International Legion: Americans told how they are fighting in Ukraine and why they went there

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, thousands of Americans and other foreign nationals have volunteered for the war in Ukraine. Now that the fighting has been going on for more than a month, more foreign volunteers are pouring into Kyiv to sign contracts, receive weapons and receive combat training before being sent to one of the many fronts of the war. Soldiers of the International Legion told the publication The Washington Posthow is their service in Ukraine.

Photo: Shutterstock

Before buying a one-way plane ticket to Ukraine, Adam had two jobs - a security guard and a cashier in a store. He had a gun and used it at the shooting range, but the only fight he ever had was in mixed martial arts class.

That didn't stop the tall, lanky 24-year-old from Thousand Oaks, a suburb of Los Angeles, California, from flying into the war-torn country in early March. He joined the new international legion created in Kyiv to fight the Russian troops.

Adam is unfazed by his inexperience in combat. According to him, he will rely on determination to save Ukraine and protect American values.

“Democracy and freedom are very important for the whole world,” he said. “What Russian President Vladimir Putin is doing is terribly wrong.”

The 32 foreigners are mostly Americans and Europeans, many as untrained as those who joined the Republican forces during the Spanish Civil War of 000-1936. That conflict was a losing battle against the Nationalists led by General Francisco Franco with the support of Nazi Germany and the fascist Italian government of Benito Mussolini.

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However, in the brutal modern Ukrainian warfare, the romance of adventure and political conviction can quickly evaporate when volunteers are subjected to airstrikes, Grad rockets and artillery shells, or engage in street fighting.

While some seasoned American veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are said to be among the volunteers, many of these would-be fighters, like Adam, are rookies at best.

They say they have seen pictures of civilians killed by Russian bombers and, like those who went to Spain, believe they are on the right side of history.

“I have very little military experience, but I’m ready to go fight and die with this guy,” Canadian business analyst Brian said, referring to Adam standing next to him. “Because my Ukrainian relatives are here.”

“I have been a hunter all my life,” he said. “I was assigned to the sniper team here. I will kill every Russian I can. I've never killed anyone, but I think I'll enjoy it."

All of the foreign volunteers interviewed for this article did not want their names to be given. Some were worried about their safety, others wanted to protect their relatives or had not yet told their families that they were in Ukraine to fight the Russians.

“This is a way to connect the population of other countries with the Ukrainian war and its outcome,” said Ilmari Kaihko, an assistant professor of military studies at the Swedish Defense University, who researched the situation in Ukraine. “In the long run, the political contribution may be more important than the actual military contribution.”

But there are fears that some of these American and other Western volunteers could become a problem. If the Americans are captured by Russian forces, they could become fodder for the Kremlin's propaganda machine, presented as proof that Ukraine's resistance is actually an American and Western conspiracy.

Adam just wants to be on the battlefield as soon as possible. He has two choices: the first is to become a medical doctor, because he completed a first aid course in the United States; the second is a sniper.

But he has no experience either for the first or for the second.

According to Adam, in the first days after the invasion of Russian troops on February 24, he could not tear himself away from the news. As a Jew with dual US-Israeli citizenship, he sees similarities between Russia's attack on Ukraine and Israel's conflict with the Palestinians. The legionnaire believes that both Ukraine and Israel are “under attack without any provocation” and that both countries need additional military assistance to fight their enemies.

He worked odd jobs and earned a degree in automotive technology from a community college in the San Fernando Valley.

“There isn’t much going on at home,” Adam explained.

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He enjoys "guns, cars, building materials, basketball, sports and MMA". At the shooting range, according to Adam, he "took aim at moving targets and practiced reloading."

The guy for several months planned to move to Israel and join the Israel Defense Forces. But first he decided to make a stop in Ukraine.

Adam didn't know much about this country, but he felt he knew Eastern Europe because his family had Polish and Lithuanian roots. The volunteer admitted that he did not tell his parents, three sisters and brother about his plans to fight the Russians. Instead, he told them that he was going to help Ukrainian refugees entering Poland.

Adam did not apply to the embassy or consulate of Ukraine. He also says that he did not go to the fightforUA.org recruitment website, where foreign volunteers must register and learn about the process of joining the Ukrainian armed forces.

“I only found out about fightforUA.org when I was already here,” he said.

The volunteer flew to Istanbul, then to Warsaw. He made it to the border, entered Ukraine through the western city of Lvov, and finally reached Kyiv.

According to the Ukrainian government, up to 20 foreigners have expressed interest in joining the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine. Among them are about 000 Americans, an official at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington said last week.

