G'day Legends, I continue with my podcast series with part 2 with Ivan who joined the 'SMO' as a Medic when his friends called him. I am aware this will bring a lot of hate my way, That said, As I have always said I will talk to anyone and are interested in other stories and people, even if controversial or as some would put it 'Wrong side of history'. You make these possible, To Support Channel directly: www.patreon.com/willybeatingcancer www.paypal.me/MWilliams745 MERCH willys-merch.creator-spring.com/ Socials: Instagram: instagram.com/willy.beating.cancer/ Rumble: rumble.com/c/c-2451342 Telegram: t.me/Willy_OAM_REAL
Stop calling yourself a soldier bro... you fought farmers and goat herders.. you never fought any modern war, Ivan fought a NATO trained army with NATO weapons, the people you fought didnt have artillery, you are like a nightclub security with a gun compared to modern soldier like Ivan
Well the good news is Russia still has all those nuclear weapons and nuke plants to effect upon themselves and of course the World as well! At once that be effected as the Global Media opines about with remarkable regularity now *OF COURSE* for how else could there be a Global Media or *ANY MEDIA* for that matter without this discussion... *"WELL CURE FOR CANCER WE HAVE IN THE USA"! has been a US Democratic Party Political Staple going on 4 Years now *SO FEAR NOT, PUNY GLOBAL HUMAN! The USA Democratic Party has once full throated use begotten THAT ONE COVERED TOO!* I know from personal experience my cancer was cured so I was literally told. What has transpired as a consequence well, what need be said more than this of course! All for the good of Mother Russia all know this now no different from ahem *"Preghozin Attack"* cough, cough ahem on *MERELY* all of Moscow last week. All for the Greater Good all all all yes yes yes no one can de-NIE this now yes of course
Great interview, Willy. I don't agree at all with Ivan's position in this pointless evil war. But I do understand where he's coming from. He spoke in good faith, describing the situation as he sees it, frankly and somehow in good humour, perhaps even recklessly so. I appreciate your deft and engaging questions and I look forward to the next instalment.
If you read the comments Ivan; your English is very good, no problems at all with understanding what you say. Thank you both for sharing this very interesting conversation. Excellent work with this channel Willy.
A funny thing really. Those who studied English in Russia, or in other not-germanic language branch, end up speaking "literature" version of English. Technically correct, but inorganic.
"Ivan" Speaks very clear idiomatic english. For example his throwaway use of the term back story. He does not sound like academic or literary english idiom at all. Rather he sounds like junior diplomatic corps or intelligence services english. Think about it.
There's a surprisingly low number of likes on the video I suppose it shows how far we've Fallen. But I guess we all supported blown-up Iraq too at the moment
This is the definition of journalism…. If you disagree, you aren’t interested in the actual true facts …. Like you clearly are part of the problem… … the news shouldn’t just be shit you want to hear…
The guy is a nazi, no one need his pov en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Imperial_Movement#:~:text=Imperial%20Legion%20paramilitary,-Patch%20of%20the&text=In%202008%2C%20RIM%20formed%20its,dedicate%20themselves%20to%20defending%20Novorossiya.
I like this guy. Proves to me west and Russia should have worked together for a better world instead of being twisted by the paranoid effects of geopolitics.
This is wrong perspective, you want to have some human relationships, but "west" likes dirt cheap Russian resources and if this adds more corruption to Russia? Great, take two. Problem is that so many people are biased and brainwashed and have to comply to modern shite like "political correctness, cancel culture, wokeness" they can't even believe that there are the same people on the other side.
So the west should have joined Russia in the invasion of Ukraine? Then hand Ukraine over to Russia? How exactly could the west work with Russia on this. I suppose we should get the Baltic states ready to hand over to Russia.
isn't it interesting how we all sit here giving our opinions as if they matter, but a man whos been in the war says "to be honest my opinion isn't valuable so i keep it to myself"
@@jamescooke7243 I dont think so he is right it's subjective He is right because his country and there story and there side says and shows it different truth for Ukrainien
My God, Willy is more professional then majority of Australian journalists. Remember when Stan Grant hosted QandA show about Ukriane and one of the guests was an Australian with Russian heritage. Grant asked him about the war and I guess expected certain type of answer, but when guest started talking about how he sees the war and reasons for it, Grant kicked him off the show. It was so unprofessional and small minded. Willy is doing actual journalism, unlike paid Australian journalists.
There aren’t much real journalists in Australia today, they are just propagandists, especially the MSM journalists. I remembered that Q&A show, it was utterly appalling journalism, that didn’t want to here the other story, and just the MSM narrative that is full of holes, we have become the Soviet Union with the current media censorship, democracy is dead.
Willy: “Do you respect the Ukrainians fighting and dying for their country”? Ivan: “I respect them for being men, I respect them for being warriors. If I had believed in Valhalla, I’d be honoured to sit with them at the same table”. Chad level: 9999
@@GodEmperorTitan да. Потому что для русских это гражданская война. А я для укров псевдо-освободительная. Люди забыли свои корни. И да, тебе помог гугл переводчик, я знаю 🙋
And he noted that historically russians and ukrainians stood side by side against Poland. Too bad is has changed, it is one of the reasons for this war.
Willy you asked a few times if there was a problem with Russia's freedom of press since you were unable to get journalist permissions there. You did not mention that all Russian media has been banned in the west. Is that a problem with Western freedom of journalism, in your opinion?
@@azza-in_this_day_and_agetrue, at least in germany it got banned the government said that they view it as a threat because it would be misinformation but it goes even farther - a few weeks ago a ukrainien woman which came as a refugee was sentenced to a pay a fine of i think 900 euros or so because she publicly spoke out for putin and the russian war.
What a standup guy Ivan was. Great interview. Probably the best interview I've seen on this channel actually. I hope you both do good by your plans to speak again.
Gotta say, it's hella impressive that you've been able to stay neutral while interviewing the opposite side of the fence. Thank you for the multifaceted perspectives, your journalistic integrity is top notch!
More impressive this Russian didn't mention that back in 2014 "new free ukrainian government" burnt pro Russia protesters alive, kidnapped and tortured them, simply shot etc. (you can still find the vids on the net) Their head of SBU openly posted a vid of torturing and killing a bunch of 16 -17 years old pro russian activis kids. Even more impressive he never mentioned Zelensky imprisoned all political opponents, shut down all the media exept for state propaganda, bought tones of real estate in USA / EU, canceled election, murdered at least 20 journalists opposed to him and you can go forever with this list.
@@lani6647 Many people on either side that aren't Russian, Ukrainian, nor involved in any way have chosen a side. It's an emotional attachment, not a logical thing.
His eyes look like reading from something located to his left quite often though. He likely has prepared a cheat cheet or something in advance. The language barrier must be real. And it is always wise to prepare for an interview...
“Human Life Has No Value There and Chaos is a trait of the culture.” „You can’t beat Russia with reason, brute force is all they understand.” “They are great, ambitious, merciless, and most of all, cruel.” - Baltic Counterintelligence officers; Aleksander Toots (30years at Estonian Internal Security Service) wasn’t surprised by the atrocities committed in Bucha. Nor were any other of the counterintelligence agents interviewed in Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania. They’re aware of how Russians conducted themselves in the Baltics during the Second World War. Of how they conducted themselves before that. Of how they’ve always behaved. *The West lacks such awareness. Toot remarks „The West is fortunate We’re a buffer between them and Russia. They’ve forgotten a lot and think Russia is just like them. It isn’t. And Putin isn’t the only issue.” “Obviously, you can’t abstractly accuse an entire nation,“ says long-time Director General of the Estonian Internal Security Service Arnold Sinisalu. „But a society and a nation constitute a whole. The state may brainwash, but the germ of chauvinism still springs from the people itself.” That is precisely how Baltic counterintelligence officers refer to Russia - not ‘it’, but ‘they’. The war in Ukraine is not Putin’s war. The cruelty is not Putin’s. The rapes, murders, gouged eyes, hangings, and burned corpses aren’t special tactics employed by Russia’s leader. It is Russia as a whole. „The majority of Russians are to blame,“ says Sinisalu. Western colleagues sometimes have a hard time believing this. „They’re certainly more naïve and optimistic than we are,“ says one Baltic counterintelligence officer. „When we tried explaining to our partners that Russia can’t be trusted, they denied it,“ another adds, visibly resentful. Georgia, the Crimea - nothing changed. „And here we are in 2022.“ Several interviewees imply that they’ve had to tirelessly remind Western partners of the dangers of such naiveté. The war in Ukraine was not a surprise, but rather a logical progression. And at some point, it will repeat again. „You can’t understand Russia through books or analyses,“ „You have to live there a while.“ Baltic security services do not describe Russia’s imperialism and brutality as a military tactic, but a rampant social norm. „I believed that their mentality changed over the years and they had a reckoning after the war. That would have been normal, But I was mistaken:“ Indeed, how could Russia have any reckoning when the country has never been held responsible? The Nazis temporarily rose to the top of the cruelty ranking during the Second World War, which has caused people to forget Russia’s atrocities. „They’ve never been held accountable,“ „And that has made them feel invincible.“ Surprisingly, the heads of all three Baltic counterintelligence agencies answer with the same name when I ask about the origins of Russia’s present-day mentality: Ivan the Terrible. Baltic counterintelligence directors don’t only speak about Putin, but recall the reign of Peter the Great, who ordered all Swede-supporting Russians to be executed. Again, Sinisalu and Toots chime in together with a Russian maxim: „Beat your own to frighten others.“ The massacre in Bucha wasn’t unique, but a repetition of Katyn. The detonation of the Olenivka prison was a copy of the explosion in Sambir, which killed 1,200 female prisoners in 1941. Nothing has come as a surprise for anyone familiar with Ukrainian history, as Ukraine isn’t simply Ukraine - it is also Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in the 1940s. They compare contemporary Russian society to the medieval Mongols. Though Lithuania once joined forces with Russian princes to counter the Mongolian hordes, they feel that Russia switched sides given the behavior of its officers and soldiers alike. „They’re animals,“ they frankly state. „I don’t want to think so primitively; to believe such evil could truly exist in Russian society, I’d like to believe something nobler. But it’s simply the truth.“ Dostoyevsky wrote: a Russian can only operate in radicals, being radically good or radically evil. When discussing Russia, they repeatedly use the words „unique mentality“. Russia does not belong to our ecosystem. It has its own set of rules and values. Imperialism, chauvinism, brutality - they’re a part of Russian education, upbringing, and culture, but are also part of their values. And it’s been that way for centuries.“ When the Baltic states regained their independence in 1991, Russia also became temporarily more democratic. But only the West believed Russia had taken a turn. „When we made our plans, we assumed that Russia would go back to being its old self and the empire would return at least a year later, Practical experience was the basis for the assessment“ „Alas, we were overly optimistic,“ Vare adds. It only took a few months before Russia began manipulating Estonia again, this time with oil” Russia’s total defeat in Ukraine is the sole opportunity for change. „Historically, force has always had an effect on Russia,“ Peeter says. „No matter how much you wish there was another solution, there isn’t.“ At the moment, I can’t think of any force that could spread democratic values in Russia,“ says Jauniškis. „They demand the respect of every other country and exact it through brutal compulsion.“
@@checktheplaylist101 No , actually i suspect he is selected for how extreme are his opinions as no russian i know is into the russian empire thing ( that would be VERY damning for them ).
