As of: February 23, 2024, 10:37 p.m
By: Klaus Rimpel
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Oleksii Goncharenko sits for the opposition in the Ukrainian parliament.
When the Russian attack began, he immediately took up arms.
Munich – Tomorrow, Saturday, will be the second anniversary of Russia's attack on Ukraine.
The war is still raging with the same severity and there is no solution in sight.
Oleksii Goncharenko (44) picked up a weapon immediately after the attack and fought for Ukraine.
Goncharenko is an opposition member of the Ukrainian Parliament and President of the Parliamentary Assembly for Migration, Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons in the Council of Europe.
The politician, who lives in Odessa, was a guest at the Munich Security Conference last weekend.
We spoke to him on the phone after his return to Ukraine.
A conversation about the difficult situation in Ukraine and the role of Germany.
How did you experience February 24, 2022?
I will never forget this day as long as I live.
It was parliament week and the day before I gave a speech in the parliament in Kiev, where I said to Putin: If you attack Ukraine, we will not greet you with flowers, but with guns.
So it was clear to us that this could happen - but personally I had believed that there was a big attack in the east.
I didn't expect that the Russian army would attack Kiev and the entire country.
Goncharenko had “no military experience at all” before the Ukraine war
How did you find out about the Russian attack?
My wife, who was in Odessa with our children, woke me up with a call at five in the morning.
She told me that there were explosions in Odessa.
And then I heard explosions in Kiev too - and it was clear to me that a major invasion was underway.
At seven o'clock all the representatives gathered in Parliament and we voted for the declaration of martial law and general mobilization.
When it became clear that the Russians were marching on Kiev, some MPs, including me, decided to arm ourselves and fight.
Do you have military training?
I had no military experience at all, but we felt obliged to defend Kiev.
I was given a Kalashnikov and joined a territorial defense battalion, where I was a member for five weeks.
I myself did not have to fight on the front line, but accompanied evacuation convoys and was at checkpoints.
But I also came under Russian fire.
Some of my battalion died or were injured.
And some are still fighting.
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Oleksii Goncharenko in front of buildings destroyed by Russia in the Ukraine war.
(Archive photo) © Luis Alves/Imago
You have children – how do you explain to them that there is suddenly a war?
I have two boys who were three and 15 years old when the war began.
Since I was in Kiev and not with them, I was very worried.
My wife decided to flee by car to western Ukraine, where she has relatives.
But the older son didn't want to leave his friends and his school.
It was difficult.
My family then stayed in western Ukraine for a month and a half, then returned to Odessa - until today.
Going abroad was never an option for her.
How do the children deal with the war?
Last summer, when I was at a playground in Odessa with my then four-year-old son, there was suddenly an air raid alarm.
Explosions were heard in the city.
I was very afraid for my child - but he tried to calm me down: Dad, don't worry, they are ours.
He heard from the sound of the rockets that they were Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles!
And he was right!
That shocked me.
I wish that your children never have to learn the difference between the sound of attack and anti-aircraft missiles.
What do you think about Ukrainian men fleeing to Germany to avoid military service?
I try not to condemn it, even if I don't think it's a good decision.
I realize that not everyone is able to fight.
But even if you don't want to fight, you can help your country in other ways - caring for refugees or the wounded, doing important work for society.
Everyone should do their part.
What is the situation in Odessa today?
It's completely unpredictable.
The heaviest bombings occurred last summer when Putin tried to destroy the port of Odessa, which is vital for grain exports.
Three weeks ago a building that was only about 400 meters from my house was hit.
And last summer it hit my neighbor's home.
Ukrainian ex-soldier demands that Germany take a leadership role
With Ukraine increasingly running out of arms and ammunition, will Vladimir Putin try to conquer Kiev again this year?
Nobody knows, everything is possible.
I am not a military expert, but I believe that the Russian army does not have the military capacity for this.
But things will be difficult in eastern Ukraine.
In Germany there are big discussions about the Taurus delivery.
Why does Ukraine need this missile system?
Taurus is extremely important for us because we have to attack Russian logistics, which are far behind the front line.
This is the only way we can save as many lives as possible.
This third year of invasion will be very hard for us.
Our strategy is: defense, not a new offense.
We don't want any country to send us soldiers - we defend ourselves. But to do that we have to protect our soldiers as best as possible.
What do you expect from Chancellor Olaf Scholz?
The Germans should understand us better than many other Europeans, because part of Germany was occupied by Russians until 1989.
After the USA, Germany is the country that helps us the most, for which we are very grateful.
With the US largely paralyzed by the election campaign, someone has to take the lead - and Germany, as a strong, large country, could do that.
I hope Germany will do that.
Interview: Klaus Rimpel