How Two Marine Vets Got Pulled Into Ukraine’s War

About this video

Two Marine veterans describe their initial trip to Ukraine in the early days of the 2022 war, which began as a mission to bring a fellow Marine named Yuri home to see his mother. The guests recount how they crossed the border with medical supplies purchased from roadside pharmacies, connected with local Ukrainian forces, and ended up training newly enlisted Ukrainian soldiers who lacked uniforms and proper equipment. What started as a personal mission evolved into founding what became Overwatch Ukraine, an organization providing aid and training.

Key takeaways

• The guests explain their mission began simply as bringing Yuri home to Ukraine but evolved when a local Ukrainian military colonel asked them to conduct site surveys and train newly enlisted soldiers
• The guests describe training company-sized groups of Ukrainian volunteers who had enlisted during the first weekend of the war, many without uniforms, weapons, or military experience, some using sticks as training rifles
• The guests recount operating in extremely cold conditions during day four of the war, purchasing medical supplies from roadside pharmacies during an eight-hour drive to the border, and staying at Yuri’s family home while air raid sirens sounded

Episode details: published August 25, 2025 · 19.9K views · 18:40 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

← Previous: The SEAL Team Op That Took Down Noriega · Next: A Green Beret’s First-Hand Account of Operation Viking Hammer | Ep. 254 →

All Mike Ritland videos · Mike Ritland profile · Mike Drop (official site)