JURNALIST OF THE YEAR. The interviews series is pure gold. You didnt try to push your ideas agressively like most of jurnos. You asked questions with taste and respect to the guest but still challenged the perspective. Bravo!
Aye all been pretty good apart from that anonymous australian 'volunteer' using a voice changer and no cam. Pretty sure he was just a redditor, was making some ridiculous claims
Dude has a point about why Russia might not want an Australian combat veteran wandering around doing reporting work. One has to ask themselves, if a Russian combat veteran showed up in Washington and wanted to report on the war to a Russian audience how the USA government would react. And its also important to note that most western countries have banned Russian media. Ivans view on Putin is actually quite interesting, i had not considered that Putin might be holding the different ethnic and political factions of Russia together by his force of presence, so when the west wants to replace him to educated Russians they see that as the west saying they want to destroy or at least plunge Russia into a period like a dark age.
Well said. I think for a lot of the middle aged Russian people now, they’re old enough to remember how bad things got in the 90s. Gang violence was prevalent and the country was thrust into an economic spiral. With Putin taking power, he was able to provide stability and rejuvenate the Russian people and economy. I’m sure many Russians feel it would not take much to be plunged back into that kind national tumult again.
@@jonathanjacob5453украинская демократия 🤗 А по сути. Как у нас говорят "боремся за правду". Посему искренни в своих действиях, поступках и помыслах. Это гражданская война. И снова спонсированная с запада, как сто лет назад. Мда.
@@jonathanjacob5453 yeah just imagine, be a turbo z patriot and Russia is cool with that. How many people have publicly spoken out against Putin or the war while living in Russia (pregozin excluded)? How many have left Russia and spoken against Putin or the war? - many! Maybe Russia is not so free after all.
I must say, I find Ivan’s motivations for fighting much more reasonable, rational, and honourable than some of the “International Legion” fighters whom you have interviewed. Those come across as confused “soldier of fortune” or fame hunter or troubled adrenaline junkie types, with a confused mix of political ideology thrown in. This guy seems a decent dude who fights because his country has gone to war, rightly or wrongly.
wellp foreigners come to defend country which was attacked, to help people, to evacuate people, some of them die in the process. Ivan invaded Ukraine because it doesnt have right to exist as independent state. Very good reason? I would say that better way would be if russians crossed the border and tried to help Ukraine defend itself from multiple missiles and Z murderers, like some of them did. Motivation to invade country just because your government said so, meh, id say that shitty motivation
But that is the worst kind of motivation. It's glorified tribalism combined with delusion. That's how most atrocities come to be. Justification and rationalization of everything your group does, no matter how horrific it is.
Yes, many of the volunteer soldiers of Ukraine fortune interviewed (I don’t think) stated their case for fighting. I would ask them, did you ever watch Ukraine on fire? It’s 95% true. It’s as if they picked a sports team to follow called Ukraine.
@@kg6itc "Ukraine on Fire" is a propaganda piece. The fact that it's "true" doesn't mean anything, it's easy to lie with facts by cherry-picking ones that suit your narrative and omitting others, and that's what the documentary does. For instance: "did you know that dihydrogen monoxide is a dangerous chemical that leads to 829,000 deaths per year (according to World Health Organization), and even in non-lethal doses it can cause disturbance of brain function? Despite knowing this, every soda corporation out there puts this dangerous chemical in their products, because they get more profit this way." Everything I've just said is technically true, but it's still propaganda and manipulations. It's the same with "Ukraine on Fire".
If more people in the west felt like you do right now there would have never been a war to begin with. But people watching MSM thinking they are learning "truth" are basically fed Cold War lies to feed some narrative based on stereotypes and hate.
Well done mate, that was a very nice conversation with the supposed enemy. Considering you'd never spoken before, he wasn't cagey, or suspicious of talking to a foreigner, which is a lot different from what we're led to believe. BTW, there are lots of foreign journalists in Russia, Mike from iEarlGrey is ex-British Military who lives in Moscow I think. He's been delivering aid to the people living on the frontlines, so he's interesting. There's Eva Bartlett from Canada, who is actually on Ukraine's hit list, and has been reporting from there since 2014, and I think from memory can't go back to Canada, because of her supposed propagandized reporting. But, when you watch her reports from 2014, as a raw young journalist, there's no side to the conflict, she was just reporting what she was witnessing going on. Then there's the famous Patrick Lancaster, who is also ex-military, British I think, who's been reporting since 2014 from Donbas. The first time I saw Patrick was when he was reporting at the scene of the downed MH17 at the beginning of the conflict in 2014. Plus, Graham Phillips, who is also British and has also been reporting there since 2014 and recently, had his bank accounts and his entire life blocked by the British government, because he is supposedly a Russian propagandist as well. So, reach out to all of them, I'm sure they'll be happy to tell you their opinion from a westerners' perspective. *Looking forward to your next interview. I didn't even know about your channel, but a few of the Russian Telegram channels I follow, had loaded this interview onto their channels.
Good on both Willy and Ivan for being real men and being willing to talk honestly with each other about such a serious matter like war with level heads and respect - Well done Ladz from New Zealand
From my experience, 90% childrens in russian schools learn english, they just too lazy or not open minded enough to use it. Most of them CAN understand, but don't speak much because lack of experience. Or they don't want to hear jokes from natural english speakers about their mistakes. But overall amount of russians know english just overhelmingly huge comparing with tiny amount of english speaking people who learn russian as 2nd language.
@@oceanwavesandcocaine1129 actually, he is what western propaganda was saying, he proves everything. they dont want peace, after Ukraine there gonna be Moldova and Baltics. I think that exactly what western propaganda was saying, isnt it? russia is the threat and if russian citizens are unsatisfied with something its only that russia does not kills its neighbors faster
I said this to a few people months ago, the WEST doesnt understand how nice Putin really is, some of the leaders in the past would have made Ukraine a car park in one week....but i got called a russophile for this comment, which is fact...
this reminds me of journalism, in its old, true form. the impartial inuiry into a story, doing ones best to present every side, as well as doing ones best to not have a side, or at least not let ones bias corrupt the report. the media may not be dead after all! its spirit lives on in you, as well as a few precious other independents, but the corpse of corporate broadcast news is already well past rigor mortis. its bloated, putrid, and due to be laid to rest. deepest gratitude for your reporting, cheers. -azza
That's an excellent point. We used to have reporting on facts and then opinions. Now most journalsts dress opinions up as facts. We have never been so propagandised. All the mainstream news channels have a narrative they stick to.More and more 'honest' journalists are finding themselves isolated.
Great work Willy. A conversation that’s going to piss a lot of people off but it’s worth while hearing. Propaganda comes out on both sides and the reality is somewhere in the middle.
The questions being asked are very insightful and also reveal a lot about Western preconceptions. In the interest of objectivity the same should be leveled towards interviewees from the Western side, e.g., how do you see the massive corruption of the US and EU paying billions towards yet another war without (a) any Western country being threatened and (b) any Western government having declared war against Russia (or for that matter China), any UN resolution regarding sanctions and military measures?
33:20 Just a reminder how freedom of speech is treated in the Ukraine: SBU arrested the American Journalist Gonzalo Lira. The US administration is ignoring calls from western independent journalist's to have Gonzalo Lira released.
@@nicolasolton Nah, he is more in the Caliber of Glen Greenwald, Mat Taibi, Aaron Mate, Max Blumenthal, Joe Rogan, RFK jr, Thomas Roeper, Patrick Lancaster, Colonel Douglas McGregor, Jackson Hinkle and such more, if you get my drift.
Ignore the hate and continue this type of content . its just fascinating seeing this from the Russian POV. i never thought that they would of gotten benefits upon returning, support from their people, the public saying they should of done the SMO 8 years ago. All these things are new for me
Keep questioning things and not assuming everything. MSM is full of lies and stereotypes. Russians are a civilization and should be respected for that at a minimum. In a few decades many will regret they ever held many of the opinions they once had. I remember people saying "I wish George W. Bush would turn the middle east into glass" before the US invaded Iraq over lies about WMDs. A lot of parallels exist here that many don't realize yet but will in time. By the time most realize it the profit for the few has been made. Humans with a life ahead of them degraded or killed for the conversion of green dollars.
The West is morally bankrupt. The media only tell you what they are told to tell you. Most of the American politicians pushing this slaughter have ties to weapon companies and are getting rich off the blood of poor Ukraineian sent to their bloodly end on the front, same for the Russian soilders who in my view are on the right side of history why the West is arming a government that openly supports Nazi ideology basically says it all.
As a Russian, I can confidently say that such a position really prevails in the right strata of society. But it's important to understand the context. When they say so, they mean that it was possible to avoid bloodshed and resolve the issue for the most part in the political field. In 2014, the Armed Forces of Ukraine were not so well supplied by NATO. Apparently, our power bloc at that time did not have enough resources to help the Ukrainian authorities with the pacification of radical ultra-left associations. This is a great tragedy for our countries. Most of the population has relatives on both sides.
I'm surprised I must say. Did seem like it was hard for you tho.. but, Thank you for not acting like most of your side and jumping down his throat. Treating him like he isn't even a human.. just because he is russian.
$83aud for his winter electricity in a place as cold as Russia. Meanwhile in Australia I can't afford heating or cooling because yet again the private, multinational monopolies that we sold out to put the price up by 25% claiming that the international prices of fuel are high. Even though the fuel used to power our local electricity generators can't even be exported due to technical reasons.
@@islandwills2778 we produce our own fuel too. In fact in my state the fuel is brown coal, which cannot be exported. So their excuse that prices must rise because of the cost of coal is bullshit.
Ребята, мне лень писать на английском, но пишу. Может, переведёте сами. ГазПром рекламирует себя как "народное достояние", но это вам не ОАЭ, где все богаты. Мы, простые люди, от этого достояния получаем только низкую цену на газ и льготную газификацию отдалённых районов страны (да, 21ый век, а в Нашей стране не везде газ и свет, спасибо большевикам, что потратили сто лет истории, чтобы мы сейчас их наверстывали). Вот так. Всем привет.
@@commanderkatyusha3520the funniest part is Ivan’s expressions when Willy brings up his naive talking points. One more convo and Willy is getting red pilled.
@@porkerpete7722 America copying Russia by providing oil to EU now. Russians don't fight because of old oild pipeline, who cares about that. Russians fight for having fair economic in the world, where any of 2 sides (USA and Russia) can freely offer anything to everyone without geting any sancions. Most of russians ok with west ukraine don't be part of russian lands, as long as they leave Kiev and east ukraine where they must belong. I can see russians fight to liberate Kiev, but I don't see russians fight to liberate Lviv or Krakov, or any baltic countries.
