This Ukrainian lawmaker has built a reconnaissance and sabotage team to target Russian forces. His ultimate goal: free his family village from Russian control.
Ukrainian Col. Roman Kostenko stands in a redbrick farmhouse with a gaping hole in one of the walls. This is where Kostenko taught soldiers how to set explosives.MYKOLAIV, Ukraine — A Ukrainian reconnaissance team darts through a valley, hiding behind stacks of tires and firing at red, steel targets as far as a football field away. The bullets frequently find their mark with a loud clang and a flash of sparks.
Kostenko, 38, grew up east of here, in southern Ukraine's Kherson region. To appreciate what Ukrainians are fighting for, consider his situation:"The village where I was born and raised is now under Russian occupation," he says. Russia installed its own government in Kherson, which plans to ask Moscow to declare the region Russian territory. It's a sign Russia could try to annex a vast area — including Kostenko's family village.
Kostenko won a seat in parliament in 2019, where he serves as secretary of the defense committee. Soon after the Russians invaded, he reached out to his old compatriots from the battle in the Donbas and formed the recon team, which now operates as part of the armed services. Kostenko still works full-time as a lawmaker, but travels down here to spend some of his time working with the team.Among them are a truck driver, a car mechanic, a security guard and a farmer.
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