The Ukrainians: The Ultimate Fight for Freedom

By Keifer

After rising through the ranks of the Ukrainian military at the tender age of fourteen, Alexi has amassed a territory along the Donets River by 1994, and quickly became a force to be reckoned with. But when his best friend, Dimitri, proved to be working for the Russian Mafia and using Alexi's contacts for his own gain—including amassing his own territory—a war of revenge spanning generations begins.

 

Marina was sad that she had lost her father.  The thought of marrying the rival territory leader brought some solace to her soul.  Not only because it would bring peace to her land, but also because it gave her an opportunity to find the man that killed her father.  Soon she discovers the plot to take over the land her father worked so hard for, as well as the betrayal of the man she really loves.

 

Years later, Marina escaped to San Francisco and tries to keep herself out of trouble.  But she doesn't succeed.  She's trailed by an assassin. Marina resolves to face her fears, even if it means she will be killed. Together with her new allies they travel back to Ukraine to seek revenge for her father's death, only to find herself swept into a war, not just with the infamous Dimitri, but with Russia as well.

 

In order to defeat him, Marina must rise to the challenge and test her mettle against highly skilled killers. But even then, new secrets come to light that might put their entire operation at risk before it even begins.

 

Can Marina and her new friends overcome decades of lies and find the truth and bring peace to the region?

 

Or will their efforts start a war in Ukraine? 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Keifer
• Release date: Jan 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215299913

Keifer

Keifer grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area.  He has received many awards for his numerous writings including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.  He earned his Bachelors degree in business at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and an MBA at San Francisco State University.  Keifer has been a small business owner, a radio DJ, a manager, a paralegal, and a writer.  He continues to write many different types of books, novels, and poetry.  He currently lives in San Francisco.   

Book preview

Forward

IT’S THE FIRST YEAR of the war in Ukraine. I’ve been reading Ukrainian news every hour, possibly even more often, text my friends and family constantly and keep worrying about the people of Ukraine.  At the beginning of the war I had no idea how to help my Ukrainian friends. I decided to write a book to share with everyone a story of how the war first started.  It’s not just a military operation as the Russians say.  It’s a real war. 

I see what’s in the news in English speaking resources and what’s in Ukrainian.  As Ukrainians say It's just a drop in the ocean in comparison with what I’ve read.  We all need to know more to understand who the Ukrainians are, what is this war about, and how to help. I really want to share with you their pain, and the pain of every Ukrainian who are dying in this war. 

The real reason for writing this book is that I want you to know more than just Putin started the war against Ukraine.  I want you to realize the scale of this war, and how it began.  I want you to feel that you want to help Ukraine.  And to urge your government to support Ukraine with defenses and impose economic sanctions on Russia.  Maybe when I finish the book this war will be finished. No one knows what awaits the Ukrainian people tomorrow, but it is important to remain as human as possible under any circumstances. 

All profits from the sales of this book will be sent to support Ukrainians as the war continues.  If you would like to donate, the best charities for supporting Ukraine are United24, Razom for Ukraine, and the Prytula Foundation. These charities work on the frontlines in Ukraine, delivering life-saving services to people affected by the ongoing conflict. They also raise funds to support local Ukrainian relief programs. 

Russian Troops Leave Germany

The Washington Post

(Berlin, September 1, 1994)

The Russian army today ended a half-century of military occupation in Germany with a somber ceremony that marked the final dismantling of the Soviet empire in Eastern Europe.

Russian President Boris Yeltsin, here to oversee the departure of the last 1,800 troops from an army that numbered 338,000 just four years ago, told his soldiers they could return home assured that for Russia, a military threat will never again rise from German soil.

Today, Yeltsin added, is the last day of the past.

The ceremonies in Berlin overshadowed the simultaneous departure of the last Russian troops from Latvia and Estonia. Together with last year's departure of occupation forces from Lithuania, today's withdrawal completed Moscow's retreat from the Baltic republics annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940 and restored to independence in 1991.

The Russian exodus marks the final contraction of what was once the world's greatest military empire, stretching from the forests of Western Europe to the Bering Strait in the Soviet Far East. The government of Chancellor Helmut Kohl has lauded Moscow for what one German official recently called a strategic and logistical masterpiece in dismantling the occupation force in Eastern Europe, which for decades formed the backbone of the Warsaw Pact.

Since the pullout from eastern Germany began in 1990, for example, the Russians have transported more than 540,000 people—including soldiers, civilians and family members—and 2.6 million tons of equipment, enough to fill 13,400 jumbo jets. The withdrawn cargo includes 4,200 tanks, 3,700 artillery tubes, 1,400 aircraft and 677,000 tons of ammunition.

