Dmytro Filimonov, 41, is a Ukrainian journalist based in Kyiv. He was one of the first reporters to travel to the separatist-controlled territories of Donbas in 2014–2015 at the very onset of the conflict that would trigger Russia’s full-scale invasion eight years later. Now, having observed the war up close for the last three years, talking to both soldiers and civilians, Russians and Ukrainians, he has found that many of his compatriots just want the conflict to end, but avoid saying so out of fear of being labeled a traitor. Here, he tells his story to our Tanya Lukyanova.

KYIV, Ukraine — On February 24, 2022, I woke up to a phone call from a friend. “It’s started,” he said.

“What started?” I asked. “The war,” he replied. Only then did I hear the sound of the sirens in Kyiv signaling that yes, Russia had begun an invasion, announcing itself with bombs and shellings.

Every hour of that first day brought fresh news of air strikes—in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Kramatorsk, Odessa. By evening, president Volodymyr Zelensky reported that 137 Ukrainians had died. He also imposed martial law that day.

My younger brother, Anton, enlisted on that first day of the war. I’ve always thought that if war ever came, I would be a conscientious objector. But when the bombs began falling on my hometown, I found myself consumed with an animalistic rage and nearly enlisted, too. Instead, however, I instinctively began helping people escape from Ukraine—organizing transportation for women, children, and the elderly. Leaving wasn’t an option for me. Kyiv is my home. I wasn’t afraid to die. I just wanted to help as much as I can. Within a week, I had four drivers who traveled all over Kyiv, evacuating civilians. Soon, we were helping organize escape routes in other cities, too.

That sense of unity in Ukraine, in those early days of the invasion, was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I was amazed by my compatriots—by their courage, their humor, the strength of their spirit. During the first week of the war, I saw women handing flowers to soldiers as they marched off to war. When a man who had used his truck to block approaching Russian tanks was given a medal, he shrugged and said, “I don’t know why I did it. I was just drinking.”

At the same time, Ukrainian men from all over the world were rushing home. People had a clear idea what they were fighting for. Hundreds of thousands were standing up as one to defend their land against the Russians who had invaded our country.

And in just over a month, Ukraine managed to achieve the impossible—we drove the mighty Russian army out of the Kyiv region. It was hailed as “the defeat of the ages.” Russian soldiers fled in disarray, abandoning equipment and supplies as our forces pushed them out. In dozens of villages all over Ukraine, citizens emerged from their shelters and hugged soldiers in the streets. Despite the devastation, there was a profound sense of triumph. It felt like a moment of victory. To me, it was victory.

But instead of seizing that moment to negotiate from a position of strength, a political decision was made to push forward. As a former actor, our president, Zelensky, is highly attuned to public perception—and perhaps that’s his biggest weakness. His image is of paramount importance to him. His heroic actions in the early days of the invasion rightly earned him a place in history, but by April 2022, his focus appeared to shift. Optics took priority over human lives. And now, nearly three years later, that sense of unity feels like a distant memory.

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The current FBI Director, Christopher Wray, was appointed by Donald Trump during his first term. The FBI Director serves a 10-year term, so Wray is not scheduled to depart until 2027. The purpose of having a 10-year term is to insulate the position from political pressures.

Trump, however, is unhappy with Wray for a variety of reasons. At the top of the list is Wray’s oversight of the FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago, which revealed that Trump was storing highly classified documents in a bathroom. Trump was later indicted based, in part, on evidence collected in the raid. (A federal judge appointed by Trump later dismissed the case.)

On November 30, Trump announced his intention to replace Wray with Kash Patel. Trump considered appointing Patel as Deputy FBI Director at the end of his first term. But the move was blocked by former Attorney General Bill Barr. “I categorically opposed making Patel deputy FBI director. I told [Trump Chief of Staff] Mark Meadows it would happen ‘over my dead body,'” Barr wrote in his book. Barr said that Patel lacked any qualifications for the job.

What Patel lacks in experience, he makes up for in subservience and loyalty to Trump. He validates Trump’s conspiratorial view of the FBI. In his book, “Government Gangsters,” Patel called the FBI “so thoroughly compromised that it will remain a threat to the people unless drastic measures are taken.” Trump endorsed the book on Truth Social, calling it “the roadmap to end the Deep State’s reign.”

In a podcast appearance promoting the book, Patel vowed to “find the conspirators, not just in government but in the media.” He said that “[w]e’re going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections.” The appendix of the book includes 60 members of the “deep state” that Patel would target, including President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Barr, and Wray. Trump called the book a “blueprint to take back the White House and remove these Gangsters from all of Government.”