They had to sign contracts stating that they would fight until the end of the war. Many volunteers wonder if the contracts mean that the rules of the Geneva Convention will apply if they are captured or killed. But experts say it's unclear whether they will be treated with full POW status.

Each volunteer will receive about $3000 a month, the same as a soldier, said Yaroslav, a Ukrainian military man and chief organizer of the international legion.

There are already concerns about the international legion. Volunteers complain about delays in contracts, a large number of documents, not receiving weapons or training quickly enough, and days of waiting before being assigned to combat units.

“Even now, when there is a war, there is a big bureaucracy,” laments Mamuka Mamulashvili, commander of the Georgian National Legion, a paramilitary group that has been fighting Russian separatists and their forces in eastern Ukraine for years.

He said that "there is a very large flow" of inexperienced Americans and foreigners who want to fight in Ukraine. “We can’t just take some guy from Brooklyn who wants to fight on the front lines,” he explained, because anyone with no military experience is turned down.

He said there is a rigorous screening process and only those with combat experience are allowed to fight.

Foreigners can join other Ukrainian militias, among other things, which have lower entry requirements and allow volunteers to leave more easily for family or work reasons. Everyone can face risk on the battlefield, and not just from bullets and bombs: Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov recently called foreign volunteers "mercenaries" who, if caught, would be "pursued like criminals."

By law, Americans can take part in another country's war. But the administration of US President Joe Biden has urged US military veterans and other Americans not to join Ukrainian forces and to leave if they are already in the country.

Kelso, another former American soldier in the foreign volunteer group, didn't listen. A Montana construction worker quit his job when he saw on the news how "innocent civilians are being targeted."

He said he served in the US Army four years after graduation but never saw combat. “This is my first war,” Kelso said.

The volunteer registered on the website of the recruitment agency of Ukraine and filled out the questionnaires. There was no answer for several days. I'm not going to wait for an e-mail while people die, he decided to himself.

So, saving some money, he paid $700 for a one-way flight to Poland. He had warm clothes, a sleeping bag, medical supplies, family photos, and a bulletproof vest given by a friend. According to him, when he arrived at the border, he was connected with people from the international legion.

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“I believe God is on our side here,” Kelso said. We are on the side of good. What the Russians brought is pure evil.”

Other volunteers stood a few paces away, including a German who said he had served in Afghanistan for 4,5 months in the German army as part of NATO security forces, and a Scot who said he was a British army veteran who fought against the Islamic State in Syria.

Some waited almost 10 days for their contracts and other documents to be approved.

“Zelensky said we would be welcome here and armed and ready to go,” said Rob, 61, from Edinburgh. “We have to be at the forefront. There are young Ukrainians who are dying at the moment. And we are here."

“I came here to fight for Ukraine,” Rob emphasized.

Adam did not tell his mother that he was part of a combat unit, despite her concerns about his well-being.

“I really don’t need her to destroy my mental state right now,” Adam explained. "I'm here on an important mission."

Adam still has not received any body armor, helmets or weapons.

“I've been here for 15 days and still nothing is happening,” he laments. “I'm not going to put up with it. They expect me to guard the base with no weapons, no armor, no helmet, and no knowledge of the Ukrainian language. It's absolutely pointless. I'm not going to stand by and wait for a missile to hit me. If I'm going to die, I better get to the front line and do it."

So he will try to join another unit closer to the front line.

Adam said that he intended to get as close as possible to the city of Irpin on the northern outskirts of Kyiv - directly into the war zone.

