foreign volunteers Ukraine

'We came to fight, not to be wasted': inside the collapse of Ukraine’s International Legion

They arrived quietly, without banners or slogans, carrying more experience than the system quite knew what to do with. For Stephen Charlton, callsign Teach, a former British Army officer with combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, coming to Ukraine was neither a romantic gesture nor a search for adrenaline. It was a calculated decision shaped by anger, responsibility, and a belief that wars are won not only by numbers, but by how intelligently a country uses the people willing to fight for it.

27 January, 04:00 PM

Ukraine’s plan to break up International Legion alarms foreign volunteers

Ukraine’s General Staff has reportedly approved a decision that could radically reshape—and possibly end—the presence of foreign volunteers on the front lines.

21 November 2025, 03:37 PM

Examining Ukraine’s new dual citizenship bill

A new bill passed by the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada) on June 18 allows Ukrainians to hold dual citizenship for the first time in the country’s history, potentially reshaping the relationship between Ukraine and its global diaspora.

19 June 2025, 12:27 AM

Life and death with Ukraine’s foreign volunteers on the front line

The International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine is one of the most professional and effective units within Ukraine’s armed forces—despite operating largely under the radar of international media. And that’s no accident. Home to volunteers from over 70 countries with different background, the Legion’s personnel have become a top target for Russian forces.At the outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, President Zelenskyy called on foreigners to join Ukraine’s defense. That call sparked the creation of a truly unique military formation—one often compared to the famed French Foreign Legion.

18 June 2025, 03:13 PM

Russia jails Australian citizen for fighting in Ukrainian military

A “court” in Russian-occupied Luhansk sentenced OscarJenkins, an Australian national who volunteered to serve in Ukraine’s armed forces, to 13 years in a maximum-security penal colony on charges of “mercenary activity,” RFE/RL reported on May 16.

16 May 2025, 11:47 PM

Ukraine streamlines military recruitment of foreign volunteers

The Cabinet of Ministers has expanded the ongoing program allowing foreign nationals and stateless persons to join the ranks of the Ukrainian military, the Cabinet’s parliamentary secretary, Taras Melnychuk, announced on April 15.

16 April 2025, 02:03 AM

International Legion ambushes Russian unit on battlefield

The 2nd International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine has released a video showing what it claims is a successful assault on a Russian special forces unit, allegedly resulting in multiple casualties and injuries.

10 April 2025, 04:15 PM

Foreign volunteers awarded for defending Ukraine’s sovereignty

The New Voice of Ukraine attended on March 14 the International Forum "Unity and Gratitude", held at the Ukrinform press center in Kyiv. The event, timed to coincide with Ukrainian Volunteer Day, honored foreign volunteers who have taken up arms to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty and freedom.

14 March 2025, 03:05 PM

British fighter sentenced to 19 years in Russia for fighting on Ukraine’s side in Kursk Oblast

A Russian court sentenced 22-year-old British citizen James Scott Rhys Anderson to 19 years in prison for fighting alongside Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast, Russia’s Investigative Committee announced on March 5.

5 March 2025, 06:22 PM

Ukraine approves new screening rules for foreigners in armed forces, including mandatory polygraph

Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers approved new polygraph screening rules for foreign recruits, MP Oleksii Honcharenko announced on Feb. 11.

11 February 2025, 06:22 PM

From Japan to Colombia: diverse fighters in Ukraine’s war for freedom

Irish recklessness, Colombian neatness, British organization, and Japanese self-discipline: the war and life of the International Defense Legion of Ukraine. Ukrainian fighter of the Legion Rostyslav “Joyce” tells the remarkable stories of volunteers from across the globe who have come together to defend Ukraine against Russian aggression, each bringing their unique cultural traits to the front lines.

21 January 2025, 02:55 PM

foreign volunteers Ukraine