Welcome to Voices of the Fight— a Saturday Q&A series featuring the warriors, innovators, advocates, and volunteers standing under fire for free people.
My name is Samuel P.N. Cook, the founder of the Borderlands Foundation. Our mission is “To Make Sure that Ukraine’s Heroes are Never Forgotten.”
I have studied history my whole life. When I was a small child in Belfast, I bonded with my English father—a history teacher—over Winston Churchill and the Battle of Britain.
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I served in Combat in Iraq. We thought this was tough fighting. But what we saw
doesn’t compare to the scale and intensityof this war with Russia.
When I moved to the U.S. at the age of nine, I moved on to Civil War Battlefields and World War II from the U.S. Side.
When I found out that [the U.S. Military Academy at] West Point was a living institution, I went there to become a U.S. Army Officer. There I majored in European History.
I went on to serve two tours in Iraq—first as the Regimental Adjutant for H.R. McMaster; then as a Troop Commander during the surge (2007-8) under General Petraeus.
I was then selected to return to teach Russian history at West Point. It was in Grad school at NYU that I discovered Ukraine through history books and some people I met from Ukraine in New York City.
After leaving the Army, I found my way to Ukraine in 2018, and then after the full scale invasion, I started the Borderlands Foundation to focus on building Ukraine’s most powerful asset—its own history—free of Russian domination.
Ukraine is the perfect placeto build the world’s premier military history institute.
We have launched the Ukraine Military History Institute, and our podcast with top military analyst Rob Lee, who also lives here in Kyiv. We focus on the history of this war, as well as all of Ukrainian history and any historical case studies relevant to this war.
I served in Combat in Iraq. We thought this was tough fighting. But what we saw doesn’t compare to the scale and intensity of this war with Russia.
I have made several trips to see units close to the front line, as part of my work with defense companies looking to test their products on the front line.
In February of 2026, we made a trip to Kramatorsk on the invitation of the 1st Medical Detachment. They set up a safe house for us to stay that night, as well as food from local volunteers.
This evening reminded me of my time in Iraq. Simple cots, sleeping bags, and stories deep into the night.The entire city was buzzing with FPVs, interceptors, and ingoing and outgoing artillery, punctuated by the occasional blast wave of glide bombs.
What struck me was not just the fatigue, but also the determination of the soldiers we met with, as they shared with us their needs to help them save more lives on the front line with their evacuation efforts.
Despite the danger in the city, life went on, people were living their lives, and the constant sounds of combat soon became part of the scenery we got used to very quickly.Whenever I think things are bad in Kyiv with air strikes, I think back to this day that I spent in a true frontline city, with soldiers constantly in danger, and it puts everything in perspective.
In a word: Gratitude. I have a Ukrainian wife and our daughter is 11 months old. We live in the center of Kyiv.
A lot of people ask me why I choose to live in Ukraine when I have the opportunity to take my wife to a safe place in the U.S. or anywhere else in the world I could live.
We left Kyiv right before the full scale invasion in February of 2022, because I believe U.S. intelligence, and I saw no serious preparations in Kyiv to defend the city.
In May of that year as it became clear the city was safe from immediate attack, my wife and I decided to return to Kyiv. Our thinking was clear.
If we didn’t go back to Kyiv then, during the war, we would start a new life somewhere else and probably never return.
If we did try to come back to Ukraine after the war, we would be returning after the toughest period for the country, and be outsiders. We made the decision to go back during the war to be part of the war effort.
My wife’s mother and father and grandmothers are here, and they love seeing their granddaughter. We have a good life compared to most in the country.
And on the tough days and nights during Russian strikes, I always have to remind myself how lucky I am to be in this country where people are not afraid to fight for their freedom.
The soldiers on the front line are the true heroes, and we should always understand we are here to support them in all ways that we can.
4 | How can people support your work?
The Ukraine Military History Institute is my life’s work. I believe Ukraine is the perfect place to build the world’s premier military history institute.
Our mission is to use the lessons from this war, and tie them back to Ukraine’s rich tradition of military history to build an unbreakable defense ecosystem in the country—through world class education of officers and defense industry executives—who are defending Ukraine and Europe from Russian aggression.
The best officers in the world are those who study history deeply. I just gave a talk to defense industry executives introducing them to history as a way for them to sharpen their understanding of war and help create weapons systems based on this deep study of history.
5 | Where can people follow you?
For those who want to support our historical foundation, and listen to our podcast, you can go to ukrainemilitaryhistory.org (and find clips on Instagram).
If you are defense industry founder, investor, or someone in government who wants to hear my thoughts on the future of war, you can go watch a free talk I gave called “Why War Matters”: theborderlandsgroup.com/the-talk.