In a day filled with symbolic gestures of reconciliation between former World War II and Cold War adversaries, Yeltsin and Kohl laid wreaths at the mass grave of 7,000 Soviet soldiers killed in the climactic Battle of Berlin in 1945. Together the two leaders climbed the 60 steps to the top of the massive Soviet war memorial in Treptow Park, which features a 40-foot statue of a sword-wielding Soviet soldier straddling the shattered ruins of a Nazi swastika.

This has been edited for length and clarity. 

PART ONE

THE BEGINNING

High Expectations

High expectations, what have we become,

high expectations, it only works for some.

Everything that we had before,

in the future, it means no more.

I love you sweetheart, don’t you know,

don’t dare leave me, don’t you go.

Life is full of unexpected pleasures,

we don’t need to take drastic measures. 

Alexi

Russia, (1985 – 1994)

Росія, (1985 – 1994)

Alexi Lashinko.  A proud man.  Captain of the guard.  Assigned to the security of The Wall for the last two years.  The wall between East and West.  For Alexi it stood for much more than that.  A great honor for a young Russian soldier from Ukraine.  The military and the KGB allowed him to gain rank and power in his current command, but they also gave him the freedom to control his territory back home.  And of course he enjoyed the extra money. 

His territory lay on the edge of the Donets River.  A small river compared to the Don River it ran into, connecting it with the rest of the world.  The Donets River, his river, was still large enough to hold a cargo ship on his section of the river, but not too large the patrol boats bothered with it.  The boats had freedom, the people who supported them prospered, and the city grew.  Money was siphoned in through the illegal commerce that went through its waters of the river, but not so overwhelmingly illegal as to take away from its beauty by attracting any of the ugly elements.  In fact the esplanade that ran along the river was still a favorite for lovers and tourists to visit.  He liked the way his territory looked and he felt happy that he could raise his family in the peaceful place where he proudly grew up himself.

He first joined the military when he was fourteen.  Lying about his age on his application, leading them to believe that he was older than sixteen.  He made his way through training easily, and was pointed out by a commander as a potential leader.  He could not simply start his career as a commander.  He had to work his way up.  But first he had to prove himself.  Especially since he was such a young soldier that claimed that he could be a commander. 

How old are you, comrade?  His current commander asked.

I am eighteen, comrade commander.  He said with assurance. 

You don’t exactly look eighteen.  He said getting closer, looking at him sideways.  Why are you here? 

To end the scourge that infiltrates our country. He said as earnestly as he could. To protect Mother Russia. 

That’s a very simple answer, comrade.  The commander looked at him discouragingly.

Silence. 

To become a leader here, you will not only have to earn my respect, but the respect of the team.  He looked around at the team then sternly at Alexi moving even closer than before.  Just a few centimeters from his face.  Are you ready to prove yourself, comrade? 

Yes, comrade commander.  He tried to say without breathing in the foul smell of vodka and rotten teeth that was emanating from his commander’s mouth.  I am ready. 

You have already proven yourself with me.  He leaned in and recanted at a whisper, then much louder in front of the other soldiers.  You must now prove yourself to your comrades. 

Just then the commander from the other team marched his soldiers in front of him. They looked around while filing into formation.  The commander walked straight past Alexi’s commander and stopped in front of him.  He didn’t think it was possible, but this new commander actually smelled worse than his own commander, and he was standing over a meter away. 

Somebody said you’re better than we are.  He barked at Alexi.  Did you say that? 

He was about to answer this new commander with a ‘no’, but he was more intimidated by what might happen to him than actually denying the lie.  Alexi looked at his commander who was now standing with his arms folded.  He quickly realized that this was the test.  He didn’t think that he would see it so soon, let alone not have enough time to think about what to do about it.  And in the next second he realized that that was probably on purpose as well.  Still scared, he looked back at the opposing commander with a stern and authoritative look. 

We are better than you.  He started to feel better, still knowing that any retaliation, especially from a commanding officer could mean execution.  Your team is fat and slow like the Americans. 

That resulted in more than a few laughs from his team.  But Alexi knew that he was very close to a clear blow from the commander, or worse.  He slightly smiled as well, which also didn’t solicit any help from his commander.  Nor did he gain any fortitude from his laughing team behind him that could not see the drama in front of him.  The smirk did result in the opposing commander to get even more heated than he already was.  What happened next silenced the laughs, and stopped the grins from everyone’s face, including Alexi. 

The commander pulled his revolver from his side and fired over Alexi and the team behind him.  He then lowered his aim straight at Alexi’s forehead. 

