A 20-year-old Turkish man from northwestern Trabzon province shared details of his experience fighting for the Ukrainian army in an interview with the Serbestiyet news website, explaining his motivations, compensation and use of controversial symbols.
Eyüp Görkem Yılmaz, born in 2004, joined the Ukrainian army a year ago and has been serving in the conflict against Russian forces in the Zaporizhzhia region. He survived a Russian assault on October 10, which left him with minor injuries, including a concussion. Despite his injuries, he told Serbestiyet that he plans to continue his service, saying he feels bound to defend Ukraine due to his “adopted family” connections there, including Crimean Tatars. Yılmaz, who said he sees himself as a nationalist, cited this connection as part of his motivation to enlist, saying, “Turk should protect Turk; a Turk has no friend but a Turk,” in the belief that Crimean Tatars are Turks.
The interview, marked by Yılmaz’s controversial statements, has drawn attention due to his use of Nazi and Free Syrian Army (FSA) symbols, which he claimed he uses “for fun.” He clarified that he is not a Nazi supporter, adding that the FSA insignia was a gift from a friend. Yılmaz downplayed any ideological affiliation with these symbols, framing their usage as a form of “entertainment.”
Yılmaz described his earnings in Ukraine, where he makes roughly $4,800 a month if he remains on the front line for the duration. He said he spends most of his earnings on online game add-ons and military equipment, including purchases for the popular computer game CS.
Addressing his critics, Yılmaz did not hold back, labeling his detractors with explicit language and associating them with groups or ideologies he opposes, including left-wing factions and those he perceives as pro-Palestinian. In discussing his prejudices, he indicated that while he has animosity toward Arabs, he said he does not target children.
In the same interview Yılmaz expressed support for Turkey’s far-right Victory Party, an anti-refugee party, citing its nationalist values as aligning with his views.
The war between Ukraine and Russia, which has been ongoing since the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and escalated with the Russian invasion in 2022, has attracted volunteers and fighters from around the world, including far-right groups and individuals motivated by ideological or nationalist beliefs.
On the Ukrainian side, far-right groups such as the Azov Regiment have been both controversial and visible, often in the spotlight for their nationalist and occasionally extremist affiliations. At the same time, Russia has similarly recruited from far-right and ultranationalist circles, including groups with ideologies supporting Russian supremacy or irredentism.
Participants from different nations align with or against these forces, each bringing different motives ranging from defending sovereignty to advancing personal or ideological agendas.