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• On the night of February 24 began full-scale war of Russia against Ukraine.
• In the light of these events in Russia and around the world, protests against the invasion of Ukraine.
• US and UK imposed broad economic sanctions against Russia because of her invasion of Ukraine.
• February 25 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to sit down at the negotiating table. Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Putin is ready to send a delegation to Minsk (Belarus) for negotiations with Kiev. He specified that the delegation will include representatives of the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the presidential administration.
• In the USA there were large-scale rallies in support of Ukraine.
• Pope Francis visits the Russian Embassy February 25, to personally "express his concerns about the war" in Ukraine, which made an unprecedented deviation from diplomatic protocol.
• European Union, USA and UK imposed sanctions and froze the assets of Putin and Lavrov.
• The United States has declared its readiness accept refugees from Ukraine.
• February 26, the world famous and one of the most popular groups of hackers Anonymous recorded a video message to Russian President Vladimir Putin. She promised to find all the "skeletons in the closet" and "leave no stone unturned".
• As it became known, the Oscar-winning Hollywood actor Sean Penn is located in Ukraine and is making a documentary for Vice about events in the country.
• February 28 The world's largest aircraft An-225 was destroyed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which caused alarm and sadness among the aviation world, in which he has almost a cult status.
• On the same day, the United States and France called on their citizens immediately consider leaving Russia.
• From the very beginning of the invasion, many actions took place around the world in support of Ukraine. How it was in the USA, see our material.
• On March 1, the United States asked 12 Russian diplomats from the United Nations leave the US accusing them of "espionage activities" as Russia continues its advance into Ukraine.
• March 2 Russian businessman Alex Konanykhin offered $1 million reward for dead or alive Putin.
• Airbus and Boeing refused to work with Russia, and this endangers almost all civil aviation.
• March 3 CEO and founder of the Russian TV channel "Rain" announced the suspension of the channel. This is due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
• Which of the Hollywood stars supported Ukraine, and who was on the side of Russia, read here.
• What Russians living in Ukraine say about the war, you can find out in our material.
• Which companies left Russia and how it hit the economy, read on link.
• Where citizens of Ukraine can receive special services in Poland - by link.
• The US State Department has warned citizens of Ukraine that the US Mission in Ukraine does not currently offer visa services. That's it services provided in Germany.
• Meanwhile, the killers tried to kill the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky at least three times since Russia invaded his country on February 24.
• In Russia, the situation with free media is becoming more and more difficult. Even relatives of Ukrainians from Russia do not believe in shelling of Ukraine.
• Russian diplomats announced persona non grata, left the US, and the Russian airlines stop international flights.
• Meanwhile at the International Court of Justice in The Hague began consideration of the claim of Ukraine to Russia. The subject of the lawsuit is allegations of genocide. The International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that Russia must stop hostilities in Ukraine as interim measures pending consideration of Kyiv's complaint about Moscow's misinterpretation of the Genocide Convention as a pretext for aggression.
• Russia began active preparations for shutdown from the global internet.
• Thousands of Ukrainians leave the country: 11-year-old boy from Zaporozhye made it to the border with Slovakia and crossed it on foot.
• USA support Ukraine – government officials and ordinary Americans alike: 20 workers in West Coast ports refuse tohandle Russian cargo. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky was awarded a medal Liberty Ronald Reagan.
• Tesla will continue to pay salaries to employees who decide to go to fight in Ukraine.
• In the meantime, the sanctions are taking effect: Russia is rapidly rising in price or disappearing from the sale of drugs and medical equipment manufactured by countries that have imposed sanctions on the Russian Federation because of the war in Ukraine. Down on the country iron curtain. The world is on the hunt on the assets of Russian oligarchs.
• Russia cannot establish a dialogue with the world - she threatens to leave from the Council of Europe and the OSCE.
• To further assist Ukraine in its fight against the aggressor, Congress approved an emergency military and humanitarian package. assistance in the amount of $13,6 billion. Biden, among other things, wants take away trade privileges from Russia in relations with America.
• The United States has banned deliveries to Russia dollar bills and restricted access to cryptocurrencies, and world educational organizations will no longer recognize diplomas issued by Russian universities.
• Intelligence sources claim that Vladimir Putin suffering from a brain disorder caused by dementia, Parkinson's disease or "steroid rage". He named Russians living in a large area in Miami and the French Riviera, traitors to their homeland.
• U.S. President Joe Biden says he considers Russian leader Vladimir Putin a "war criminal" for his attacks on Ukraine. This was the first time Biden publicly branded Putin with this phrase. He then called him a "bloody dictator" and a "pure thug".
• A US citizen was killed in the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv. His sister said that his brother was killed while he was standing in line for bread with other civilians.
• Countess Alexandra Tolstaya, former partner of the Russian oligarch - "Kremlin banker" Sergei Pugachev, spoke about Russian President Vladimir Putin and how he is with close people.
• According to intelligence, representatives of the Russian elite are considering the possibility of "poisoning, sudden illness, accident" to remove Putin and restore economic ties with the West.
• Trump believes that Biden took too weak a stance on Ukraine.
• Zelensky harshly criticized the leaders of NATO and European countries, they greeted his performance with a standing ovation.
• The United States will accept about 100 Ukrainians and other persons fleeing Russian aggression in Ukraine.
• According to a list compiled by the Yale School of Management, more than 400 companies have announced their withdrawal from Russia since its invasion of Ukraine on February 24. However, for some brands, it's easier said than done.
• US intelligence says Russian precision-guided missiles fail 60% of the time in Ukraine
• In the meantime, the war continues, the world is making predictions about the future developments. For example, the American philosopher, political scientist, political economist and writer Yoshihiro Francis Fukuyama spoke about what awaits Russia in the war against Ukraine. Mikhail Khodorkovsky spoke about the war, the chances for peace and the Stockholm syndrome of Russians.

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