You think that is funny?  The anger in his voice rivaled what he saw on his face.  What if I killed you here?  Would you think that is funny as well, comrade? 

Alexi was sweating now. He looked at his commander with concern, but he still had his hands crossed.  He could tell he was also concerned, but as a junior commander he could not do anything about it now.  The other commander wanted to start a fight.  Maybe even a brawl between teams.  See how Alexi’s command did against a more experienced team.  And how Alexi could lead them to victory.  In a matter of seconds he had escalated the situation to be much more than that.  He was stuck between protocol and having his own command taken for interfering in a justifiable grievance.  Alexi had backed himself into this corner.  He would have to work his own way out of this. 

Well.  The commander asked while Alexi looked down the barrel of the pistol.  Do you want to die? 

I do not want to die.  He said slowly.  Trying not to show any fear in his voice, knowing the commander knew he was scared as hell. But we are still better than your team.  Clear and commanding. 

Alexi was ready to feel the brunt of his hand, fist, or the butt of his pistol.  But he did not.  His next thought was that he was about to be shot.  But again, he was not.  The commander got as close to his face as his own commander just moments ago.  He didn’t think it could be possible, but now amplified by accumulated sweat, this commander smelled even worse than he did from afar.  Any thought of making it through this alive just left him.  Then the commander stopped. 

If you had anything to prove before.  He whispered to Alexi.  You don’t any longer.  Comrade. 

The commander put his pistol back in its holster.  Stepped back from Alexi and saluted.  He turned around and saluted his commander and walked back to his own troops.  His own team followed close behind.  Alexi’s commander took control of the team, and quickly dismissed them.  The team cheered and roared with excitement. 

Alexi was now in command. 

The Wall

East Berlin (1994)

Східний Берлін (1994)

He listened to Radio Free Europe.  He saw the television shows broadcast from the highest towers of the West, aimed towards the East.  He knew everything that was going on.  The West was a force to be reckoned with.  And the East was faltering right under the Kremlin’s feet.  Russia just seemed so bland compared to the West.  Nothing as extravagant as the promise of milk and honey just a kilometer over the other side of The Wall.  In some places there was just a piece of barbed wire between the two sides.  It was his job to stop anything that was thinking of passing through.  Orders from the Kremlin, or in reality, the KGB. 

Now that his young daughter Marina had grown up, maintaining her school and training was getting expensive, even with the extra money he got with the Kremlin’s assistance, it was no longer enough.  She was already smart, talented, and as beautiful as her mother.  She was surely headed towards bigger and better things. 

She would need money for all of that.  He could not keep her in the common community school she was attending.  She needed specialty schools for her accelerated education, and other teachers to help her master her ‘other skills.’  She also needed personal and defensive training, and business instruction, only he could give to his daughter.  The remainder of his time at The Wall was short.  He would be able to fulfill his promise to go back home soon. 

Sometimes all he could think about was his late wife and daughter back at home.  How he could send his daughter money.  How beautiful Marina had become.  How he longed to be back home. But that wasn’t the only thing he was thinking about.  Especially after his wife died. The only thing he could think about was how much he had loved her, and now he poured his heart into his daughter. There was still hope for her to make something out of herself. And if it was up to him, and his training, he would make sure that she would make it.  Avoid what happened to his wife.  But tonight his family would not be the last thing on his mind. 

It started during a harmless drunken party on the last night of the occupation of The Wall.  At least for one more day.  Dimitri and Alexi, two of the best commanders, dismissed their respective troops for the last time.  For them it was a time of celebration.  But as the occupation ended, most of the communist state was in distress.  The people were screaming for justice.  ‘How could we let the country fall to the evil capitalist?’  The people wanted the troops to stay.  All Alexi wanted to do was to drink with his comrade Dimitri and get as far away from The Wall, the Army, and the KGB as possible. 

Alexi already knew there were spies at The Wall on both sides leaking information to each other.  But information was no longer profitable.  The Russian Politburo used the Bratva mafia members to bribe guards to smuggle everything from drugs to clothes across the border.  It was a lucrative business, but one that would not be sustained after the army left.  Alexi, posing as a friend to all his troops, was able to ferret out most of the corrupt ones, but never the mastermind.  Sure he was able to capture many leaders of the underground smuggling ring, but after being caught, tortured, and finally killed, someone else was always there to take their place.  Whoever was behind all the corruption was devious, sneaky, and very smart. 

But that didn’t matter now.  His time worrying about them was over.  What really mattered was that he was going home.  Going to see his family.  Going to see Marina.  He was excited and happy at the same time.  After so long in this cold land of nothing, land of crime, land of deceit, he was leaving for good. 

