorpion machine pistol, Adam said: “I’m very aware that the city will soon be totally encircled but I am here until Putin is defeated.
“I know there is a serious chance that I will be killed but I made the decision to come as a matter of conscience.
“I came here to protect the innocent and to help them in a battle against evil. In my opinion if Putin was not met with strong resistance here then this could snowball into something much larger and has the potential to be the start of World War Three and could be a threat to us all.
“Morale is good with both us international boys and the Ukrainian people. We are united and committed to the cause. It's heartbreaking some of the things I have seen out here, I have lost friends but I am happy with my choice to be part of this fight against tyranny.”
Adam’s extraordinary and terrifying mission was launched 13 days ago, when he boarded a £40 one way flight from Edinburgh to Krakow with just a gym bag on his shoulder.
Consulate staff there advised him that information on volunteer and mercenary forces was being distributed from Warsaw.
After travelling to the British Embassy there he was put in touch with the Ukrainian military, who directed him to a base at the Polish/Ukraine border. He them moved on to the base near Lviv that was bombed on Saturday with massive loss of life.
Adam said that he was stationed with the newly formed Ukrainian Foreign Legion at the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre at Yavoriv, near Lviv, before being picked, along with 15 others for a separate platoon.
That unit, commanded by a special forces officer, was sent to Kyiv.
He revealed that men he had met and befriended were among those who were killed on Saturday after the missile strikes in Yavoriv, Lviv Oblast.
He said: “Russia claimed they killed 180 mercenaries in that attack and I believe they are telling the truth this time.
“If I hadn’t been moved to Kyiv I would be dead and I believe some good men that I befriended were certainly killed.”
Adam said his platoon is well equipped and professionally organised.
He said: “The Foreign Legion was being quickly thrown together and wasn’t that well organised. I had spoken with some other men of making our way to Kyiv ourselves to join a militia.
“But, as it happened, myself and 14 others were picked for another unit and this one is a different story, really quite professional and well organised with special forces officers running it.”
When the Record spoke to Adam yesterday he was preparing for a specific attack, with four platoons, on a Russian unit that has dug in close to their position.
The troops are armed with Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and the latest Javelin anti-tank weapons, which are seen as hugely effective in urban warfare situations.
He said: “I can’t say anything specific on what we’re doing or where we are located but there has been direct contact.
“There are four platoons of around 50 men each, making up a company of 200 or so, almost all experienced and well trained soldiers who are incredibly motivated to succeed.”
He added: “Some of the Ukrainians have phoned family members in Russia and they have a wildly distorted view of what is going on here. You can feel the morale draining out of Russian soldiers as they learn the reality of their invasion.
“That is the opposite of what is going on with Ukrainian soldiers, who are prepared to die for their country.
“It has been humbling to meet with Ukrainians who realise I’ve come from Scotland to join them. I’ve had men and women in tears and it’s been pretty emotional.”
Adam is stationed in the basement of a Kyiv restaurant, sleeping on a yoga mat and sleeping bag.
He said: “It gets very cold at night but we have proper equipment. This isn’t playing around, as all the men here are professional soldiers except me. I have seen some pretty terrible sights already.
“I have comrades from England, Sweden, Georgia, Germany, Brazil, Kazakhstan - a real international corps, all people who felt a duty to do something.”
The Foreign Legion soldiers have been offered £400 a month for their services.
Adam said: “The money is neither here nor there for me. I’m here for the duration and I’m not actually sure how much they want to pay or how they might pay it. I came here as a volunteer, not a mercenary.”
Adam carries a pack weighing up to 40kgs, containing his machine gun and five boxes of heavy ammunition.
He said: “I was given some training at the firing range near Lviv and after that the platoon leader picked out 15 men he liked the look of.
“I don’t have much experience but I did look up a YouTube video on how to assemble and disassemble a Russian PKM machine gun, which helped me get ahead on that.
“It does feel surreal to be here and, to be honest, I’m not even sure what day it is right now. But the work at hand is keeping me busy and focused and I will just keep going.”
Adam has never seen military service before.
His only military experience came when he was a pupil at posh Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh, where he was in a Combined Cadet Force.
The CCF Programme includes drill, first-aid, target shooting, campcraft, and fieldcraft. All pupils are expected to take part.
On his business Facebook page, Adam told customers and friends of his Ukraine plan before leaving.
He said: “For those of you who don’t know I am in Ukraine fighting against Putin’s Russian army. I believe in my purpose of being here and I am not looking from praise or criticism.”
He received scores of messages of support from local in Biggar, where he is a popular figure in the local business community.
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