Among the remarkable people from around the world who came to Ukraine in the first months of Russia’s full-scale invasion to defend the country with weapons in their hands as part of the International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was Ben Grant, the son of British Conservative MP Helen Grant. A former UK Sports Minister and adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2022, Helen Grant later learned of her son's decision only after he had already arrived in Ukraine.
A 30-year-old former Royal Marine and Afghanistan veteran, Ben Grant traveled to Ukraine on March 10, 2022, shortly after the full-scale invasion began. He did so secretly, without informing his mother in advance.
In May 2022, Ben Grant and his comrades rescued fellow British volunteer Dean Arthur, who had been seriously wounded during a Ukrainian counteroffensive north of Kharkiv. Thanks to their quick actions and the efforts of doctors in Kyiv, Arthur’s leg was saved.
In an interview at the time, Dean Arthur said that fighting for Ukraine was an honor and described Ukrainians as “a great people,” praising the courage of Ukrainian soldiers.
> “These guys are really fighting. They come into this as underdogs and they win. They do it every day, relentlessly. Not just the soldiers on the front line, but the volunteers, the hospitals, everyone,” he told The Telegraph.
Russian media also wrote about Ben Grant in his role as a commander of a group of foreign volunteers fighting for Ukraine, unsurprisingly portraying him in a negative light.
That likely did little to concern Grant himself. From the beginning, he believed he was fighting on the side of what he saw as justice and freedom. Despite the risks, he was prepared to continue until Ukraine prevailed.
For him, the war was not only about territory—it was about values and human lives. Explaining why he came to Ukraine in March 2022, Grant said he made the decision after watching footage of a Russian strike on a residential building and hearing a child screaming in the background.
> “I’m a father of three children, and if those were my children, I know what I would do—I would go and fight.”
And so he came to fight for Ukraine.
Many Ukrainians remain grateful to him, as they are to all those who have defended Ukraine during the war. 🇺🇦🇬🇧
@SpencerHakimian To commit the largest theft in world history. The amount of public and other funds siphoned off by Trump Inc, the insider trading, the “donations”, the “gifts”. It is extraordinary.
@ShereleMoody@Dazzaat Well done Liberals. Your campaign is partially funded by a misogynist who makes his living from selling women’s bodies. Creepy AF.
@RichardAngwin@bradthegunn Under Trump the US would have been on the side of Nazi Germany and Russia, not Europe and the British Commonwealth countries.
@LongTimeHistory@kshimm72 If you try to enter the US to play or watch a sport you have to accept border screening & risk of ICE detention. I wouldn’t go there while the fascists are purging US institutions of black people, women and people of different faiths. Politics & sport are separate right? 😂😂😂
@philmupp1 Tones is back in charge of the Liberals and it shows. They are keeping low company again to fund the same old tactics that saw them cast out into the political wilderness by voters.
Albania has officially drawn the
line, Sazan 'lsland is being cleared. In an stunning turn of events, Albanian authorities have
launched an active enforcement operation to kick
out foreign developers and private security
personnel occupying Sazan Island. The decisive
action marks a total collapse of the controversial €1.4 billion luxury real estate deal that aimed to turn the protected national marine reserve and
former military base into an exclusive private playground for global elites,
The eviction comes after four consecutive weeks of historic
hundred-thousand-strong protests that completely
shut down the capital city of Tirana, refusing to allow their native coastlines and ecologically sensitive wetlands to be privatized by foreign
investors, the Albanian public unified under a
single, unyielding demand: "Albania is not for sale, the courts faced with a historic political crisis, mounting
domestic fury, and a widening anti-corruption
investigation by special prosecutors (SPAK), the
government was forced to pivot, by deploying state forces to reclaim Sazan lsland, Albania has
sent a clear message to international billionaires
and foreign developers trying to bypass environmental protection laws, This historic victory for citizen-led activism proves that the collective voice of a nation can successfully overpower backroom corporate deals and protect sovereign land.
The people spoke, and the
government had to listen.
Barnaby Joyce reportedly texted Paul Sakkal before #Insiders to explain his home-confiscation train-wreck interview.
He said it happened because the policy wasn't on the ON website.
No shit - One Nation policy detail doesn't exist.
This is the story. Do your job journalists.
@philmupp1@gliderdrew He needs to spend less time with his glam squad and more time actually getting across issues. We never learn anything useful from his interviews. They are mind numbingly formulaic.
@Mistress_Walks@OlenaRohoza They then fired upon civilians in boats rescuing people and their animals from drowning. About as low an act of cowardice as you can go.
🚨NEWS: Scientists Were Handcuffed At A Medical Conference.
Researchers and physicians attending the American Diabetes Association conference in New Orleans were reportedly detained and removed while distributing a paper criticizing cuts to federal research funding.
Think about that for a second.
Scientists were not accused of sabotaging research.
They were sharing research.
If the reports are accurate, the question isn’t whether you agree with their conclusions.
It’s why distributing a scientific paper resulted in handcuffs.
Schwedens Spezialpolizei hat den Chef des Aluminium-Schmelzwerks Kubal in Sundsvall verhaftet – wegen Sanktionsverletzungen. Kubal gehört Rusal – Putins Lieblingskonzern. Dasselbe Rusal das in Irland die Alumina-Fabrik Aughinish in Co. Limerick besitzt. Schwedische Steuerbehörden in einem vertraulichen Bericht: Oligarch Oleg Deripaska – unter EU-Sanktionen wegen Unterstützung von Russlands Kriegsmaschinerie – kontrolliert Rusal noch immer. Irlands Taoiseach Martin: Sanktionen gegen Aughinish wären „selbstzerstörerisch." OCCRP hat nachgewiesen dass irisches Aluminium über Rusal in russische Raketen fließt. Schweden verhaftet. Irland schaut weg.
Micheál Martin ist grundsätzlich pro-ukrainisch und pro-EU. Aber hier steckt er in einer klassischen Zwickmühle:
475 direkte Jobs in Aughinish. Mehrere hundert indirekte. Foynes und Askeaton – kleine Städte die komplett von der Fabrik abhängen. Wenn Aughinish schließt – sterben diese Gemeinden.
Das ist keine böse Absicht. Das ist das klassische Problem wenn Russland seine Abhängigkeiten tief in europäische Volkswirtschaften eingebaut hat.
Es schmerzt wenn man sie herausreißt.
Aber Schweden zeigt: Man kann handeln. Kubal hat auch Jobs. Trotzdem haben sie verhaftet. Europäische Verantwortung. https://t.co/eQPzzXy1Bf 🇸🇪🇮🇪🇷🇺🇪🇺🇺🇦