Alexi wasn’t sure what he was going to do when he got home. The army was disbanding.  The KGB was in disarray.  And the spy business was getting so high tech, that its current members were either lending themselves out to hire to the highest bitter or being contracted for single hit assassinations.  No more dedication to the Kremlin.  They had proven themselves defunct.  They had given up and gone home.  There were enough problems in the Politburo that there was no more time or resources to spend guarding an outdated wall. 

Alexi was ready to go home and spend the rest of his days with his family.  But tonight was to be a celebration.  Dimitri had already set up the vodka, the food, the music, and the party. 

What are you going to do when you get back, Alexi?  Dimitri asked halfway through the party.  What are you going to do for money? 

The army pay was nothing compared to what he was making in the KGB. But the KGB stopped paying Alexi the extra money he made as a mole in the Army about six months ago.  Little did Dimitri know that Alexi had built himself a small fortune in his lifetime.  Not just from what the government was paying him, but from the independent financial resources invested in transportation and infrastructure on the Donets River during his time with the KGB.  Most of the money spent on his daughter’s education, he still had enough to hold a happy reunion with his family. 

I guess I’ll have to find a job working as a lawyer. Alexi smiled.

Sure, and I’ll get a job as a doctor.  Dimitri laughed.  You’d better not get a stub toe. I might end up cutting it off. 

I’ll probably be defending your first malpractice suit, against me. Taking another sip of vodka Alexi said laughing, barely able to respond. 

What’s that?  Alexi said half in earnest.  Hearing something in the distance. 

That’s my mother telling me I should have been a butcher instead of a soldier. Dimitri said, still howling in laughter. 

Good thing you decided to be a soldier, Alexi was still bellowing. I would hate to eat my last meal and find a toe in it. 

Now they were both in hysterics.  Unable to control themselves. After a few minutes Alexi asked again, What’s that noise? 

Dimitri, still laughing, said, Maybe it's ... 

No, Alexi quieted, be still! 

Seeing the seriousness in Alexis’ face, Dimitri finally stopped laughing, and listened. 

There it is again, he raised his voice towards the two captains in the table next to them to stop.  In the distance there was a rumble, a roar, and then a crash. 

INCOMING! 

The Way Back

East Berlin (1994)

Східний Берлін (1994)

Alexi Lashinko was one of the lucky ones.  He got away with a broken wrist and twelve stitches across the back of his head and neck.  Dimitri wasn’t that lucky.  He landed in an East Berlin hospital for eight weeks with a broken leg and a punctured lung.  That was the good part.  What really kept him in the hospital was the shrapnel stuck in his ancillary artery above the inner thigh below the groin.  After 4 liters of blood the artery finally stopped bleeding and the life or death period began.  He lived. 

What hit us Alexi?  Dimitri whispered from his hospital bed long after the explosion.  Where am I?  Dimitri looked tired and gaunt. With a saline drip hanging from his left arm, a bandage around his rib cage, and a cast stemming from his toes to his hip on the right side, he barely looked alive. 

Be still Dimitri, Alexi interrupted.  You’ve been through a lot.  What Alexi wasn’t telling Dimitri was that he looked like the living dead, although he could see it on his face. 

That bad huh?  He was quiet, but was poignant. 

Dimitri was stable now, but he would still be touch and go for another few weeks.  He would need at least four weeks until he would be breathing without wincing in pain.  He would need a few months’ worth of rehabilitation before he could walk like a human.  Alexi didn’t want to tell Dimitri any of that now, but knew he had to say something.  They would be shipped back to Russia soon, injuries or not. 

Tell me, Alexi.  That look in your eye can’t be a good sign.  Dimitri coughed before passing out from the pain.  Alexi did not feel well about what he had to tell Dimitri.  It wasn’t just that Dimitri’s extensive injuries would keep him off his feet for a long time. Or, the fact that he may not walk right for the rest of his life.  He had to tell him that since the fall of The Wall, and the bombing of the barracks by rebels from the east, that half of his men were killed, and he was under arrest. 

Nine days ago Alexi was forced from his bed in the hospital recovery room.  Reports had come in that the illegal trade from the west to the east had reached an all-time high.  Without any restrictions or payoffs, the market had no leader to restrain the amount of price gouging and regulation that came from a dictatorship that put the fear of swift repercussions that came with disobedience.  Alexi knew that whoever was in charge of the Bratva or the Orekhovskaya OPG trade family was either dead or seriously injured.  Regardless, the market was going wild, and Alexi was having a hard time putting criminals in jail, and keeping his identity as a KGB agent a secret. 