While I don't agree with him, his mindset, or his opinions on the war and Ukraine as a whole, I do appreciate that he genuinely seems like a decent guy. Very very humanizing in a time when it's so easy to dehumanize the other side of a conflict. Genuinely can't show you enough appreciation for this interview, Willy, and thank you to Ivan, as well.
And why don't you agree with his opinion? Do you know our history? Or do you know the context of what is happening thousands of kilometers away from you? In fact, you are looking at us through the prism of your propaganda. And in your propaganda everything is subordinated to the interests of your imperialism. You're no better than us. We just interfere with the interests of your government.
Thank you willyOAM your interview with Ivan was conducted with the same respect you gave to the other combatants from the meany different countries who are fighting in Ukraine.
Willy this is beyond Gold ! Where can anyone get an honest straight look at Russian viewpoint. Simple folks really. More integrity and frankness than us. Also Russia seems to be more open and poorly controlled than the image we have from Soviet times. Such an interview is not just rare.. its just not there. That's why this interview is so precious. You have given us insights that all the deep and wide media has not been able to give us. You have managed a miracle. Love you.
Such interviews are rare because the western policy do not allow this (The true democracy and freedom that we always hear). In the US ppl are told that Russia is bad since they are born. U ll even laugh, but i noticed that even in the lion king film (1994), the hyenas were marching like the russian army... The west cannot show that Russia have any good sides especially when the proxy-war is actually led by the US and NATO. I do know lots of channels with millions of watches that were blocked without reasons and deleted just for showing real facts or mostly pro-russian. Any pro-russian channel is automatically demonetizied. When the war started, i tried to check for the ukrainian Azov batalions, i found many vids from bbc and cnn where they were showing there guys as terrorists. After some months i couldnt find these vids, they were just removed..
Well Wily kind of showed us how the BBC would conduct this interview. Wily: so you are an imperialist nationalist. We can kind of guess your opinion. Ivan: LOL actually I would call myself a libertarian.
When he used TX as an example it really hit me hard... as big as Ukraine is, almost anybody in that position would feel the same.. TX is and has been part of the US forever. That being said, still can't approve the invasion but a genuine question would be ... what is the most effective way in preventing such a thing from happening? Keeping in mind, the outside influence of foreign intelligence agencies doing their job and preventing that from happening!? 🧐🤔
@@TheAmlx Just respect people and their choices in places they live. Ukraine people definitely don't want to live under Russian influence(at least most of Ukrainians) and as polish i understand them 100% we also saw what soviet occupation really is. Sadly Russian elites don't care about that and use it to convince others that west is the problem. West is far from being perfect but if i had to choose i would chose CIA over KGB(FSB) and GRU.
The aim / narrative is always to dehumanise whoever is the opposition. Hearing their stories and seeing them speak immediately makes them seem just like ordinary people whom it is possible to empathise with and thereby undermines the engineered hate.
First you see them as other because you do not know them. Then you start seeing them as just normal ordinary people on the other side. And then as you continue to interact you start hating once again.
You should hear the story of people who live in Donbass, the separatists themselves, they truly thought Putin would accept them to rejoin Russia in 2014 after Putin took Crimea but Putin let them down, so they decided they will fight to the last man then
I can empathize with him wanting to save his fellow Russians lives in the war, but no I cannot empathize with him that he has seen the clear evidence that Ukrainians do NOT consider themselves Russian, do NOT want to be part of Russia but he claims the right for Russia to force them to be part of Russia by war.. thereby justifying killing hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians ... and even saying that they can send any amount of millions of Russians to die to do that. He just had new baby he said .. someone's 14 year old twin girls were murdered in a pizza restaurant in Kramatorsk just a few days ago .. a military target that 2 missiles were deliberately launched at? And on and on... Sane people just want Russia to stay behind it's own borders and develop its own economy without threat to it's neighbors. But he did admit that the Russian State is a completely separate entity from the Russian people. They just focus on their own lives but as if they have to also do whatever the State tells them to do to protect and increase the wealth of the elite businessmen.. even if that means millions of them dying in a war only the elites care for..
The same can be applied to the soldiers of the Wehrmacht. In their mind they defended their german ethnicity, fought the degenerate West and evil jewish Bolsheviks. It became possible for them to change and self-reflect only after the complete surrender. Normal invader behaviour
aw brother we all want part 3,4,5,6,7,8,9 of Ivan, hes a funny bloke and you done a great job. excited for your next interview, even the mrs said oi let me know when Ivans back!!
I admire this man for going to war to help the wounded. 🙏 I think there was no "mutiny" from Prighozin, he and Putin conducted an op to catch traitors. This has CIA written all over it. Prighozin & Putin are long time friends,
I think Ivan was spot on with his opinion on why Willy didn't get his accreditation in Russia. Links to the Australian military would definately make the Russians view him as possibly an intellligence risk.
Wow, might be the first time I got a Russians perspective without someone pushing back on everything they say. Completely disagree with the guy on almost everything. But as an individual born into this circumstance I can see where he's at. This is a rare thing to see, just emphasizes how hard this war will be to end
Great interview Willy. You are asking also the hard questions and let the other person answer without interrupting and puting words into his mouth. Journalists like you are rare nowdays.
With regards the intensity of the war. Many like Prigozhin believes Russia is fighting too gently against the Ukrainian hence the mutiny to change military leadership. Even if Russia pulls out of Ukraine to sign a peace treaty, it will be broken by the west. Just look at the peace treaty signed last year between these two countries and was broken by the UK and US forcing Zelensky to break the peace treaty and continue to fight.
Also just think about what you typed “A peace treaty between Ukraine and Russia will be broken by NATO. The UK and US already broke a peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine” bro you can’t break a treaty you are not a part of, either the treaty your referencing is the Budapest Memorandum which DID involve the US was broken by Russia or you’re blaming the west for some treaty it had no part in falling apart
@nickrhodes9421 Ukraine and US/UK were counterparts of Minsk 1 and 2 accords. They were broken. So what is the point to sign anything with people who have deceived you twise
@@nickrhodes9421 French and German leaders signed the first Minsk agreements as guarantors of the peace deal, when the conflict in Ukraine started 8-9 years ago. Both of them in later interviews stated, that peace was not their motivation. They just needed more time to arm and train Ukraine for the war. Ukraine was allowed to become an independent country in 1991, the major friction with Russia and Ukraine started, when politicians in Ukraine began dragging it into EU and NATO alliances. Both of them exist to fight Russia, mainly. You're joking, right? Breaking their promises, genocide, overthrowing governments, starting proxy wars - is literally what both US and the UK foreign policy is all about.
@@nickrhodes9421 The Budapest Memorandum was broken by the US well before Russia thou. It gave guarantees to Belarus and the US ignored them. You cant expect other to keep what you refuse to.
Great interview. I think it's important to understand both sides of the coin. History is often written from the perspective of the victors. We are all human, unfortunately, with different politicians who have different ideology. Great interview this is gold. Thank you Willy and Ivan
You weathered the hate in part 1, a lot more positive comments than negative. You are doing a great job and letting the guest speak is what sets you apart. Thank you Willy.
Thank you Willy and Ivan. This was an excellent discussion from two sides of the world. Perhaps because you have both been in the military you understand each other better than most. People are people. Respect where due. Well done.
Thank you Ivan for your perspective. Also we’re beyond thankful you know English. Takes a lot of smarts to be bilingual. Specially in 2 difficult languages.
Thanks also for the second part. It was eyeopening to hear this as a "westerner". Again also thanks for Ivan to share his point of view to the other side. Lets hope we all learn from hearing the honest opinion from the other side (politically, socioeconomically or even in such a conflict). @ willy, I hope you find more different people to interview to educate all of us and leave an even more footprint with us. You certainly already did it in my life!
Ivan, respect for your patriotic soul and for fighting for what you believe is right! May God be with you and your family, my Orthodox brother, and may this war end as soon as possible to stop Slavic, Christian bloodshed.
In Ukraine you are not allowed to criticize the government, but Russia is different; we have free speech, as long as we promise to never criticize the government, obviously. If only this guy could hear himself...
К сожалению верят.. Они же не понимают что Зеля и его команда профессионалы постановок по образованию.. ну и МИ6 конечно подсуетились! Было бы здорово если бы Willy пригласил Артамонова.. Тот бы ему очень четко объяснил что к чему. Но Иван герой! Молодца!
Thanks for this and all you do Willy. It's not often that you can get a peek into the minds of participants on both sides of a deadly conflict. A lot of these guys seem like ordinary guys who you'd love to have a beer with. The kinds of guys who'd give you the shirt off their backs and who you'd be proud to stand up for. You'll be remembered as being one of the great ones. And a great humanitarian to boot. I skew Ukrainian myself. I understand that there are many who don't. Just remember that guys like Blinken, Biden, Nuland, Trump, etc. are NOT your friend. Wherever the fuck you live.
@@RubbaDubbaDooskie Yea, I should have been clearer that it's a matter of perspective. As a Swede, I'm in the samme boat as the other countries around Russia. Krelin's aggression is something that HAS to be dealt with, one way or another... and in relation to that issue, one can't afford about being that picky, if Trump or Biden offers help, we'll take it no questions asked. That doesn't mean Bay of Pigs or the abandonment of the Marsh-Iraqi after the first Gulf war is forgotten, we're well aware that the support can dry up at the drop of a hat if the White House or Capitolium decides the national interests lies elsewhere.
@@johanmetreus1268 Genom att säga "No arguments there", menade jag att jag höll med. Det är en uselt tillstånd som finns i mitten av de två. Vi kan inte glömma vad de gjorde i Tjetjenien. Vilket område i Sverige kommer du ifrån? Min farfar var från Örsjö.
I really like this guest, love the Czarist flag in the background. Ive always been a huge fan of Czar Alexander III, he was an incredible ruler. It’s refreshing to hear from a young person who is proud of his heritage and the civilization his ancestors built. Really makes it hurt that guys like him on both sides are being killed every day.
I disagree. The guy is pathetic. Forcing his great schizofascist policies by force is not heroic . Nor is it heroic to rape, pillage and disrupt people who just wish to live in peace and decide their own economic and foreign policy
How is he a hero? By his own admission he is an imperialist. He wants Russia to continue its expansion. Perhaps Russia will expand to where you live. Will he still be a hero if the people you care about die as collateral damage? He's intelligent but very very much an imperialist....just like Nazi Germany or imperialist Japan. Most of the world have moved on from this mindset
@@tokcu4eh by how much has US territory increased since the 1990's? Nil I believe. How much has Russia's territory increased over that period? Well they annexed Chechnya, parts of Georgia and parts of Ukraine. So who is really the true imperialist? America is far from perfect but Russia is just a good old fashion colonizer - today!
