>> this is "focus on europe." nice to have you with us today. it's been more than 10 weeks since russia invaded ukraine. though putin may have expected a blitzkrieg, his army is advancing slower than many anticipated, meeting fierce resistance from ukrainian forces, and, volunteers from abroad are signing up to fight putin's army. up to 20,000 foreign men and women are estimated to have joined kyiv's units. among them, people like kapon,

a young south american who feels compelled to defend ukraine. he's joined by like-minded people from across the world, some of whom have never held a gun before. others have experience in the trenches. the international volunteers are aware of the savagery that awaits them, some more than others. our reporter accompanied kapon on his journey to the frontlines. ♪ >> there has been a lot of bombing -- left, right, and above, everywhere. [gunfire] >> i know i'm going there for a good reason. and if i don't see my family, my friends, and the people i love here on this earth again, i have faith that i will meet them after death. ♪ >> in ukraine, it's not just ukrainians who are fighting. thousands of people from abroad have joined the battle.

who are they? and why are they doing it? >> if i'm needed to help my comrades at the frontline, i'll go there. if i'm needed to take care of civilians, i'll do tt. whater job the legion gives me, i'll do it. >> "kapon," as he calls himself, is from latin america. for security reasons, we don't disclose his exact location he is preparing to leave his home. kapon tells me he works as a paramedic. he seems to have plenty of friends. overall, his life seems pretty normal to me. in our first online encounter, kapon doesn't reveal his identity yet. he wants to join the army as a combat medic.

i saw these terrible images of how they attacked civilian zones with missiles, people dying in their apartments, and attacks against humanitarian corridors. i saw so many terrible images of suffering civilians, includinchildren. and it broke my heart to see them. d as a pamedic, i have the skills to help them. i know i have something to he still lives with his parents. he says his father even offered him money to stay. but a few days later, it's time to leave. his friends throw a farewell party. ♪ >> sandra from norway has already joined the ukrainian army. they refer me to her.

the life she depicts on social media is not for the faint of heart. she used to be a fisher, then served as a representative for her ethnic group, the sami people. she tells me that after that, she trained as a combat medic. now, she says, she's on the frontlines. ♪ >> first of all, it's a moral obligation. this is me base. it's in europe. we owehem. so if you can help, you should. >> on her social media account, she poses with weapons. ♪ she tells me she has no qualms about using her gun. >> well, it is what it is. it's your job. it's what you have to do. so it's the one who fires rst.

that's how it goes. we are not the attackers, we are the defends. are not the one crossing any borders. they did. >> kapon flies to krakow in poland, close to the ukrainian border. temperatures in eastern europe have just dipped to near freezing, a climate that kapon has never experienced before. i join him for the next leg of his journey. the first stop, a military shop. he still needs a bullet-proof vest, since he isn't sure whether the army provides one. >> do you have body armour? no? but another you have? no.five point eleven? no no no we don't have. he decides to go without body armour. but isn't that a suicide

mission? >> it would be good to have one. but even with a vest, the bullets come through. so the only thing i can do is hope to come back in one piece. >> by chance, kapon meets some men who also want to join the battle. to me, he makes a dubious impression. >> killer. >> eh? >> killer. killer. killer. [laughter] >> the man doesn't want to be filmed -- but claims he fought in iraq and afghanistan, working for a private military contractor. kapon has no combat experience, so he decides to train on a shooting range. he is now joined by a man from colombia who goes by tato. they met online in a group of spanish-speaking volunteers.

[gunfire] they also test an ak 47, which is used in ukraine. the training at the shooting range is intended for civilians and is supposed to be just for fun. it's just the second time that kapon has ever held a gun, he tells me. after half an hour, he's done. >> it doesn't prepare me for war as such, but at least i know a how to handle a weapon correctly, that i might use in ukraine. >> for people like kapon, the international legion is their main port of call in ukraine. on instagram, it advertises itself as an adventurous, heroic group of comrades. it was foued just days after the war started and is believed to have around 20 000 members.

>> fight the russians and defend democracy and freedom. >> according to the legion, they are paid the equivalent of rainian soiers otheir rank -- sometimes less than 500 euros a month. their contract lasts until the war is over. their spokesperson tells me, that people who want to join have to pass several tests in ukraine. >> as a rule, they are sent to some of the hottest spots on the frontline and are taken care of in some very, let's say, delicate, offensive and defensive operations. >> can you prove that you don't use them as cannon fodder? >> well, i think it is difficult for anyone to prove anything in this war. what i can say is that we can give all public and private assurances that no one in the army is interested in sending people to the front who are not ready.

