A decorated US veteran who volunteered to fight off Vladimir Putin's Russian forces in Ukraine has said his experience of war is "nothing like this".
Tyler, 30, flew to the war torn country two weeks ago to serve with the International Legion of Defense of Ukraine reports Coffee or Die.
Based in Kyiv, the frontline Afghanistan veteran has now seen a taste of what Russia has to offer and says his own experiences with the Taliban pale in comparison.
He said: "What I experienced in Afghanistan was nothing like this. It would be much easier to die here than in Afghanistan; the Russians have some heavy firepower."
Despite suffering heavy losses on their campaign so far, there have been no signs as of yet that Putin's forces will stop their invasion.
This, and the prospect of fighting with his Ukrainian colleagues, has put the reality of Tyler's warning in stark perspective for him but he is not fazed.
He continued: "I’m not here to f*** around. I know exactly what I’m getting into.
"I spent a lot of time and money creating a will before I left for Ukraine. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe this was worth dying for. To be a good soldier, you have to be willing to say goodbye.”
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As the war has developed, there have been countless tales of plucky Westerners flying out to the country to offer their assistance only to be rejected.
Infamously, brave Brit Leon Dawson answered Ukrainian President's Voldymr Zelensky's call for foreign fighters only to be told by Ukrainian officials he is more of a liability than a help.
This and the actions of what Tyler calls "bona fide war tourists" is why he believes anyone who travels to help should be willing to die.
He said: "Understand the risks — this is not a safe place. If you haven’t made out a will, and if you aren’t willing to risk your life, you shouldn’t be here.”
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