I would typically agree with your statement, but after listening to this interview, no middle ground was offered or considered. The Russian sees all of Ukraine as a Russian land, despite history and post-1991 agreements, laws, sovereignty, a separate constitution, internationally recognized borders, etc.
Also, his ability to discuss abstract constructs in a foreign language and to keep his very tenses organised is amazing. I can't do that in a foreign language (but then i avoid it)
As an American, my mind can't stop thinking about the recent efforts to control information and influence in my own country. How hard it is to distinguish between news and "opinion" with a casual glance at the news. Forget about unbiased, there is no such thing in mainstream news anymore. There are a lot of layers to this onion, but I feel I have a clearer picture of the Russian mindset now. Great job and as always, you shoot way above your pay grade.
Willy, you're the best war journalist out there for interviewing both sides with equal respect. Kudos for asking some of those awkward questions and letting the guy use his own words to answer. I can certainly think of a few journalists who would have just interrupted over and over and tried stuffing their own words into his mouth, but not you. Man of integrity and genuine curiosity. And many thanks to Ivan for being brave enough to appear and being so generous in giving us his time.
He is a Russian giving his perspective of the country he lived in all his life, but that perspective does not fit the narrative of what the rest of the world is being forced to believe. Hats off to you Willie though your questions show your own bias your attempt at objectivety says a lot about your character.
Your character has, itself, spoken to others internationally! You've stayed true to your conscience and are reaping the awards, finally!!! Can't say enough good things about your impeccable journalistic talent🤗🤩 Thank you so much for creating this opportunity for the world😁!
Great work Willy, it’s very interesting and refreshing to get the perspective from the Russian side. I’m hoping more of these Russian warriors decide to come on to your channel.
You learn by listening....not by speaking.Great to get the perspective and views of one Russian soldier and his motivation. You cant disagree with anothers option if you dont listen to his option.. Great job Willy.
Man that was absolutely fascinating & enlightening (both parts) Excellent journalism. I thought sincerely a good natured & likable person.. Also from the little bits he spoke of quite modestly about his actions on the battlefield the guy's hero.. (Assuming of course it's all true, & in my opinion he came off as very honest & genuine. a real good bloke or 'comrade' maybe, but did look honest to me) Very brave no doubt, strongly principled man, but still humble. I got the strong impression if you know the type of guy.. super loyal, the kinda guy that once you get to know or serve alongside become a mate then regardless of background/beliefs if you're part of his from his town in his circle, crew, unit, team family he would do just anything for you.. your enemies are my enemies if you know that kinda guy i mean ferociously loyal to his own but don't cross them you want to be on the side against them or their mates But Thats totally my assumption & means nothing though just really reminds of a few guys I've known & especially in the forces. It was a great interview really well done.. possibly could have pushed back or drilled down on a couple of his statements & beliefs but i don't mean to criticise coz you really put out something great here and i can imagine how difficult such an interview is where you have to walk a fine line between getting an amicable rapport making them comfortable enough to talk openly & share honestly whilst yourself listening with an open mind to their experiences, letting them speak their point of view, being firm but not pushing to the point of annoying or pi**ing off the person. And yeah mate definitely I thought you did amazing with this one Willy.. truly good work mate. It did leave me feeling a bit sad.. some of what he believes just a few of the things he said its a shame that is how he looks at the world around and it's a real shame i think for the many people there must be in Russia.. Good people, innocent people young & old who through no fault of their own have just been kind blocked off from a better standard of free flowing information.. then grown up in a society determined to indoctrinate it's people to believe in a view of the world, of the West & of it's close neighbours that leads inevitably on a path to conflict of some form, to subjugation, misery, suffering and sadly has brought us to war with no end in sight and death for thousands and counting. On the other hand this is not just a problem in Russia here today. it's something that happens to greater or lesser degree in every society in the world it has always happened throughout history and is happening to some degree all through our own societies today and it will carry on forever. It is up to us as individuals to look at information ourselves. listen as much as possible to all sides of any debate. & take in all opinions indiscriminately then think hard before making up your mind. Always pay attention to history you can never get enough valuable lessons from history it's a tremendous source for everyone and it something we are so lucky to have preserved and now at our fingertips any time. An enormous list of examples of stupid mistakes or errors in judgement we can look at and see the possibil consequences or examples of great things done by great people we can take example from. All this information we have to help us make our mind up. Be careful what you believe.. look around yourself if you care enough to have a strong opinion on something.. & Always be willing to change your mind. I look forward to the next one & hope you speak to him again. all else aside, good bloke enjoyed & listening to him. Thanks again mate. All the best.
@@CKOTOBODwhat conquest is it exactly? NATO made a deal with Russia, NATO broke that deal and attempted putting nuclear weapons in Ukraine, russia defended itself from a real threat and remember the Cuban missile crisis? If you think that was right then you can’t say Russia doing the exact same is wrong. I’m not Russian or Slavic I can just see truth
Excellent interview. I saw both parts of it. The russian was very good in articulating the arguments and ideas. This truly help all of us to understand the war with more perspective
G'day Legends,
I continue with my podcast series with part 2 with Ivan who joined the 'SMO' as a Medic when his friends called him.
I am aware this will bring a lot of hate my way, That said, As I have always said I will talk to anyone and are interested in other stories and people, even if controversial or as some would put it 'Wrong side of history'.
You make these possible, To Support Channel directly:
www.patreon.com/willybeatingcancer
www.paypal.me/MWilliams745
MERCH
willys-merch.creator-spring.com/
Socials:
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Telegram: t.me/Willy_OAM_REAL
Thank you Willy! ❤
Stop calling yourself a soldier bro... you fought farmers and goat herders.. you never fought any modern war, Ivan fought a NATO trained army with NATO weapons, the people you fought didnt have artillery, you are like a nightclub security with a gun compared to modern soldier like Ivan
Well the good news is Russia still has all those nuclear weapons and nuke plants to effect upon themselves and of course the World as well! At once that be effected as the Global Media opines about with remarkable regularity now *OF COURSE* for how else could there be a Global Media or *ANY MEDIA* for that matter without this discussion... *"WELL CURE FOR CANCER WE HAVE IN THE USA"! has been a US Democratic Party Political Staple going on 4 Years now *SO FEAR NOT, PUNY GLOBAL HUMAN! The USA Democratic Party has once full throated use begotten THAT ONE COVERED TOO!*
I know from personal experience my cancer was cured so I was literally told.
What has transpired as a consequence well, what need be said more than this of course! All for the good of Mother Russia all know this now no different from ahem *"Preghozin Attack"* cough, cough ahem on *MERELY* all of Moscow last week.
All for the Greater Good all all all yes yes yes no one can de-NIE this now yes of course
Great interview, Willy. I don't agree at all with Ivan's position in this pointless evil war. But I do understand where he's coming from. He spoke in good faith, describing the situation as he sees it, frankly and somehow in good humour, perhaps even recklessly so. I appreciate your deft and engaging questions and I look forward to the next instalment.
@@peterhealy8875 You agree with the Western version of the story though, the ones who told you Saddam had weapons of mass destruction
If you read the comments Ivan; your English is very good, no problems at all with understanding what you say. Thank you both for sharing this very interesting conversation. Excellent work with this channel Willy.
why do you talk nicely to a terrorist ... ask where he is and kill him ?
I understand him more than Willy
@@TsarOfRuss I understand him more than the people I grew up near and work with.
A funny thing really. Those who studied English in Russia, or in other not-germanic language branch, end up speaking "literature" version of English. Technically correct, but inorganic.
"Ivan" Speaks very clear idiomatic english. For example his throwaway use of the term back story. He does not sound like academic or literary english idiom at all. Rather he sounds like junior diplomatic corps or intelligence services english. Think about it.
This is what real journalism looks like. Very rare.
No
There's a surprisingly low number of likes on the video I suppose it shows how far we've Fallen. But I guess we all supported blown-up Iraq too at the moment
Quite the opposite
This is the definition of journalism…. If you disagree, you aren’t interested in the actual true facts …. Like you clearly are part of the problem…
… the news shouldn’t just be shit you want to hear…
The guy is a nazi, no one need his pov
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Imperial_Movement#:~:text=Imperial%20Legion%20paramilitary,-Patch%20of%20the&text=In%202008%2C%20RIM%20formed%20its,dedicate%20themselves%20to%20defending%20Novorossiya.
I like this guy. Proves to me west and Russia should have worked together for a better world instead of being twisted by the paranoid effects of geopolitics.
This is wrong perspective, you want to have some human relationships, but "west" likes dirt cheap Russian resources and if this adds more corruption to Russia? Great, take two.
Problem is that so many people are biased and brainwashed and have to comply to modern shite like "political correctness, cancel culture, wokeness" they can't even believe that there are the same people on the other side.
So the west should have joined Russia in the invasion of Ukraine? Then hand Ukraine over to Russia? How exactly could the west work with Russia on this. I suppose we should get the Baltic states ready to hand over to Russia.
Ahmen
just like fuckin everywhere people are pretty normal without all the crazy maneuvering by psychopaths with power
The west....is satanic.
isn't it interesting how we all sit here giving our opinions as if they matter, but a man whos been in the war says "to be honest my opinion isn't valuable so i keep it to myself"
Because he can only say things that are allowed to be said and anything else would lead with a pleasant trip to jail
Yup and this armedchair experts are giving nonsensical argument ans hate
@@FlankerMMO na he is saying what his country side is dude
@@FlankerMMO no i think he just understands better than we do because hes 100% right.
@@jamescooke7243 I dont think so he is right it's subjective
He is right because his country and there story and there side says and shows it different truth for Ukrainien
My God, Willy is more professional then majority of Australian journalists. Remember when Stan Grant hosted QandA show about Ukriane and one of the guests was an Australian with Russian heritage. Grant asked him about the war and I guess expected certain type of answer, but when guest started talking about how he sees the war and reasons for it, Grant kicked him off the show. It was so unprofessional and small minded. Willy is doing actual journalism, unlike paid Australian journalists.
Q&A so long as it’s his answers to his Questions what a loser he was 😂 🔥 🔥 🔥
There aren’t much real journalists in Australia today, they are just propagandists, especially the MSM journalists.
I remembered that Q&A show, it was utterly appalling journalism, that didn’t want to here the other story, and just the MSM narrative that is full of holes, we have become the Soviet Union with the current media censorship, democracy is dead.
Yeah I remember that. Just shows what an absolute dick Grant really is.
We dont have Journalists any more. Just party line propagandists.
LOLOLOLOLOLO
Prigo Clown internet brigade accounts boosting their propaganda mouthpiece lolololololol
Great job willy!!! Its awesome your not afraid to show both sides, you are a proper journalist.
Both sides? Same with nazi Germany?
- was it a state coup?
- no, private
Willy: “Do you respect the Ukrainians fighting and dying for their country”?
Ivan: “I respect them for being men, I respect them for being warriors. If I had believed in Valhalla, I’d be honoured to sit with them at the same table”.