>> the russian government sees the international fighters as mercenaries, which could result in worse treatment if they are captured. i ask an expert for his take on it. >> they are not mercenaries. it's not a company. it's not a commercial entity which is sending those fighters ere. there is quite a difference. and as long as they are integrated into the forces of the host country, they are not mercenaries. ♪ >> i join kapon and tato on their way to the border. the inteational leon offially only accepts peop with live combat experience, but they give it a try anyway. ♪ time for the last voice message. >> i want you to know that

everything is ok. i love you. i'll send you a message when i can. after death, i think god will judge us, for what we did in life, whether it was good or bad. my faith gives me hope and it keeps me safe. i know that i am going there for a good reason. and if i don't see my family and my friends and the people i love here on this earth again, i hope i will meet them after death. ♪ >> the man who sits next to them is from ukraine.

that's your family? >> yes, that's my family. >> they are still in ukraine. he's going to the border to get his mother and bring her to safety. his brother and cousin are at the front, he tells me. so what does he think of the foreign fighters? >> these guys do a good job for the peace in the world and for peace in ukraine. we cannot stop this war by ourselves. we need help. >> this is the way to the border. >> most people are going the opposite direction: more than 5 million ukrainians have left their country so far. does he really think he can change anything? >> i'm not rambo, nothing special. but each grain of sand helps. and if i just save the life of

a few fighters or people who need me, i'll have made a difference. + >> they want to join the legion the next day. my journey with them ends here, but they promise to stay in touch. ♪ >> sandra, who has been at the front for quite some time, is still there and determined to stay. >> the human brain is wired to just get used tohatever situation you have to get used to to.y. and i know that sounds *** up and weird, but you can get used to anything, including bbing. >> when do you think you will beack home? >> iill be back when this war to anything,is over.ng bbing. when there's no more neefor meere, then i will go home.

♪ >> kapon seems to have a bit of a rollercoaster ride. the international legion at first rejects him and several others. but 10 days later, he tells me the legion suddenly did accept him. he writes "i am happy," and sends me a picture of the body armour he was given. besides paramedic tasks, he tells me he is now also receiving regular combat training to be able to defend himself. in a few days, he could be sent to the front. we agree that for security reasons this will be our last interview. >> they will train me for combat, with real ammunition, everything, as if i was a real fighter. >> have you thought about leaving? >> you do think about it when you hear detonations, when you're close to exploding grenades, when you hear sirens and are in the cold for hours, wearing just a sweater.

so you do start to think. >> has your view of this war changed? >> yes. i realised it's even worse than what you see on the news. everything is worse, because you're the main target. it's quite ugly. >> 10 days later, i receive news again -- the situation had become too intense. kapon decided to leave the international legion. he now is in safety. >> before the war, ukraine was a major exporter of grains and was known as "europe's breadbasket." but many of its fields are now barren. grain shortages are feared in europe and beyond.

take italy, for example, the country has long relied on imports. farmers in sicily now say they have the capacity to grow more wheat. but it's not that simple. their fields are in high demand for another issue caused by the war -- alternatives to russian gas. >> the area in and around trapani, in western sicily is rich with wind and sun. and that is why there's a gold rush in the air. architect antonino mazzara says it's an eldorado for renewables. >> everyone is lining up -- the french, germans, americans, not just italians. international companies want to invest in the production of electricity generated by our wind and sun. >> when the wind turbines are turning, business is booming for the sicilian. because he brokers licences for

the land for wind and solar parks, including fields where grain once grew. salvatore santangelo still farms his land. here in eastern sicily, his family has been growing wheat for generations. he wouldn't dream of sacrificing his land for a solar park or wind farm. >> that would be tragic, the end of a naturally grown product. >> but right next to his field, the road is already marked. electricity pylons will soon be built here for a solar park further down in the plain. the mayor is onsite. he actually wanted to stop the project. >> the investors are exploiting the farmers' financial difficulties. they receive relatively little money for their crops, but a lot of money for their land. who would say no to that?

but it would be the end of the tradition and identity of farming here. >> even the italian state is encouraging farmers to profit from the opportunity. but for salvatore, his grain is his life. >> this is all-natural, untreated durum wheat. you can tell by the fine floury powder that sticks to it. >> back in western sicily, antonio mazzara and his son giuseppe are looking for land. they study maps to determine the right location for photovoltaic plants. this time, they need at least 60 hectares of pasture or arable land. >> if the terrain is good and there are no legal restrictions, the purchase price can be 25,000 euros per hectare.