It wasn’t long after the explosion that Alexi was able to concentrate on the rebel attackers that had bombed them on the eve of their return home.  Now resigned to finding the bombers and also keeping his undercover operations going was proving to be an overwhelming task. The Rebel Liberation Front, seeking one last chance to attack, the Russian enemy fought as much as their tiny offensive rebellion could bring.  When the Russian Special Forces, the Spetsnaz, took over for the regular army, and crushed the uprising with such precision, only one rebel lived through the experience.  Alexi was all too happy to interrogate him.  But he ended up being a low level rebel with absolutely no knowledge of the leaders, let alone the commander that gave them the orders to attack. 

Alexi had spent many nights performing interrogations on captured refugees himself.  It frustrated him that it took such a long time to just get the meagerest of them to tell him anything useful.  The truth of the matter was that Alexi couldn’t arrest everyone.  But he could arrest and interrogate some of the key leaders of the faction that might have some of the answers that he was looking for. And those would be the catalyst to the information that he needed.  The first three people he interrogated lead Alexi to only one of the key figures in the newly discovered trading arm of the Bratva.  He needed more information.

Who is the leader? Where are you getting your orders? Shouted Alexis’ second in command.  Tell me or I will make you suffer like you have never felt before!  Usually this was enough to convince a man to tell his innermost secrets.  But this man was used to pain, used to the torture, and more scarred of his boss than Alexis’ people.  Alexi trained his people very well.  They had been able to penetrate the inner circle of many illegal régimes.  But this was different.  These people had already been beat down.  Been through the drama and shock of war and strife.  These were the perfect people needed to carry out the job.  The exact people that Dimitri needed to carry out his plans. 

Alexi had him tortured for two more days before he finally gave in. 

It was Dimitri!  Dimitri made me do it!  He finally gave in.

‘My friend Dimitri?’  Alexi thought. 

Do not lie to me again comrade.  Thinking this was another ruse. Alexi warned, still wanting the truth. 

I swear! 

Prove it.  Alexi was bored with this lie. 

The traitor screamed from the top of his lungs.  Dimitri’s been our leader for the last five years, he started to relax after the torture subsided. Ever since he killed his top confidante, Dopov, and set up his own centralized chain of smuggling under a corrupt army rule. 

Dimitri knew that no one would go up against the Russian Army, and he would never be able to control so many different areas, with just a patrol car.  A car full of army personnel he could no longer trust. 

This was more than Alexi was willing to take.  Who in the army rules?  The Politburo?  It was no use to continue, after hours of torture he was starting to babble. 

Alexi knew he was close to the smuggling ring.  The new leader.  He had no idea that his best friend Dimitri had been the leader of this smuggling operation the whole time he was at The Wall. Feeling deceived, betrayed, and distraught, Alexi still had to talk to Dimitri.  Something he had been dreading for weeks now.  He couldn’t keep the truth from Dimitri any longer.  He had to tell him.  He had to arrest him.  He had to make him an enemy. 

W hatever happens Alexi , don’t let my family suffer, Dimitri struggled.  Don’t let them take my family away.  The Politburo, the GRU, or whomever was in charge would eradicate the issue.  Even if they had to kill everyone.  Dimitri knew he, and his family, would suffer for this.  They were done for.  Dimitri knew that he was going to jail, then the gallows.  He also knew he had to tell his best friend that he had been using him for a long time. 

Even before Dimitri met Alexi at The Wall four years ago, he knew who Alexi was, and how to use him and his guards.  Dimitri saw the anguish in his best friend’s eyes.  He could see how his friend knew that their entire relationship was a lie built on greed, corruption, and manipulation. 

Dimitri had half of Alexis’ men trading across The Wall before he was ever stationed there to oversee the operations personally.  After he had Dopov killed he had to take over quickly.  He had to kill a few disgruntled employees, customers, and suppliers.  Not because they were bad exactly, but because his enemies needed to know that while he was gone, he was still in charge.  His enemies would not invade his territory.  The majority of his enemies were now either dead, or had joined the operation, making Dimitri’s control almost complete.  He could have done that from his homeland.  He could have built up his city and empire from where he was.  But he decided to let that region of the world run itself.  He had an idea that the soldiers he left in place would continue to be hard on the people. 

Dimitri wasn’t thinking about the illegal smuggling operation.  He wasn’t thinking of all the money he was making.  He wasn’t even thinking about how someone out there was considering taking over his operations while he lay in bed half dead and arrested.  He was thinking about his good friend Alexi, and how he had to plead to his sense of good nature one last time to save his family. 

I know you know about who I really am, Dimitri said with a heavy heart.  I know you have to arrest me, and take me back to be judged.  Both he and Alexi knew that judgment meant a