Battalion Commander ONYSHCHUK: “Tension in Kuwait has eased”

While anti-Iraq coalition troops exult over the seizure of Baghdad, the personnel of the 19th Detached CBR Warfare Battalion of Ukraine’s Western Operational Command, now stationed at Camp Arifjan, 125 kilometers away from the nearest Iraqi-Kuwaiti border, are still on standby alert. Under what conditions are they fulfilling their humanitarian mission? What is the overall situation in Kuwait? These and other questions are the subject of an interview The Day conducted on a special telecommunication line with the battalion commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Yury ONYSHCHUK.

“Would you comment on the battalion’s daily routine and living conditions?”

“The battalion’s personnel has already acclimatized. I would say the living and service conditions are quite good. The only trouble is that outdoor temperature is gradually rising: now it is 35 degrees Celsius. Yet, we have already got used to this. On the whole, the public health situation is satisfactory, without any excesses.”

“What about food?”

“There is no letup in food supplies. You shouldn’t worry about that. We have four meals a day. The menu includes soups, the main course, and desserts... In other words, we have everything and are satisfied with everything.”

“The Ukrainian media reported the other day you will soon have neighbors executing a similar mission...”

“We don’t have any such information, and nobody but our battalion is here.”

“The newspaper Izvestiya wrote twenty-seven Czech servicemen wished to leave Kuwait for home. Are there similar attitudes in the Ukrainian battalion?”

“There are no such attitudes in our battalion. We are on a humanitarian mission on the territory of Kuwait and take no part in any hostilities. But, of course, you always miss home.”

“Is there any linkup with your homeland?”

“Yes, there is. The personnel can get in touch with their children, wives, and other relatives. This can be done four times a day at a special time. So everything is OK in this area.”

“What do you do besides being on duty?”

“We do scheduled exercises in special combat training in the same rhythm as at home. So the daily routine does not in fact differ from that in Ukraine.”

“The common perception is that your mission is different to those fulfilled by the Ukrainian military under the UN aegis.”

“Our mission is in fact no different at all. The same applies to the tasks we were assigned.”

“Do you receive information about the operations near Baghdad? Is there any news? When do you think the war will be over?”

“I cannot say or forecast when the war will be over because I haven’t been initiated into the relevant plans. The information we get is the same that you have. We receive all kinds of news on TV, and what we see does not in general differ from the news you get.”

“Do you expect Iraq to deploy weapons of mass destruction? Is there any threat to Kuwait’s civilian population?”

“We are always prepared for possible complications and action. It is not ruled out that weapons of mass destruction will be used. Yet, tension has eased now, and I personally don’t think there is any serious danger of these weapons being deployed.”

“Have you been in touch with the military from other countries? For example, with the Americans...”

“Yes. We discuss CBR defense and other military topics.”

“Are the Ukrainian servicemen much inferior to the Americans?”

“That’s the wrong way to put the question. We examine each other closely.”

“Can you say the Ukrainian servicemen have now an opportunity to fulfill, at least partially, their duties?”

“There are many opportunities to show what we are capable of. Even if weapons of mass destruction have not been deployed, we can show that we can work professionally. And we are trying to do this in the best possible fashion.”