for the owners, that's a really great deal. >> the mazzaras use a drone to inspect the site of the future solar park. they check the soil for erosion, which would hinder construction here. otherwise, the park could soon be producing renewables. >> you can get a hundred thousand euros for selling four hectares of land. but a farmer makes just three thousand euros a year per hectare, at best, cultivating grain. so how many years of work does it take to make as much money as they can get from us straight away?! >> renewables instead of farming. many sicilians fear the war in ukraine could quickly change their island if the russian gas needed for energy production were to stop flowing. but that creates a conflict of interest, since italy can't import anything from the breadbaskets of ukraine and russia anymore, italians need

to grow more wheat themselves. because without grain there's no bread or pasta. >> it can't be acceptable that, to cover our future energy needs, we start turning the grainfields of sicily into rows of windmills and solar panels, and defacing the landscape. >> mayors and farmers are demanding fair pay for cultivating grain. and they say solar power could just as well be produced using rooftop panels -- without sacrificing fertile farmland. antonino mazzara doesn't understand their concerns. he wants renewables from sicily -- at any price. >> we have to provide the capacity now because we are running out of russian gas.

we have clean energy. we just have to harness it. >> power o bread? renewables or farmland. the war in ukraine is forcing people in sicily to make tough choices, too. >> with a war right on its doorstep, poland has opened its doors for ukrainian's fleeing the conflict. the country has taken in some 2. 5 million refugees, more than any other country in europe. the population of the capital warsaw has increased by around 300,000 since the war broke out. and agnieszka sobiesiak's life has changed completely since. she is hosting eight ukrainians in her home. and with warsaw's housing scarcity and her tight budget, she isn't sure just how much longer she can. >> a small gesture of thanks, one of many agnieszka sobiesiak has experienced since she took ukrainian refugees into her

home in poland. twelve people now live in a space normally meant for a family of four. >> normally, we'd extend this table at christmas. now, it's pulled out all the way all the time. it's like it's always christmas. but at least this way we have room for everyone, more or less. >> when war broke out in neighboring ukraine, agnieska offered to help. >> i wanted to make this room available to three people. but then, in the middle of the night, a driver arrived with eight people. the children were coughing, and the women started crying because they didn't want to be split up. so i gave in and said yes. >> as the war continues, that act of kindness has become a permanent solution. her family's exhausted.

>> for two months now, i haven't known what's it's like to come home to peace and quiet. and perhaps we need that to start getting back to normal. >> ljudmila, her sister and a friend arrived from western ukraine with five children. they feel helpless -- and very uncomfortable about it. >> this is their life -- their family. they're used to being together. suddenly having eight more people around is verhard. i'm even ashamed that agnieszka and her husband pay for all of our expenses. they buy everything the food, everything we&the children need >> to help the families that take in the refugees, the polish government plans to make monthly payments of around 250 euros for each person they accommodate. but so far agnieszka has not received anything.

ljudmila tries to earn a little something as a cleaning lady, but can't afford a place of her own. >> i have three children. but even if i only had myself to support, it'd be very tough for me. >> many ukrainian refugees are in similarly dire straits. they come to warsaw's national stadium to register. they're thankful for the warm welcome -- but worry about their future. >> i don't know what to do. unfortunately, there's no work to be had here. poland has taken in lots of refugees, feed them and keeps them warm. but there are just no apartments -- and no jobs. >> i want either to stay in poland and get a job, or go to germany and find work there. you can't just sit around all the time, doing nothing. people here give us their last cent. yesterday, for instance, a woman donated over a thousand dollars to our lodgings. they help a lot with everything.

we're living here at their expense. >> rafal tomala has also been busy helping ever since the war broke out. he lets 20 ukrainian women and 40 children live at his hostel in warsaw for free. but he also hopes for assistance from the state. >> we have enough strength and resources for two more weeks. we're financing this from our own private means because we haven't received any financial help. we used to rent out rooms, but we're not taking any money from the refugees. >> with summer on the way, many hotel owners are faced with a dilemma -- let the refugees stay on or take in paying guests? given the expenses the polish state is facing, warsaw is hoping for more financial aid from the eu. >> the european union's decision to provide funding for refugees involves large sums of money, but it's still just a

drop in the bucket. it's very little. from the polish government's point of view, it would be important to set up a fund to administer such aid on behalf of the eu and cover the needs of refugees. >> although she'd be glad to see at least a little money soon, agnieszka sobiesiak doesn't regret helping refugees. >> what's most important is that they don't have bombs raining down on them. we don't need luxury. but with so many people here, i must say, more aid is needed. this is a bit much -- but it's definitely been worth it. >> it seems most poles still feel the same way. and, like their ukrainian guests, they hope the war won't last much longer. >> agnieshka's neighbors have now taken in three of the refugees. they say a good neighbor is a priceless treasure. that''s all from us this week

at "focus on europe." thank you for watching, and bye for now. ♪

>> this is dw news, live from berlin. ukraine's president has a fifth of the country is now under russian control. the west promises more weapons to kyiv. also on the show, the eu makes another concession to hungary in order to pass the latest sanctions package against russia.