Ukrainian veterans in Poland are heading back to join the fight, calling Russians 'thieves and bandits'

• Ukrainian veterans in Poland are heading back into their country to take the fight to Russia.
• Ivan, 53, who received military training in the Soviet-era, called Russians "bandits and thieves."

HREBENNE, POLAND — For two men heading into a war-zone, Viktor and Ivan seemed remarkably calm as they waited in a line of cars to cross the border from Poland into Ukraine. There was a look of fearlessness and determination in their eyes.

Over 1.5 million Ukrainians have fled into Poland since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an unprovoked war in late February. When asked why they were headed in the opposite direction, they told Insider, "To defend Ukraine."

Viktor, 35, is a Ukrainian veteran who served in Donetsk — one of the separatist regions in eastern Ukraine that Putin recognized as independent in the lead-up to Russia's invasion. He fought pro-Kremlin rebels there from 2014 to 2015. Ivan, 53, did two years of obligatory military service in Ukraine during the Soviet-era. They said they plan to join the army or the Territorial Defense Forces — Ukraine's volunteer force — to thwart the Russian military assault.

The two men, who declined to give their last names, are colleagues — truck drivers who lived in Poland when the conflict began. Now they're headed home, determined to bring the fight to the Russians, whom Ivan called "bandits and thieves." They said their family members, who are in the Russian-occupied cities of Sumy and Kherson, aren't doing well.

When asked what the US and wider would could do to help Ukraine, they said "close the sky."

"Close the sky" is a phrase that's been echoed by Ukrainian refugees that Insider has spoken to across Poland over the past week. As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for, they want NATO to institute a no-fly zone to help end Russian airstrikes wreaking havoc across their country.

But the alliance has firmly ruled this out, as it would require NATO to shoot down Russian warplanes. This would effectively amount to a declaration of war by the 30-member defensive alliance, pitting nuclear powers against one another in a potentially catastrophic conflict. Understandably desperate to see the brutal war in their country end, however, Ukrainians continue to push for this.

"We have enough fighters," Ivan said, pointing to a bus full of Ukrainian men in front of his vehicle who were also heading across the border to take the fight to Russia. Even before Russia launched the invasion, Ukrainian veterans in Poland were gearing up to re-enlist. Ivan also said he wanted to give a "big thank you to the US" for the help it's given Ukraine, which has included lethal aid like Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger missiles.

Ivan and Viktor wouldn't give their last names and refused to be photographed for safety reasons. "You can take our picture when we get back," Ivan said with a smile. When asked whether he thought Ukraine would win the war, Ivan said, "No doubt about it. 100%."