*JP Lindsley is editor-in-chief of Under Fire News. *
What else we’re watching today:
Odesa Under Mass Attack—Russian attacks killed at least 11 people and injured 96 across Ukraine over the past day, as Odesa endured a mass overnight missile and drone strike. Authorities reported at least 35 injured in Odesa Oblast, including a five-month-old infant, and damage to a multistory residential building. Nationwide, Russia launched 129 drones, including jet-powered models, alongside cruise and ballistic missiles. Ukraine’s Air Force reported 110 targets shot down, but impacts at 20 locations. The casualty totals cover attacks across the country, not Odesa alone. The combination of slower drones, faster jet-powered aircraft, and missiles presents defenders withseveral interception problems in the same night. Cheap drone interceptors can reduce the burden on missile batteries, but they cannot substitute for every layer of air defense.
Leipzig Sabotage Trail Leads to Russia’s GRU—German investigators have reportedly identified two suspects behind the attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle airport, including a logistics organizer linked to Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU. DNA recovered from an antenna structure used to control the drones reportedly helped investigators identify the suspects. The findings add detail to Berlin’s earlier conclusion that Russia was responsible. An explosive-equipped drone was discovered near Ukrainian cargo aircraft on August 4, and German authorities subsequently said the operation had been prepared in Russia for months while only chance prevented serious damage and casualties. Germany responded by ordering the closure of Russia’s consulate in Bonn and its cultural center in Berlin.
Ukrainian Drones Target Russia’s Aviation and Chemical Industries—Ukrainian drones attacked aviation and industrial sites in Taganrog and Tolyatti overnight on September 12, with footage and satellite fire detections indicating several blazes. In Taganrog, fires were reported near the Beriev aviation complex, which maintains and modernizes A-50 airborne surveillance aircraft and Tu-95 strategic bombers—the latter used to launch cruise missiles against Ukraine.
Other reports placed a fire at the Taganrog-Central military airfield, home to a transport aviation regiment and an adjacent aircraft repair plant. In Tolyatti, early monitoring reports identified the possible target as KuibyshevAzot, a major producer of industrial chemicals and polymers.
Chinese Satellite Images Linked to Deadly Iran Strike—Iran reportedly acquired high-resolution satellite imagery from Chinese entities before an attack on a US base in Jordan that killed three American troops in July. US officials familiar with the findings say they connected the imagery to the strike, although they declined to identify the suppliers and did not allege direct involvement by Beijing. Tehran reportedly obtained images both before and after the attack. The disclosure comes ahead of a planned September 24 meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, following US warnings about Chinese companies supplying imagery to Iran. If the officials’ assessment is correct, Chinese suppliers provided part of the reconnaissance supporting a lethal attack on American forces.
Pipeline Strikes and Houthi Gains Squeeze Saudi Oil—Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut its East-West oil pipeline after drone strikes that Riyadh and Baghdad said originated in Iraq, threatening the kingdom’s principal alternative to shipping through Hormuz. The 1,200-kilometer conduit had recently carried 4 million to 5 million barrels daily, equivalent to roughly 4–5 percent of global oil supply. Saudi authorities described the closure as precautionary, as damage and the effect on exports remain under assessment, and responsibility has not been established.
Meanwhile, four Yemeni government sources said Iran-aligned Houthis seized Perim Island on Friday, strengthening their position at the Bab el-Mandeb entrance to the Red Sea. Oil prices have already returned above $100 a barrel. Together, these developments threaten both the overland bypass of Hormuz and the maritime route serving its western terminal. The emerging danger is an export system squeezed at several points, with repairs to one facility offering little reassurance if tankers remain exposed elsewhere.
Berlin and Vienna Were Targets of Alleged Hamas Plot—Hamas allegedly planned coordinated terrorist attacks in Berlin and Vienna around October 7, 2025, marking the second anniversary of its massacre in Israel. A newly reported German indictment identifies Israeli diplomats, Jewish community centers, and pro-Israel demonstrations as intended targets, with attacks to occur simultaneously or in close succession. Seven men have been charged and remain in pretrial detention. Prosecutors say the group had obtained a fully automatic rifle, 13 pistols, and more than 700 rounds of ammunition before the first three arrests in Berlin on October 1, 2025. Some weapons were allegedly transported to Vienna, and a separately prosecuted suspect recorded a claim-of-responsibility video in advance.
Tencore’s New Robot Fights Fires After Russian Strikes—Ukrainian manufacturer Tencore has unveiled TRAX Utility, a tracked firefighting robot that the company says has already been deployed after Russian attacks in the Kyiv region. Its firefighting module delivers an adjustable 300–2,000 liters of water per minute, while the platform can carry up to ten hose sections. A separate water-dispersion system cools the vehicle and creates a protective curtain ahead and on either side, allowing it to approach intense fires. Tencore claims a control range of up to three kilometers and video transmission over one kilometer, with ELRS, LTE, and Starlink available as backup communications channels. The platform has undergone official trials, and both Ukraine’s State Emergency Service and military firefighting units have expressed interest.
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