Gia Santos is a freelance journalist and writes for various online media. Since 2017, she has been the social media director for Sons Of Liberty International (SOLI) in the United States and Ukraine. SOLI is a non-profit security contractor company founded by Matthew VanDyke and several veterans.
What is SOLI and what is your role in the organization?
My job is focused on the organization’s donors, social media, websites, fundraising etc. I also handle media relations interested in our work, do video and photography during trainings, and coordination with the units we train. Finally, I do the selection process of applicants for volunteer trainers.
SOLI focuses on providing free security training and advice to countries such as Ukraine, which are threatened by dictatorships, and to those who want to defend themselves against terrorist and insurgent groups or who are fighting authoritarian regimes such as Venezuela, also supported by Russia. In fact, SOLI’s first mission was in Iraq, to help Christian groups defend themselves against the Islamic State.
When did you first arrive in Ukraine?
It was in September 2022, although SOLI arrived in Ukraine in March, and I did so accompanied by a Canadian soldier. We spent the first month fitting out the workplace and waiting for the rest of the SOLI team to arrive, because some were in other parts of the country and others had to travel to Ukraine. We started training in October, first with the National Guard, and from the end of November with other units such as the Territorial Defense Force or the Special Forces. Since then, we have trained about 1,000 soldiers in various fields: close quarters combat, shooting, small unit tactics, combat medicine, leadership, and much more specialized training in night combat operations and anti-tank missile systems.
Have you had to update your protocols due to the massive use of drones?
Yes, the war is advancing and this one is very different from other conflicts in which we have participated. Currently, at SOLI we are working on prototypes to attack these drones because the “jammers”, the anti-drone systems, are very expensive. In fact, there are only one or two for each unit, when many more are needed.
You returned to Ukraine in 2023 and 2024, at different times of the war. Has the combat morale of Ukrainian soldiers changed?
It is true that the Ukrainians have had problems finding volunteers, but, at the same time, morale is high and a strong sense of unity is conveyed. The soldiers, even the younger ones, want justice, they want to defeat Russia and they also want peace, but they understand that real peace will only come with a Ukrainian victory. They understand that they will be able to regain their lives, their work or their studies, only after the Russian defeat.
But, of course, it is hard. One of our translators lost his scholarship and his girlfriend, and he went into a severe depression, so we put him to work on everything we could think of to keep him busy. I think that helped him overcome his depression and now he works in drone assembly. And this is not only good for young soldiers, but also for veterans, because what helps a soldier the most is to make him feel useful.
What about the morale of the civilian population suffering from the continuous Russian bombardment?
I am inspired by the Ukrainian population. I was in Kherson in 2023 accompanying our demining team and people were going about their daily routine despite the attacks, and I can say the same about Kharkiv or Kyiv, where the attacks have increased. People have a strength that I think has been passed down from generation to generation of fighting against communism, against the Soviet Union, against Russia. Despite everything, life goes on and that inspires us all.
In this drone warfare, the Russians are using assault groups in the open, resulting in a lot of casualties. Why do you think the Russian army is doing this?
The Russians do not value individuals, and soldiers are disposable to their commanders. The stories I know from our friends on the front lines is that they don’t even pick up their wounded, and these soldiers have to survive with what they have on hand, so many die from their wounds or from lack of food or water. This would be unthinkable in most armies, but as long as the Russians have replacements, contract or foreign volunteers like the North Koreans, the lives of their soldiers are not a priority.
Some soldiers have told me that they have encountered these North Korean soldiers or have seen their dead bodies. Their treatment is no different from that of Russian soldiers and it seems that some have turned themselves in to the Ukrainians in the hope of better treatment than they get in Russia.
Is the Ukrainian army the best prepared in Europe?
Yes, it is, and that has a lot to do with the technological progress that has taken place in this war, not only because of the production of missiles or drones, but because of the continuous innovation in these weapons. Our objective since last year has also been to improve all this technology.
In your work as a journalist you have published different news about Mexican volunteers. I believe that so far two Mexicans have fallen fighting for Ukraine.
Yes, the first Mexican fallen in Ukraine, in 2024, was Carlos Mendoza. I heard from “Kapon”, another Mexican volunteer, about his death and, after verifying his identity, I contacted his family. This young man, he was 20 years old, really caught my attention because he went to fight in Ukraine after seeing the civilian deaths being caused by Russian bombing and felt compelled to volunteer. The Mexican government helped to bring his ashes and a tribute was paid to him in Guajanato. As for the second volunteer, Mario Alberto, he was killed in a drone bombing in June of this year.
Do you think a cease-fire or peace is possible in the near future?
I believe, and so does the SOLI team, that the war will continue. Although there is talk of ceasefire and peace conferences, and it would be important to reach an agreement, Putin does not respect any treaty. We have already seen that before his Alaska meeting with Trump, Putin bombed Ukraine and has not stopped. Some people think that Putin is reasonable and that deep down this war is a matter of business, but it is not, for Putin this invasion is a matter of power and control, to make himself the owner of the whole Ukraine. That is why SOLI will continue to work in Ukraine for the duration of the conflict and until the end of the Russian occupation.
