Luis Felipe López Álvarez: "There is no money to pay for life, Spanish volunteers go to Ukraine because of ideals and life experience"
The arrival in Ukraine of hundreds of volunteers who go there to fight against the invasion of the Russian army is a reality that is often not deservedly covered by the media. Luis Felipe López Álvarez, professor of Administrative Law at the Universidad a Distancia de Madrid (UDIMA) and volunteer reservist captain in the Spanish Army, talks about how to contact the Ukrainian authorities, how to integrate and the Spanish presence in Ukraine on the programme "De cara al mundo" on Onda Madrid with Javier Fernández Arribas.
First of all, condolences for the death of the Spanish volunteer in Ukraine. What happened?
The normal thing that happens in these circumstances has happened. There is no Spanish side and absolutely nothing has been organised with regard to sending volunteer military personnel to fight. Nor, I believe, is there going to be any official sending of volunteer personnel to participate in rescue or relief work, such as the Red Cross. So these are sad things, but they are to be expected.
The Spanish voluntary reserve, as far as I am aware of these things, assumes this risk, but it is not normal for this to happen: there has to be a fatal, unforeseen and uncontrolled accident for this kind of thing to happen.
As far as I know, the assistance of these volunteers to fight in the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been organised, but it has been strictly organised from Ukraine and on the basis of the embassies. So, any listener can search on the Internet for "how to volunteer to fight in Ukraine" and see how, through the Ukrainian consulates and embassies in the various countries of the European Union and the rest of the world, you can get access. One goes there, shows one's willingness, brings one's ID card, is given a short interview at the embassy itself, and is told what kind of material to bring.
It is significant that sometimes it is asked whether you are carrying equipment such as bullet-proof waistcoats or protective gear. I was struck by the fact that if you have military clothing, you are told to bring it, so it seems to be a desperate call from Ukraine to get people to go there.
If you decide to enlist, you do so voluntarily at your own risk. Spain is supplying absolutely nothing, which also makes sense because in a way helping to send troops there would mean taking sides, and in principle Spain is part of NATO and there is a unity of action. So it was to be expected that sooner or later these things would unfortunately happen.
Yes, in our experience we have seen several cases. In Bosnia, there was Spain's institutional participation within the United Nations, but there were also some volunteers who enlisted in order, for example, to participate in the defence of Sarajevo. In this sense, the work and contribution of these Spanish volunteers, who also have experience in Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon, is highly appreciated in this type of conflict.
Yes, they are not so much reservists as professionals. As such, I consider myself privileged. My current unit is the parachute squadron of the Air Force, a special operations unit. And there, when we have the chance to operate, the truth is that it's a real pleasure. First of all because of the welcome given by our own colleagues in the unit, those who are strictly military, and then to see the level, the perception and the high level of training that they have. Also, and with reference to my colleagues, I know how the special operations command of the Army has worked, especially the Green Berets, who have a preparation that is valued all over the world.
So, these people are becoming available, for example, because they are on holiday or because they ask for a temporary suspension and they are allowed, because professional soldiers have to communicate if they go abroad and they have to be authorised, above all, when they go on this type of mission. These people are going at their own risk. It is true that they carry the baggage of the Spanish army and how things are done, which are done very well, and for the forces that are fighting there it is a luxury.
These people are always labelled as mercenaries, as people who go there for money, and so on. I think that, in most cases, at least from the people I've met, it's not about that, but they are volunteers who know and understand that defence has a high cost and that someone has to do it. And therefore it is very commendable that they go there and that they contribute their professionalism and their knowledge to help these noble and just causes.
That's what I was going to ask you, whether there is a vocation for certain values, systems or values or whether it is more for money or for other things, but should they have some kind of Spain or does Spain have to be disciplined within the Atlantic Alliance and cannot interfere in that sense?
I don't think it's really so much about money, because that's the least of it and because there's no money to pay for life, and many people who go there, moreover, don't have family responsibilities, because normally they don't. If it is seen as an opportunity to go and solve the problems of my family's life, well, that's good, but normally it doesn't happen, nor is it paid for.
The mercenary organisations go the other way, they are perfectly organised and their jobs are on a par with those of the military and their companies. I know people like that, very good people, and they do care about money, but in the end it's more about idealism, the defence of a series of values that are understood to be noble and not wanting to stay at home, something similar to what happens to volunteer reservists, but in a much more specific case and assuming greater risks, and perhaps for the defence of a society that is not your own. Then, many also go for the life experience, to experience something new and that perhaps only happens once in a lifetime. I have seen these two types of motivations, and also on almost equal terms. Half go for ideals, and the other half, almost in the majority, are professional military to gain combat experience.
As to whether Spain should go, that is a complicated issue, because Spain in NATO has no choice but to obey what we are told. On the other hand, as the JEMAD said in Congress a few years ago, the Spanish Armed Forces are very limited in terms of resources. So you can't encourage people either because you can't support them or provide them with anything at all. I am referring specifically to the material that was sent, which was criticised because it was faulty. In the end, the equipment that had to be sent in perfect condition was sent, but what was sent was very little, in particular the C-90s, which is something like the old bazookas that were used in the Second World War against tanks. That weapon is quite effective and has been very highly rated. But our armed forces are very limited from an operational point of view, we have very limited resources, and, as I said, the JEMAD warned in Congress that either we take it seriously or we could have a bad time here. And here we have threats that I believe are not going to materialise, because no matter how much we say and no matter how much we threaten, the attacks we receive are asymmetric warfare attacks, as they say, the jumping of the fence by young people and so on, which are circumstances in which the Armed Forces and the ordinary authorities should not intervene because that is when you actually create a problem. From the point of view of the threat from the south, that is the issue, more social, diplomatic and police problems.