Chad level: 9999
Absolutely. An honorable man
just shows that we are all the same, even the soldiers that have fought each other. What makes this war so tragic
@@GodEmperorTitan да. Потому что для русских это гражданская война. А я для укров псевдо-освободительная. Люди забыли свои корни. И да, тебе помог гугл переводчик, я знаю 🙋
@@GodEmperorTitannope there are lots of psycho’s walking around.
And he noted that historically russians and ukrainians stood side by side against Poland. Too bad is has changed, it is one of the reasons for this war.
Willy you asked a few times if there was a problem with Russia's freedom of press since you were unable to get journalist permissions there. You did not mention that all Russian media has been banned in the west. Is that a problem with Western freedom of journalism, in your opinion?
@@azza-in_this_day_and_age RT was banned in Europe and it's been taken down from TH-cam.
Absolutely. RT didn't last long, did it?
@@azza-in_this_day_and_agetrue, at least in germany it got banned the government said that they view it as a threat because it would be misinformation but it goes even farther - a few weeks ago a ukrainien woman which came as a refugee was sentenced to a pay a fine of i think 900 euros or so because she publicly spoke out for putin and the russian war.
@@derhinnigehund8386 so it is true? that is not a good look. yikes!
thanks for sharing
@@hairharbor5080 i see, thanks for reporting your experiences
What a standup guy Ivan was. Great interview. Probably the best interview I've seen on this channel actually. I hope you both do good by your plans to speak again.
Gotta say, it's hella impressive that you've been able to stay neutral while interviewing the opposite side of the fence. Thank you for the multifaceted perspectives, your journalistic integrity is top notch!
More impressive this Russian didn't mention that back in 2014 "new free ukrainian government" burnt pro Russia protesters alive, kidnapped and tortured them, simply shot etc. (you can still find the vids on the net) Their head of SBU openly posted a vid of torturing and killing a bunch of 16 -17 years old pro russian activis kids. Even more impressive he never mentioned Zelensky imprisoned all political opponents, shut down all the media exept for state propaganda, bought tones of real estate in USA / EU, canceled election, murdered at least 20 journalists opposed to him and you can go forever with this list.
Why would he not be neutral? He’s not Russian, he’s not Ukrainian. He’s not from a combatant nation. He’s the very definition of neutral.
@@lani6647 Many people on either side that aren't Russian, Ukrainian, nor involved in any way have chosen a side. It's an emotional attachment, not a logical thing.
He is not NEUTRAL, he is very pro-Ukraine
@@TsarOfRuss That might be his personal opinion, but his conduct of the interview was thoroughly neutral.
Awesome to hear from a Russian soldier and he is not reading from script and from talking points. just being honest and just saying as it is!
he is also lying alot . its what russians do
Sure he is/ pure Kremlin script.
His eyes look like reading from something located to his left quite often though.
He likely has prepared a cheat cheet or something in advance. The language barrier must be real. And it is always wise to prepare for an interview...
“Human Life Has No Value There and Chaos is a trait of the culture.”
„You can’t beat Russia with reason, brute force is all they understand.”
“They are great, ambitious, merciless, and most of all, cruel.”
- Baltic Counterintelligence officers;
Aleksander Toots (30years at Estonian Internal Security Service) wasn’t surprised by the atrocities committed in Bucha. Nor were any other of the counterintelligence agents interviewed in Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania. They’re aware of how Russians conducted themselves in the Baltics during the Second World War. Of how they conducted themselves before that. Of how they’ve always behaved.
*The West lacks such awareness.
Toot remarks „The West is fortunate We’re a buffer between them and Russia. They’ve forgotten a lot and think Russia is just like them.
It isn’t. And Putin isn’t the only issue.”
“Obviously, you can’t abstractly accuse an entire nation,“ says long-time Director General of the Estonian Internal Security Service Arnold Sinisalu. „But a society and a nation constitute a whole. The state may brainwash, but the germ of chauvinism still springs from the people itself.”
That is precisely how Baltic counterintelligence officers refer to Russia - not ‘it’, but ‘they’. The war in Ukraine is not Putin’s war. The cruelty is not Putin’s. The rapes, murders, gouged eyes, hangings, and burned corpses aren’t special tactics employed by Russia’s leader. It is Russia as a whole.
„The majority of Russians are to blame,“ says Sinisalu.
Western colleagues sometimes have a hard time believing this.
„They’re certainly more naïve and optimistic than we are,“ says one Baltic counterintelligence officer.
„When we tried explaining to our partners that Russia can’t be trusted, they denied it,“ another adds, visibly resentful. Georgia, the Crimea - nothing changed. „And here we are in 2022.“ Several interviewees imply that they’ve had to tirelessly remind Western partners of the dangers of such naiveté.
The war in Ukraine was not a surprise, but rather a logical progression. And at some point, it will repeat again.
„You can’t understand Russia through books or analyses,“
„You have to live there a while.“
Baltic security services do not describe Russia’s imperialism and brutality as a military tactic, but a rampant social norm.
„I believed that their mentality changed over the years and they had a reckoning after the war. That would have been normal, But I was mistaken:“
Indeed, how could Russia have any reckoning when the country has never been held responsible? The Nazis temporarily rose to the top of the cruelty ranking during the Second World War, which has caused people to forget Russia’s atrocities.
„They’ve never been held accountable,“
„And that has made them feel invincible.“
Surprisingly, the heads of all three Baltic counterintelligence agencies answer with the same name when I ask about the origins of Russia’s present-day mentality: Ivan the Terrible.
Baltic counterintelligence directors don’t only speak about Putin, but recall the reign of Peter the Great, who ordered all Swede-supporting Russians to be executed. Again, Sinisalu and Toots chime in together with a Russian maxim: „Beat your own to frighten others.“
The massacre in Bucha wasn’t unique, but a repetition of Katyn. The detonation of the Olenivka prison was a copy of the explosion in Sambir, which killed 1,200 female prisoners in 1941. Nothing has come as a surprise for anyone familiar with Ukrainian history, as Ukraine isn’t simply Ukraine - it is also Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in the 1940s.
They compare contemporary Russian society to the medieval Mongols. Though Lithuania once joined forces with Russian princes to counter the Mongolian hordes, they feel that Russia switched sides given the behavior of its officers and soldiers alike. „They’re animals,“ they frankly state.
„I don’t want to think so primitively; to believe such evil could truly exist in Russian society, I’d like to believe something nobler. But it’s simply the truth.“
Dostoyevsky wrote: a Russian can only operate in radicals, being radically good or radically evil.
When discussing Russia, they repeatedly use the words „unique mentality“. Russia does not belong to our ecosystem. It has its own set of rules and values.
Imperialism, chauvinism, brutality - they’re a part of Russian education, upbringing, and culture, but are also part of their values. And it’s been that way for centuries.“
When the Baltic states regained their independence in 1991, Russia also became temporarily more democratic.
But only the West believed Russia had taken a turn.
„When we made our plans, we assumed that Russia would go back to being its old self and the empire would return at least a year later, Practical experience was the basis for the assessment“
„Alas, we were overly optimistic,“ Vare adds. It only took a few months before Russia began manipulating Estonia again, this time with oil”
Russia’s total defeat in Ukraine is the sole opportunity for change.
„Historically, force has always had an effect on Russia,“ Peeter says. „No matter how much you wish there was another solution, there isn’t.“
At the moment, I can’t think of any force that could spread democratic values in Russia,“ says Jauniškis. „They demand the respect of every other country and exact it through brutal compulsion.“
@@checktheplaylist101 No , actually i suspect he is selected for how extreme are his opinions as no russian i know is into the russian empire thing ( that would be VERY damning for them ).
JURNALIST OF THE YEAR. The interviews series is pure gold. You didnt try to push your ideas agressively like most of jurnos. You asked questions with taste and respect to the guest but still challenged the perspective. Bravo!
Aye all been pretty good apart from that anonymous australian 'volunteer' using a voice changer and no cam. Pretty sure he was just a redditor, was making some ridiculous claims
@@Elatenl self proclaimed yes 😂 but he is doing the job better then "i have a degree in wokeness" professionals
@@TheSneznikHe was joking about your Spelling, it's journalist.
@@Len_M.Lol my brain is too occupied with russian propaganda i forgot how to spell western thongue 😅
@@teddypicker8799 Lol? Willy knew him quite obviously.
Dude has a point about why Russia might not want an Australian combat veteran wandering around doing reporting work.
One has to ask themselves, if a Russian combat veteran showed up in Washington and wanted to report on the war to a Russian audience how the USA government would react.
And its also important to note that most western countries have banned Russian media.
Ivans view on Putin is actually quite interesting, i had not considered that Putin might be holding the different ethnic and political factions of Russia together by his force of presence, so when the west wants to replace him to educated Russians they see that as the west saying they want to destroy or at least plunge Russia into a period like a dark age.
Well said. I think for a lot of the middle aged Russian people now, they’re old enough to remember how bad things got in the 90s. Gang violence was prevalent and the country was thrust into an economic spiral. With Putin taking power, he was able to provide stability and rejuvenate the Russian people and economy. I’m sure many Russians feel it would not take much to be plunged back into that kind national tumult again.
Isn’t it funny that Ivan can more or less speak freely but a Ukrainian soldier would face serious consequences?
@@jonathanjacob5453украинская демократия 🤗
А по сути. Как у нас говорят "боремся за правду". Посему искренни в своих действиях, поступках и помыслах.
Это гражданская война. И снова спонсированная с запада, как сто лет назад. Мда.
@@senichars777US collecting until of Russia. This is great for the US
@@jonathanjacob5453 yeah just imagine, be a turbo z patriot and Russia is cool with that. How many people have publicly spoken out against Putin or the war while living in Russia (pregozin excluded)? How many have left Russia and spoken against Putin or the war? - many! Maybe Russia is not so free after all.
I must say, I find Ivan’s motivations for fighting much more reasonable, rational, and honourable than some of the “International Legion” fighters whom you have interviewed. Those come across as confused “soldier of fortune” or fame hunter or troubled adrenaline junkie types, with a confused mix of political ideology thrown in. This guy seems a decent dude who fights because his country has gone to war, rightly or wrongly.
wellp foreigners come to defend country which was attacked, to help people, to evacuate people, some of them die in the process. Ivan invaded Ukraine because it doesnt have right to exist as independent state. Very good reason? I would say that better way would be if russians crossed the border and tried to help Ukraine defend itself from multiple missiles and Z murderers, like some of them did. Motivation to invade country just because your government said so, meh, id say that shitty motivation
But that is the worst kind of motivation. It's glorified tribalism combined with delusion.
That's how most atrocities come to be. Justification and rationalization of everything your group does, no matter how horrific it is.
Amen!
Yes, many of the volunteer soldiers of Ukraine fortune interviewed (I don’t think) stated their case for fighting.
I would ask them, did you ever watch Ukraine on fire? It’s 95% true.
