(VIDEO) 17,000 Foreigners Flood Ukraine, Join ‘International Legion’ to Fight Against Putin, Neo-Communists
If you think that only the British, French or even the Spaniards have made a point of patriotic pride to recognize non-nationals to fight for their respective flags, think again.
According to numerous news reports, non-Ukrainians headed to the Southeastern European nation isn’t numbering in the scores or even in the hundreds… but in thousands upon thousands.
According to the likes of the BBC, the National Post and the Calgary Herald, just a few of the nationalities are already in Ukraine undergoing combat training;
United States
Great Britain
Georgia
India
Australia
Germany
Azerbaijan
Moldova
Greece
Armenia
Israel
Canada
Specifically for American citizens, the Miami Herald cites numerous sources for those of us who so desire to legally volunteer for service in the Ukranian International Legion.
The government of Ukraine is asking foreign citizens to help fight its war. And some are heeding the call, despite immense personal risk and uncertain legal grounds.
Interview with Mamuka Mamulashvili, commanding officer of the Georgian Legion in Ukraine.
On Tuesday, Ukraine temporarily lifted visa requirements forforeign volunteers who wish to enter the country to join the fight against Russian forces.
The move came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy created the International Legion of Territorial Defence over the weekend and called on volunteers to “join the defense of Ukraine, Europe and the world.”
On Monday, lawmakers in Latvia voted unanimously to allow Latvian citizens to fight in Ukraine, according to Reuters. In Denmark, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Sunday that “there is nothing at first sight that would legally prevent someone from going to Ukraine to participate in the conflict, on the Ukrainian side.”
Already fighting under the Ukrainian banner, the insignia of the Georgia National Legion.
In Canada, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said Sunday that while the government has warned that travelling to Ukraine is dangerous, joining the fight is an individual choice that Canadians can make for themselves.
“We understand that people of Ukrainian descent want to support their fellow Ukrainians and also that there is a desire to defend the motherland, and in that sense, it is their own individual decision,” Joly said at a news conference.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told the BBC on Sunday that she supported people in Britain who might want to travel to Ukraine to join the fight, adding that Ukrainians were fighting for freedom, “not just for Ukraine but for the whole of Europe.”
