Behind enemy lines Saboteurs take the fight into Russia

Taras, Vladyslav, and their commander, Olexiy, understand that, if the worst were to happen, the Ukrainian government will deny any knowledge of them. In western capitals, there is a collective shudder at the very thought of them.

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They are members of Bratstvo battalion, a volunteer group of Ukrainian special forces, taking the fight against Vladimir Putin beyond the frontlines of the war in Ukraine, past the occupied areas of their country – and deep into Russia.

Their work ranges from the kidnapping of senior Kremlin officials, to the destruction of key military infrastructure and the downing of enemy aircraft on Russian territory.

It might seem odd for a battalion such as theirs to allow their stories to be heard. But that is to misunderstand their purpose. In everything they do, there is a single message they want to send. “It is very easy for us to cross the Russian border,” said Vladyslav, 21.

The volunteers of the Bratstvo, Ukrainian for brotherhood, have a peculiar status, technically independent from Ukraine’s army but operating alongside the official forces. Their arm’s-length status offers deniability.

Olexiy, 39, was in “intelligence”, he said, but the battalion recruits mainly civilians, or plucks the brightest from other voluntary battalions. He understood why their work must remain apart. The reasoning is nevertheless hard for them all to swallow.

It comes down to the west’s nervousness at the thought of Ukraine having the capacity to hit Russia in Russia, as highlighted by the debate over Germany’s provision of Leopard 2 tanks, and the refusal of the US and others to supply F16 fighter jets. Much of that anxiety is probably linked to the Kremlin’s threat to use nuclear weapons if the “ very existence of the state is put under threat”.