It’s as if they picked a sports team to follow called Ukraine.
@@kg6itc "Ukraine on Fire" is a propaganda piece. The fact that it's "true" doesn't mean anything, it's easy to lie with facts by cherry-picking ones that suit your narrative and omitting others, and that's what the documentary does.
For instance:
"did you know that dihydrogen monoxide is a dangerous chemical that leads to 829,000 deaths per year (according to World Health Organization), and even in non-lethal doses it can cause disturbance of brain function? Despite knowing this, every soda corporation out there puts this dangerous chemical in their products, because they get more profit this way."
Everything I've just said is technically true, but it's still propaganda and manipulations. It's the same with "Ukraine on Fire".
I find this fascinating to hear things from a Russian point of view
If more people in the west felt like you do right now there would have never been a war to begin with. But people watching MSM thinking they are learning "truth" are basically fed Cold War lies to feed some narrative based on stereotypes and hate.
Well done mate, that was a very nice conversation with the supposed enemy. Considering you'd never spoken before, he wasn't cagey, or suspicious of talking to a foreigner, which is a lot different from what we're led to believe.
BTW, there are lots of foreign journalists in Russia, Mike from iEarlGrey is ex-British Military who lives in Moscow I think. He's been delivering aid to the people living on the frontlines, so he's interesting.
There's Eva Bartlett from Canada, who is actually on Ukraine's hit list, and has been reporting from there since 2014, and I think from memory can't go back to Canada, because of her supposed propagandized reporting. But, when you watch her reports from 2014, as a raw young journalist, there's no side to the conflict, she was just reporting what she was witnessing going on.
Then there's the famous Patrick Lancaster, who is also ex-military, British I think, who's been reporting since 2014 from Donbas. The first time I saw Patrick was when he was reporting at the scene of the downed MH17 at the beginning of the conflict in 2014.
Plus, Graham Phillips, who is also British and has also been reporting there since 2014 and recently, had his bank accounts and his entire life blocked by the British government, because he is supposedly a Russian propagandist as well.
So, reach out to all of them, I'm sure they'll be happy to tell you their opinion from a westerners' perspective.
*Looking forward to your next interview. I didn't even know about your channel, but a few of the Russian Telegram channels I follow, had loaded this interview onto their channels.
Excellent idea. Reach out to some of these propogandized journalists, Willy.
Good on both Willy and Ivan for being real men and being willing to talk honestly with each other about such a serious matter like war with level heads and respect - Well done Ladz from New Zealand
I’m amazed of how well the Russian speaks English and able to expressed his pov. 👍 hopefully Willy can bring more.
yes, that's why he was selected to give this interview
Most people outside America are bilingual or trilingual
From my experience, 90% childrens in russian schools learn english, they just too lazy or not open minded enough to use it. Most of them CAN understand, but don't speak much because lack of experience. Or they don't want to hear jokes from natural english speakers about their mistakes. But overall amount of russians know english just overhelmingly huge comparing with tiny amount of english speaking people who learn russian as 2nd language.
This is a great great interview! Thank you Ivan!
Ivan carried the interview series, best interviewer & no liberal western propaganda spewed in between
@@oceanwavesandcocaine1129 Because Russian propaganda is so much better?
@@oceanwavesandcocaine1129 actually, he is what western propaganda was saying, he proves everything. they dont want peace, after Ukraine there gonna be Moldova and Baltics. I think that exactly what western propaganda was saying, isnt it? russia is the threat and if russian citizens are unsatisfied with something its only that russia does not kills its neighbors faster
@@TheMusicftw1, Russian propaganda is nothing but lies and nonsense.
I said this to a few people months ago, the WEST doesnt understand how nice Putin really is, some of the leaders in the past would have made Ukraine a car park in one week....but i got called a russophile for this comment, which is fact...
Stay safe Ivan! God bless you and yours with a prosperous and peaceful future as citizens of the World.
this reminds me of journalism, in its old, true form. the impartial inuiry into a story, doing ones best to present every side, as well as doing ones best to not have a side, or at least not let ones bias corrupt the report.
the media may not be dead after all! its spirit lives on in you, as well as a few precious other independents, but the corpse of corporate broadcast news is already well past rigor mortis. its bloated, putrid, and due to be laid to rest.
deepest gratitude for your reporting, cheers.
-azza
That's an excellent point. We used to have reporting on facts and then opinions. Now most journalsts dress opinions up as facts. We have never been so propagandised. All the mainstream news channels have a narrative they stick to.More and more 'honest' journalists are finding themselves isolated.
@@johnwebster5005 its is as you say it is. the money got in the way of the truth, now its only these kind of reporters capable of covering a story
Great work Willy. A conversation that’s going to piss a lot of people off but it’s worth while hearing. Propaganda comes out on both sides and the reality is somewhere in the middle.
The Russian propaganda is nothing but lies, and these lies are all this brainwashed Russian fool believes.
The questions being asked are very insightful and also reveal a lot about Western preconceptions. In the interest of objectivity the same should be leveled towards interviewees from the Western side, e.g., how do you see the massive corruption of the US and EU paying billions towards yet another war without (a) any Western country being threatened and (b) any Western government having declared war against Russia (or for that matter China), any UN resolution regarding sanctions and military measures?
This was a very cordial and frank discussion. We need more of this in general.
Well done Willy, great to have a different perspective on this war👌🏽
exactly bro, sometimes the Western propaganda from these other interviewees gets too cookie cutter
33:20 Just a reminder how freedom of speech is treated in the Ukraine: SBU arrested the American Journalist Gonzalo Lira. The US administration is ignoring calls from western independent journalist's to have Gonzalo Lira released.
really? Gonzalo Lira, are you serios?
Gonzalo Lira the dating coach? Seems he might be able to grow this business whilst behind bars...
@@nicolasolton Nah, he is more in the Caliber of Glen Greenwald, Mat Taibi, Aaron Mate, Max Blumenthal, Joe Rogan, RFK jr, Thomas Roeper, Patrick Lancaster, Colonel Douglas McGregor, Jackson Hinkle and such more, if you get my drift.
@@ernstwiltmann3918 more in the caliber on dirty pijamas vatnik on russian payroll if you catch my drift
@@gr3ma Biden payroll says.
Ignore the hate and continue this type of content . its just fascinating seeing this from the Russian POV. i never thought that they would of gotten benefits upon returning, support from their people, the public saying they should of done the SMO 8 years ago. All these things are new for me
Keep questioning things and not assuming everything. MSM is full of lies and stereotypes. Russians are a civilization and should be respected for that at a minimum. In a few decades many will regret they ever held many of the opinions they once had. I remember people saying "I wish George W. Bush would turn the middle east into glass" before the US invaded Iraq over lies about WMDs. A lot of parallels exist here that many don't realize yet but will in time. By the time most realize it the profit for the few has been made. Humans with a life ahead of them degraded or killed for the conversion of green dollars.
Because who would tell you?? America wants you to believe Russia is a dump.
The West is morally bankrupt. The media only tell you what they are told to tell you. Most of the American politicians pushing this slaughter have ties to weapon companies and are getting rich off the blood of poor Ukraineian sent to their bloodly end on the front, same for the Russian soilders who in my view are on the right side of history why the West is arming a government that openly supports Nazi ideology basically says it all.
As a Russian, I can confidently say that such a position really prevails in the right strata of society. But it's important to understand the context. When they say so, they mean that it was possible to avoid bloodshed and resolve the issue for the most part in the political field. In 2014, the Armed Forces of Ukraine were not so well supplied by NATO. Apparently, our power bloc at that time did not have enough resources to help the Ukrainian authorities with the pacification of radical ultra-left associations. This is a great tragedy for our countries. Most of the population has relatives on both sides.
@@93AAV I second this
I'm surprised I must say. Did seem like it was hard for you tho.. but, Thank you for not acting like most of your side and jumping down his throat. Treating him like he isn't even a human.. just because he is russian.
$83aud for his winter electricity in a place as cold as Russia.
Meanwhile in Australia I can't afford heating or cooling because yet again the private, multinational monopolies that we sold out to put the price up by 25% claiming that the international prices of fuel are high. Even though the fuel used to power our local electricity generators can't even be exported due to technical reasons.
to be fair russia does produce its own fuel so its bound to be relatively cheap compared to many other places.
@@islandwills2778 we produce our own fuel too. In fact in my state the fuel is brown coal, which cannot be exported. So their excuse that prices must rise because of the cost of coal is bullshit.
Russian resources for Russians.
Australian resources for others.
Ребята, мне лень писать на английском, но пишу. Может, переведёте сами. ГазПром рекламирует себя как "народное достояние", но это вам не ОАЭ, где все богаты. Мы, простые люди, от этого достояния получаем только низкую цену на газ и льготную газификацию отдалённых районов страны (да, 21ый век, а в Нашей стране не везде газ и свет, спасибо большевикам, что потратили сто лет истории, чтобы мы сейчас их наверстывали). Вот так. Всем привет.
@@senichars777is everybody rich in the UAE? Those Bangladeshi construction workers would switch lives with you very fast.
I can't believe its taken more than a year for an interview from the "other" side to pop up.
Best interview I've seen so far. If Willy does enough of them, he might start to question what he was told at some point. 😅
He probably had way more connections in Ukraine. He travelled there and knew some guys that came there to fight as far as I know.
@@commanderkatyusha3520the funniest part is Ivan’s expressions when Willy brings up his naive talking points.
One more convo and Willy is getting red pilled.
The West: this war is a battle for democracy and western values
Ivan: it’s amongst Slavs, real greaseball shit
Russia: we want that oil pipeline in Ukraine. Russia is copying America 😂
The war is mostly about survival for ukrainians while for russia its a war of conquest
@@porkerpete7722not even close dude, coming from a Slav
@@porkerpete7722 America copying Russia by providing oil to EU now. Russians don't fight because of old oild pipeline, who cares about that. Russians fight for having fair economic in the world, where any of 2 sides (USA and Russia) can freely offer anything to everyone without geting any sancions. Most of russians ok with west ukraine don't be part of russian lands, as long as they leave Kiev and east ukraine where they must belong. I can see russians fight to liberate Kiev, but I don't see russians fight to liberate Lviv or Krakov, or any baltic countries.
Top notch for giving both sides a voice and saying to hell with the haters.
Brilliant interview Willy, thankfully Ivan did most of the talking so you can save your voice 😄
While I don't agree with him, his mindset, or his opinions on the war and Ukraine as a whole, I do appreciate that he genuinely seems like a decent guy. Very very humanizing in a time when it's so easy to dehumanize the other side of a conflict.
Genuinely can't show you enough appreciation for this interview, Willy, and thank you to Ivan, as well.
And why don't you agree with his opinion? Do you know our history? Or do you know the context of what is happening thousands of kilometers away from you? In fact, you are looking at us through the prism of your propaganda. And in your propaganda everything is subordinated to the interests of your imperialism. You're no better than us. We just interfere with the interests of your government.
