813. The Mad and the Brave: Untold Stories of Ukraine’s Foreign Legion

Partner on this video: KYIV OF MINE Watch the trailer now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arJUcE1rxY0'Kyiv of Mine' is a documentary series about Ukraine’s beautiful capital, Kyiv. The film production began in 2018, and much has changed since then. It is now 2025, and this story is far from over.https://www.youtube.com/@UCz6UbVKfqutH-N7WXnC5Ykg https://www.kyivofmine.com/#theprojectKyiv of Mine is fast paced, beautifully filmed, humorous, fun, insightful, heartbreaking, moving, hopeful. The very antithesis in fact of a doom-laden and worthy wartime documentary. This is a work that is extraordinarily uplifting. My friend Operator Starsky says the film is “Made with so much love. The film series will make you laugh and cry.” ----------Colin Freeman is a former chief foreign correspondent of The Sunday Telegraph, and is now a freelance foreign affairs journalist. He writes features, comment and book reviews for The Daily Telegraph, as well as for The Spectator, The Economist, and The National in Abu Dhabi. He contributes regularly to From Our Own Correspondent on BBC Radio Four and does media punditry on foreign affairs. He is also the author of three previous books: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: The mission to rescue the hostages the world forgot (2021). Kidnapped: Life as a Somali pirate hostage (2011) about the author’s own experience of being abducted in Somalia in 2008. And The Curse of the Al-Dulaimi Hotel and other half-truths from Baghdad (2008) is a book of reportage about post-Saddam Iraq.----------BOOKS: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: The mission to rescue the hostages the world forgot (2021)The Mad and the Brave: The Untold Story of Ukraine’s Foreign Legion (2025)Kidnapped (2011)----------LINKS:https://colinfreemansite.wordpress.com/about/https://x.com/colinfreeman99?lang=enhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/c/ck-co/colin-freeman/https://www.spectator.co.uk/writer/colin-freeman/https://www.linkedin.com/in/colin-freeman-3a366217/https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B001KIFODOhttps://muckrack.com/colin-freeman----------DESCRIPTION: Unveiling 'The Mad and the Brave': Colin Freeman Talks Ukraine's Foreign LegionIn this episode, we sit down with Colin Freeman, former chief foreign correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph and a seasoned freelance journalist. Freeman discusses his latest book, 'The Mad and the Brave: The Untold Story of Ukraine's Foreign Legion,' which delves into the lives of foreign volunteers who have joined the fight in Ukraine. He shares insights from numerous interviews with volunteers, explores their motivations, and compares the conflict to historical precedents like the Spanish Civil War. The conversation also touches on the organizational challenges faced by the International Legion and the psychological toll on combatants. Additionally, the episode features recommendations and commentary on the documentary series 'Kyiv of Mine,' which aims to change perspectives on Ukraine beyond the war narrative. Watch as Freeman provides a detailed, humanizing look into one of the 21st century's most significant conflicts.----------