Tens of thousands of foreigners have expressed a desire to fight for Ukraine against the Russian invasion as a part of the International Legion.

Militarnyi reported this with reference to the statement of the spokesperson of the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Ground Forces Academy Anton Myronovych to Liga.net.

The legion also receives many applications for accession from Russian citizens.

About 40,000 applications have already been received from foreigners wishing to join the legion.

This is the number of people who have applied with such a desire all along. This does not mean that they all joined the ranks of the legion.

The most trained, combat-ready and proven fighters of the International Legion are already performing tasks in the combat zone.

Three days after the start of Russia’s further invasion, on Feb. 27, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the opportunity for foreign volunteers, expecting the dire need for manpower to combat the offensive.

“And immediately there were a lot of applications from volunteers who felt the desire to stand side by side with the Ukrainians,” the Foreign Ministry said.

Recruits should travel to Ukraine on their own, and embassy representatives help them on the way.

It is recommended that legionnaires obtain clothes, combat gear, such as fatigues or equipment, or a helmet, armored vests. It is forbidden to carry weapons.

“There is a list of equipment that we recommend to take with the soldiers. We provide it after the previous application was approved by the Embassy of Ukraine,” the legion’s speaker Damien Magru explains. “But we are fully equipping all the recruits.”

Magru

Damien Magru was the first foreigner to join the Legion and sign a contract with the Armed Forces.

So far, the Legion leadership has decided that Magra will be the sole speaker on behalf of the Legionnaires.

According to the speaker, all the legionnaires with whom he spoke during these three weeks are united by a single motivation: “They are guided by the understanding that because of their military experience, they can break the situation.”

“In the early days of the war, it felt like we were just watching the horrific war crimes of Russian troops,” says Magru. “And when President Zelensky addressed foreigners, we realized that this was our opportunity to help and contribute to Ukraine’s victory.”

Soldiers from all continents go to the legion. Citizens from the USA, Great Britain, Poland, the Baltic States, Canada, Norway, Finland and Denmark are the most represented. 70-80% of volunteers are from these countries, Magru says.

Russians

Citizens of the Russian Federation and Belarus are not admitted to the legion. Although there are many appeals from Russians, he said.

“And these are people with real combat experience and former servicemen,” Myronovych says. “This is a good signal. I hope they are not those who want to carry out subversive activities from within, but seek to protect Ukraine, because they understand what crimes their state is committing. But for now we have to refuse them. We are not going to risk other volunteers.”

The size of the legion, the location, the details of the preparation and execution of tasks the leadership does not disclose, citing security issues.

The main requirement for selection for the legion is the experience of participating in hostilities, Myronovych says. “And it’s not about service in the army, but about participation in hostilities. We ask them if they are ready to fight when they arrive in Ukraine in just a few days after a short training. If they are ready and meet all the safety criteria, then after a thorough check we give the green light to such candidates, ”he explains.

Contract

Currently, the International Legion is not looking for any specific specialists, it has a motorized rifle character.

This should be a well-trained volunteer capable of conducting operations as part of an infantry unit. If he is professionally possessed of sniper, anti-tank weapons or MANPADS, it is only welcome.

However, not all foreign volunteers sign a contract. One of the reasons is its duration. It is currently being signed for the duration of the presidential decree on martial law. But no one will say when the war will end.

In fact, there are no problems with this, Myronovych says. If a foreigner suddenly changes his mind after signing a contract and wants to return home, no one will force him to fight.

Each case is analyzed individually, and the contract is terminated.

The contract for foreigners in fact provides the same conditions of service as for the Armed Forces, including cash/material security and all surcharges imposed at the beginning of martial law.

Some recruits do not like bureaucratic, as they think, moments. And there were cases when people left the legion because they did not want to wait.

“They think they have enough experience and should get to the front as soon as possible,” Magru explains. “But they joined the army, it’s a big system with its own procedures. And it seems to them that they are being detained at the deployment point for too long and not being sent to hot spots.”

Some foreigners with good combat experience are not ready to go to the combat zone and see themselves more as instructors. Therefore, they prefer volunteer battalions that have nothing to do with the International Legion, Myronovych says.