I feel the exact way way about Ivan I disagree with some stuff but like him as a human being. I hope he lives well with his family.
Thank you willyOAM your interview with Ivan was conducted with the same respect you gave to the other combatants from the meany different countries who are fighting in Ukraine.
Amazing video Willy please interview more Russian soldiers
Willy this is beyond Gold ! Where can anyone get an honest straight look at Russian viewpoint. Simple folks really. More integrity and frankness than us. Also Russia seems to be more open and poorly controlled than the image we have from Soviet times.
Such an interview is not just rare.. its just not there. That's why this interview is so precious. You have given us insights that all the deep and wide media has not been able to give us. You have managed a miracle. Love you.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Imperial_Movement#:~:text=Imperial%20Legion%20paramilitary,-Patch%20of%20the&text=In%202008%2C%20RIM%20formed%20its,dedicate%20themselves%20to%20defending%20Novorossiya.
Trying to control Russia is like trying to saddle a zebra. Technically possible, but its not exactly domesticated (meant with no disrespect)
Such interviews are rare because the western policy do not allow this (The true democracy and freedom that we always hear). In the US ppl are told that Russia is bad since they are born. U ll even laugh, but i noticed that even in the lion king film (1994), the hyenas were marching like the russian army... The west cannot show that Russia have any good sides especially when the proxy-war is actually led by the US and NATO. I do know lots of channels with millions of watches that were blocked without reasons and deleted just for showing real facts or mostly pro-russian. Any pro-russian channel is automatically demonetizied.
When the war started, i tried to check for the ukrainian Azov batalions, i found many vids from bbc and cnn where they were showing there guys as terrorists. After some months i couldnt find these vids, they were just removed..
Kudos, imagine how a BBC “journalist” would have conducted this interview
Well Wily kind of showed us how the BBC would conduct this interview.
Wily: so you are an imperialist nationalist. We can kind of guess your opinion.
Ivan: LOL actually I would call myself a libertarian.
@@jonathanjacob5453не, вы не правы. Его бы назвали нацистом, а не националистом 😅
Ivan is a lot like myself as a patriotic American. Very eye opening. There is no hate for this man.
The dude is literally a fascist. You have no idea what you just wrote here.
🤘🤙
When he used TX as an example it really hit me hard... as big as Ukraine is, almost anybody in that position would feel the same.. TX is and has been part of the US forever. That being said, still can't approve the invasion but a genuine question would be ... what is the most effective way in preventing such a thing from happening? Keeping in mind, the outside influence of foreign intelligence agencies doing their job and preventing that from happening!? 🧐🤔
@@TheAmlx Just respect people and their choices in places they live. Ukraine people definitely don't want to live under Russian influence(at least most of Ukrainians) and as polish i understand them 100% we also saw what soviet occupation really is. Sadly Russian elites don't care about that and use it to convince others that west is the problem. West is far from being perfect but if i had to choose i would chose CIA over KGB(FSB) and GRU.
@@TheAmlx correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Texas part of Mexico once upon a time?
The aim / narrative is always to dehumanise whoever is the opposition. Hearing their stories and seeing them speak immediately makes them seem just like ordinary people whom it is possible to empathise with and thereby undermines the engineered hate.
First you see them as other because you do not know them.
Then you start seeing them as just normal ordinary people on the other side.
And then as you continue to interact you start hating once again.
Two sides of the same coin, but which side is which?
You should hear the story of people who live in Donbass, the separatists themselves, they truly thought Putin would accept them to rejoin Russia in 2014 after Putin took Crimea but Putin let them down, so they decided they will fight to the last man then
I can empathize with him wanting to save his fellow Russians lives in the war, but no I cannot empathize with him that he has seen the clear evidence that Ukrainians do NOT consider themselves Russian, do NOT want to be part of Russia but he claims the right for Russia to force them to be part of Russia by war.. thereby justifying killing hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians ... and even saying that they can send any amount of millions of Russians to die to do that. He just had new baby he said .. someone's 14 year old twin girls were murdered in a pizza restaurant in Kramatorsk just a few days ago .. a military target that 2 missiles were deliberately launched at? And on and on... Sane people just want Russia to stay behind it's own borders and develop its own economy without threat to it's neighbors.
But he did admit that the Russian State is a completely separate entity from the Russian people. They just focus on their own lives but as if they have to also do whatever the State tells them to do to protect and increase the wealth of the elite businessmen.. even if that means millions of them dying in a war only the elites care for..
The same can be applied to the soldiers of the Wehrmacht. In their mind they defended their german ethnicity, fought the degenerate West and evil jewish Bolsheviks. It became possible for them to change and self-reflect only after the complete surrender.
Normal invader behaviour
aw brother we all want part 3,4,5,6,7,8,9 of Ivan, hes a funny bloke and you done a great job. excited for your next interview, even the mrs said oi let me know when Ivans back!!
some of these other interviewees can be a snoozefest with the stereotypical western propaganda, but Ivan gives us the real, no liberal nonsense at all
Should get the lawyer from Moscow to do the interview too. Maybe together with Ivan.
@@liquidh5226 i was a huge fan of the cocky lawyer, dude was a complete bro!!
@@jasondykstra5257what’s his name I’d love to watch it bro
A level headed man makes for a great interview...
he has explained the Russian thinking very clearly...
top job Willy...
“A levelheaded man…”
You mean “A brainwashed Russian fool…”
Great interview with an articulate, intelligent and well educated man. Thank you
I admire this man for going to war to help the wounded. 🙏 I think there was no "mutiny" from Prighozin, he and Putin conducted an op to catch traitors. This has CIA written all over it. Prighozin & Putin are long time friends,
Looking forward to parts 3 and 4! It is great that you're doing this interview, anyone angry about it is simply a loon.
I think Ivan was spot on with his opinion on why Willy didn't get his accreditation in Russia. Links to the Australian military would definately make the Russians view him as possibly an intellligence risk.
Patrick Lancaster got through fine
@@A_Pineconelol Patrick Lancaster lived in the LPR and is a known Kremlin stooge for gods sake
@@MrTangolizard For you, everyone who defends a different position is an agent of the Kremlin.🤡🤡
@@MrTangolizard He isnt akremlin stooge. He lived there for years. He even married in there.
@@attilamarics3374 he is a paid propagandist
Kudos to Willie.. he carefully avoided any of his own opinions.. the questions he asked he just listened to the answers to them...
Respect to Ivan for taking a chance on Willy, and well done to Willy for letting the man talk. I hope everyone can go home to there own country soon
Well yes, let's hope the russians return to their country soon and lets hope the ukranians still have a country to come home to.
@@lb2791😂 did you not listen to the interview? They believe they are in their country. They bleed for it and don’t plan to go anywhere.
@@jonathanjacob5453 Yes, and they are wrong.
@@jonathanjacob5453, Yes. We listened to this brainwashed Russian fool.
@@lb2791 only if they lose.
Wow, might be the first time I got a Russians perspective without someone pushing back on everything they say. Completely disagree with the guy on almost everything. But as an individual born into this circumstance I can see where he's at. This is a rare thing to see, just emphasizes how hard this war will be to end
Great interview Willy. You are asking also the hard questions and let the other person answer without interrupting and puting words into his mouth. Journalists like you are rare nowdays.
Really great opportunity to hear from the other side. I wish we could have more content like this
With regards the intensity of the war. Many like Prigozhin believes Russia is fighting too gently against the Ukrainian hence the mutiny to change military leadership. Even if Russia pulls out of Ukraine to sign a peace treaty, it will be broken by the west. Just look at the peace treaty signed last year between these two countries and was broken by the UK and US forcing Zelensky to break the peace treaty and continue to fight.
There was no treaty signed last year.
Also just think about what you typed “A peace treaty between Ukraine and Russia will be broken by NATO. The UK and US already broke a peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine” bro you can’t break a treaty you are not a part of, either the treaty your referencing is the Budapest Memorandum which DID involve the US was broken by Russia or you’re blaming the west for some treaty it had no part in falling apart
@nickrhodes9421 Ukraine and US/UK were counterparts of Minsk 1 and 2 accords. They were broken. So what is the point to sign anything with people who have deceived you twise
@@nickrhodes9421 French and German leaders signed the first Minsk agreements as guarantors of the peace deal, when the conflict in Ukraine started 8-9 years ago. Both of them in later interviews stated, that peace was not their motivation. They just needed more time to arm and train Ukraine for the war.
Ukraine was allowed to become an independent country in 1991, the major friction with Russia and Ukraine started, when politicians in Ukraine began dragging it into EU and NATO alliances. Both of them exist to fight Russia, mainly.
You're joking, right? Breaking their promises, genocide, overthrowing governments, starting proxy wars - is literally what both US and the UK foreign policy is all about.
@@nickrhodes9421 The Budapest Memorandum was broken by the US well before Russia thou. It gave guarantees to Belarus and the US ignored them. You cant expect other to keep what you refuse to.
Great interview. I think it's important to understand both sides of the coin. History is often written from the perspective of the victors. We are all human, unfortunately, with different politicians who have different ideology. Great interview this is gold. Thank you Willy and Ivan
Ivan is a brilliant man. He seems genuine, extremely intelligent. I hooe to see him again.
Thank you for this, it’s important we tell the entire story for the sake of humanity. History is a shade of grey not black and white.
You weathered the hate in part 1, a lot more positive comments than negative. You are doing a great job and letting the guest speak is what sets you apart. Thank you Willy.
Strange definition of hate.. someone having a different opinion? Any criticism is vocally having your own opinion it’s not hate.
Agreed. That definition of hate is similar to the leftists take in the US, abroad rn.
@@JD-nf3rd a lot of people were hating on willy for interviewing him
The haters are NAFO basement troglodytes that are on copium 24/7.
@@lukebruce5234yes because when you have nothing but narratives you can’t jeopardize that with facts and logic.
Thank you Willy and Ivan. This was an excellent discussion from two sides of the world. Perhaps because you have both been in the military you understand each other better than most. People are people. Respect where due. Well done.
Thank you Ivan for your perspective. Also we’re beyond thankful you know English. Takes a lot of smarts to be bilingual. Specially in 2 difficult languages.
Willy: Russia is a very corrupt country...
Joe Biden: Hold my beer
Thanks also for the second part. It was eyeopening to hear this as a "westerner". Again also thanks for Ivan to share his point of view to the other side. Lets hope we all learn from hearing the honest opinion from the other side (politically, socioeconomically or even in such a conflict).
@ willy, I hope you find more different people to interview to educate all of us and leave an even more footprint with us. You certainly already did it in my life!
please do not educate yourself that countries have no right to be independent. thats actually wrong
Спасибо за интервью обоим участникам!
Definitely keep in touch with Ivan and do a few more episodes with him.
Good to hear both sides of the coin, well done willy and Ivan
Ivan, respect for your patriotic soul and for fighting for what you believe is right! May God be with you and your family, my Orthodox brother, and may this war end as soon as possible to stop Slavic, Christian bloodshed.