Patel has little experience in law enforcement other than a brief tenure as a federal prosecutor. But he has spent many years monetizing his cartoonish loyalty to Trump.

A $37 “Trumpamania” T-shirt

Patel has translated his devotion to Trump into a massive following on Truth Social, with nearly 1.4 million followers. He uses that following to sell pro-Trump clothing through his apparel brand, Based Apparel. You can buy a “Trumpamania” t-shirt for $37, a hoodie featuring a glamour shot of Trump’s attorney Alina Habba for $59.99, or a Trump “Comeback” t-shirt for $40.

Patel often wears his own gear during podcast and TV appearances.

Patel’s pro-Trump children’s book trilogy

Patel published a children’s book trilogy portraying himself as a wizard and Trump as king. His first children’s book, entitled “The Plot Against the King,” follows “Hillary Queenton and her shifty knight” who “spread lies that King Donald had cheated to become King,” by “claim[ing] he was working with the Russionians!” Patel is depicted as a “Distinguished Discoverer” seen wearing blue wizard robes. On the cover, Trump is shown wearing a crown.

Trump said the “amazing book” should be “in every school in America.”

Patel’s second children’s book, “The Plot Against the King 2,000 Mules” follows “Dinesh and Debbie” as they “search for the truth and uncover evidence of a terrible scheme to elect Sleepy Joe instead of King Donald on Choosing Day.” The book also includes a “special message from Dinesh D’Souza,” a far-right polemicist behind the documentary 2000 Mules which contains baseless allegations about election fraud. The movie was pulled by its distributor and D’Souza recently issued an apology for misrepresenting key video footage.

The third book in Patel’s trilogy is “The Plot Against the King 3: The Return of the King.” The book “continues the silly yet important journey of the MAGA King as he returns to take down Comma-la-la-la and reclaim his throne.” It is described as a “fun story” and “great way to start a conversation with your kids about the election.” You can buy a special signed copy of the book for $99.99.

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“Rid your body of the harms of the vax”

Patel has also sought to exploit health conspiracy theories popular with Trump supporters. Earlier this year, Patel pushed “Nocovidium” and other dietary supplements produced by Warrior Essentials. Patel marketed the supplements as a “mRNA vaccine detoxification system,” which Patel claimed would “rid your body of the harms of the vax.”

COVID vaccines are life-saving, not toxic. NBC News reported that “there is no evidence that Warrior Essentials’ supplements are effective at reducing vaccine side effects — which are mostly mild or moderate and tend to resolve quickly.” A month of the “treatment” costs $150 and the company recommends taking the supplements for “3 to 12 months.”

K$H cabernet

Patel has used his fealty to Trump to develop his own brand, K$H. Through “Great American Craft Spirits” Patel sells cases of “K$H Cabernet Sauvignon,” which has “hints of blackberry, dark chocolate, plum and a touch of French oak.” A case of 6 bottles sells for $243.99.

$10 of every sale benefits an unnamed charity.

An alternative to “credit cards for libs”

Patel has promoted Coign, “the conservative credit card.” On Truth Social, he said Coign was perfect for people sick of “Harris credit cards for libs.” A video posted by Patel says, “every transaction supports conservative causes” and advances a “conservative future.” The company donates 0.25% of each transaction to “non-profits or charitable organizations that have been pre-vetted by Coign.”

Among the charitable beneficiaries is The Heritage Foundation, the group responsible for Project 2025.

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Payment processing “tailored for American patriots”

Patel has “joined forces with Revere Payments,” which he describes as payment processing that is “designed for those who hold the values of this great nation close to their heart.” In a Truth Social post promoting the service, Patel said the choice was to work with Revere Payment or be “in zuckerbucks mafia.” (It is unclear what Mark Zuckerberg has to do with payment processing.)

Pro-Trump “consulting”

In addition to hawking pro-Trump merchandise and services, Patel has also been paid handsomely for offering consulting services to entities connected to Trump and his allies. According to an SEC filing, Trump Media & Technology Group paid Patel at least $130,000 in consulting fees. (The consulting contract ended in March 2024.) Patel was also paid “$325,000 over two years for ‘strategy consulting’ for the pro-Trump Save America PAC.” Former Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who Trump nominated for Attorney General but was forced to withdraw, paid Patel $145,000 for “fundraising consulting.”