The Turkish state's attack and occupation of Rojava has been going on for a long time. Participation in the YPG, YPJ and local forces which are continuing to resist, is also very high. Internationalists from England, Russia, various European countries and the US, are joining these forces to defend Rojava. One of them, Zirek Rus, from Russia, spoke to ANF about why and when he came to Rojava.

When and why did you come to Rojava?

I came to Rojava at the beginning of 2020 to defend the peoples of Rojava against the aggression of the fascist Turkish state. I found a difficult situation in Rojava due to the attacks of ISIS terrorists and the Turkish state. My comrades and I are preparing to repel the attacks of both ISIS and the Turkish state.

How did you find Rojava?

People are very motivated to stand up for their rights and fight for their land, and that is very inspiring. I want to share a particular memory. We were behind a tree at night. We were at the front in Til Temir. We heard the sound of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and dogs started attacking us. Then pro-Turkish militants started firing. Of course it was an unforgettable experience for me.

A unique resistance was carried out in the region against ISIS and finally the Islamic State presence was terminated. How do you see the fight against ISIS and what should the Russian people do for Rojava?

Think of the fight against ISIS. ISIS is a dangerous terrorist organization that should not be given a chance to revive and become as strong as it was 5 years ago. It is necessary to support the peoples of Rojava in every way possible. The situation is not easy in Northern and Eastern Syria-Rojava. If we defeat ISIS here, we will defeat ISIS all over the world.

Young people and the peoples of Russia should know this. More internationalists should support the Kurdish-Arab-Armenian-Assyrian and all the peoples of North-East Syria. The Russian peoples should support Rojava in order to defeat ISIS and the fascist Turkish state and to build truly democratic free societies.

How do you assess Russia's support for the Turkish state's attacks on the region?

Russia supported Turkey's Afrin attacks it is true. But this is just a political game, which has to do with oil and gas trade between Russia and Turkey. The Russian people should know that Turkey is a fascist imperial state in the Middle East and we must stop Turkey in the Middle East.