In Ukraine you are not allowed to criticize the government, but Russia is different; we have free speech, as long as we promise to never criticize the government, obviously. If only this guy could hear himself...
Они всё ещё верят, что резню в Буче устроили русские?
Yes. These are known facts...
@@nicolasolton ах да, эти всем известные факты про 40+ полов и виагру в сухпайках
К сожалению верят.. Они же не понимают что Зеля и его команда профессионалы постановок по образованию.. ну и МИ6 конечно подсуетились! Было бы здорово если бы Willy пригласил Артамонова.. Тот бы ему очень четко объяснил что к чему. Но Иван герой! Молодца!
Very good interview! Ivan your English is very good and your easy to understand. Ty Willy for showing another side of things. ♥️🇨🇦
we all need to do more to get this video out into worlds public view
Great stuff Will, but you look disappointed that sanctions aren’t working:) Anyhow, great journalism so thanks !
😆🤣😂❤
Thanks for this and all you do Willy. It's not often that you can get a peek into the minds of participants on both sides of a deadly conflict. A lot of these guys seem like ordinary guys who you'd love to have a beer with. The kinds of guys who'd give you the shirt off their backs and who you'd be proud to stand up for. You'll be remembered as being one of the great ones. And a great humanitarian to boot. I skew Ukrainian myself. I understand that there are many who don't. Just remember that guys like Blinken, Biden, Nuland, Trump, etc. are NOT your friend. Wherever the fuck you live.
Issue isn't whether Biden or Trump are my friends, but Putin being far less of one.
@@johanmetreus1268 No arguments there. Didn't mention him because I figured that it was all too obvious.
@@RubbaDubbaDooskie Yea, I should have been clearer that it's a matter of perspective. As a Swede, I'm in the samme boat as the other countries around Russia.
Krelin's aggression is something that HAS to be dealt with, one way or another... and in relation to that issue, one can't afford about being that picky, if Trump or Biden offers help, we'll take it no questions asked.
That doesn't mean Bay of Pigs or the abandonment of the Marsh-Iraqi after the first Gulf war is forgotten, we're well aware that the support can dry up at the drop of a hat if the White House or Capitolium decides the national interests lies elsewhere.
@@johanmetreus1268 Genom att säga "No arguments there", menade jag att jag höll med. Det är en uselt tillstånd som finns i mitten av de två. Vi kan inte glömma vad de gjorde i Tjetjenien. Vilket område i Sverige kommer du ifrån? Min farfar var från Örsjö.
@@RubbaDubbaDooskie Sveriges mest militäriserade stad, Boden.
I really like this guest, love the Czarist flag in the background. Ive always been a huge fan of Czar Alexander III, he was an incredible ruler. It’s refreshing to hear from a young person who is proud of his heritage and the civilization his ancestors built. Really makes it hurt that guys like him on both sides are being killed every day.
They are being killed because of russian nationalism.
Maybe is the Tzar whom you like.
Whatever you may think of the geopolitical aspect, this man is a hero.
I disagree. The guy is pathetic. Forcing his great schizofascist policies by force is not heroic . Nor is it heroic to rape, pillage and disrupt people who just wish to live in peace and decide their own economic and foreign policy
How is he a hero? By his own admission he is an imperialist. He wants Russia to continue its expansion. Perhaps Russia will expand to where you live. Will he still be a hero if the people you care about die as collateral damage? He's intelligent but very very much an imperialist....just like Nazi Germany or imperialist Japan. Most of the world have moved on from this mindset
@@TryCommonSense2446 I mean, if this was your fellow countrymen, you would understand
@@TryCommonSense2446 and much like America, right?
@@tokcu4eh by how much has US territory increased since the 1990's? Nil I believe. How much has Russia's territory increased over that period? Well they annexed Chechnya, parts of Georgia and parts of Ukraine. So who is really the true imperialist? America is far from perfect but Russia is just a good old fashion colonizer - today!
Really excellent work, Willy. I would like to thank both of you for your patience, respect, and honesty in these interviews.
We need more of this, this is how peace is waged.
I would typically agree with your statement, but after listening to this interview, no middle ground was offered or considered. The Russian sees all of Ukraine as a Russian land, despite history and post-1991 agreements, laws, sovereignty, a separate constitution, internationally recognized borders, etc.
I am a Ukrainian from Bosna i Hercegovina and I support Russia Urrrrraaaa
@@ironknee6879 he never said all of Ukraine tho..
Also, his ability to discuss abstract constructs in a foreign language and to keep his very tenses organised is amazing. I can't do that in a foreign language (but then i avoid it)
Thank you for this interview and thanks to Ivan for giving a Russian perspective with candor and without bitterness.
Part 3 coming soon ??? Keep up the good work you put these idiot journalists to shame mate !
It always good to hear the diffrent sides of the conflict especially from those who do the heavy work.
As an American, my mind can't stop thinking about the recent efforts to control information and influence in my own country. How hard it is to distinguish between news and "opinion" with a casual glance at the news. Forget about unbiased, there is no such thing in mainstream news anymore. There are a lot of layers to this onion, but I feel I have a clearer picture of the Russian mindset now. Great job and as always, you shoot way above your pay grade.
It is even worse in Russia or China.
@@FreeKanalhow would you know that? I think it is best to focus on your own situation.
@@jonathanjacob5453 this is my situation.
@@FreeKanal youre one of those 'concerned citizens' aka paid liars.
Willy, you're the best war journalist out there for interviewing both sides with equal respect. Kudos for asking some of those awkward questions and letting the guy use his own words to answer.
I can certainly think of a few journalists who would have just interrupted over and over and tried stuffing their own words into his mouth, but not you. Man of integrity and genuine curiosity.
And many thanks to Ivan for being brave enough to appear and being so generous in giving us his time.
Always 2 sides to a story. Thanks, Willy, for sticking your neck out and thanks, ivan, for sharing
He is a Russian giving his perspective of the country he lived in all his life, but that perspective does not fit the narrative of what the rest of the world is being forced to believe. Hats off to you Willie though your questions show your own bias your attempt at objectivety says a lot about your character.
Thank you Willy & Ivan! Great interview!
God Bless Ivan from Detroit.
Your character has, itself, spoken to others internationally! You've stayed true to your conscience and are reaping the awards, finally!!!
Can't say enough good things about your impeccable journalistic talent🤗🤩
Thank you so much for creating this opportunity for the world😁!
🇷🇺 🇷🇺 🇷🇺
Great work Willy, it’s very interesting and refreshing to get the perspective from the Russian side. I’m hoping more of these Russian warriors decide to come on to your channel.
Very interesting to hear a Russian soldiers perspective on all these different issues. Would love to hear more from him in the future.
Great content, Willy. Look forward to seeing more interviews on the channel. Thanks.
You learn by listening....not by speaking.Great to get the perspective and views of one Russian soldier and his motivation. You cant disagree with anothers option if you dont listen to his option.. Great job Willy.
Thank you for the interview!
I just cannot understand how someone can be on the wrong side of history when fighting Nazis in Ukraine and in the West?
The naZis are from Russia...
Man that was absolutely fascinating & enlightening (both parts) Excellent journalism. I thought sincerely a good natured & likable person..
Also from the little bits he spoke of quite modestly about his actions on the battlefield the guy's hero..
(Assuming of course it's all true, & in my opinion he came off as very honest & genuine. a real good bloke or 'comrade' maybe, but did look honest to me)
Very brave no doubt, strongly principled man, but still humble.
I got the strong impression if you know the type of guy.. super loyal, the kinda guy that once you get to know or serve alongside become a mate then regardless of background/beliefs if you're part of his from his town in his circle, crew, unit, team family he would do just anything for you.. your enemies are my enemies if you know that kinda guy i mean ferociously loyal to his own but don't cross them you want to be on the side against them or their mates
But Thats totally my assumption & means nothing though just really reminds of a few guys I've known & especially in the forces.
It was a great interview really well done.. possibly could have pushed back or drilled down on a couple of his statements & beliefs but i don't mean to criticise coz you really put out something great here and i can imagine how difficult such an interview is where you have to walk a fine line between getting an amicable rapport making them comfortable enough to talk openly & share honestly whilst yourself listening with an open mind to their experiences, letting them speak their point of view, being firm but not pushing to the point of annoying or pi**ing off the person.
And yeah mate definitely I thought you did amazing with this one Willy.. truly good work mate.
It did leave me feeling a bit sad.. some of what he believes just a few of the things he said its a shame that is how he looks at the world around and it's a real shame i think for the many people there must be in Russia..
Good people, innocent people young & old who through no fault of their own have just been kind blocked off from a better standard of free flowing information.. then grown up in a society determined to indoctrinate it's people to believe in a view of the world, of the West & of it's close neighbours that leads inevitably on a path to conflict of some form, to subjugation, misery, suffering and sadly has brought us to war with no end in sight and death for thousands and counting.
On the other hand this is not just a problem in Russia here today. it's something that happens to greater or lesser degree in every society in the world it has always happened throughout history and is happening to some degree all through our own societies today and it will carry on forever.
It is up to us as individuals to look at information ourselves.
listen as much as possible to all sides of any debate.
& take in all opinions indiscriminately then think hard before making up your mind.
Always pay attention to history you can never get enough valuable lessons from history it's a tremendous source for everyone and it something we are so lucky to have preserved and now at our fingertips any time.
An enormous list of examples of stupid mistakes or errors in judgement we can look at and see the possibil consequences or examples of great things done by great people we can take example from.
All this information we have to help us make our mind up.
Be careful what you believe.. look around yourself if you care enough to have a strong opinion on something..
& Always be willing to change your mind.
I look forward to the next one & hope you speak to him again. all else aside, good bloke enjoyed & listening to him.
Thanks again mate.
All the best.
Good day Willy, I hope you have good luck with the specialist appointment. Thanks for the interview.
Willy and Ivan are class gents. Ivan, if you see this, you are a brave soul and a good father
Yet he sets a not-so-good example for his children by going to war of conquest against his so-called "Slavic brothers"
@@CKOTOBODНе завоевательную, а успокоительную. Успокаивая бесов)
@@CKOTOBODwhat conquest is it exactly? NATO made a deal with Russia, NATO broke that deal and attempted putting nuclear weapons in Ukraine, russia defended itself from a real threat and remember the Cuban missile crisis? If you think that was right then you can’t say Russia doing the exact same is wrong. I’m not Russian or Slavic I can just see truth
Thank you Willy and Ivan. I appreciate you both sharing your time.
Excellent interview. I saw both parts of it.
The russian was very good in articulating the arguments and ideas.
This truly help all of us to understand the war with more perspective
Interesting interview, thanks for giving the oportunity for a person with an other perspective of the war to tell his story and side of things.
Great interview Willy, good to hear from Ivan a medic and his point of view. We are all not that different. Take care Lionel