Foreign Fighters Surprise Impact in Ukraine

A big thanks to Ridge Wallet for sponsoring the animation work in today’s video. Here’s their site if you want to check them out ridge.com/taskandpurpose

I voluntarily served in Ukraine and originally was to join the International Legion. After a few days with them, seeing how much of a total gong show the unit was, me and several others left. I then linked up with a volunteer medical battalion under the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence called the Hospitallers. As a medic and rescue tech for industry back home, and former soldier, the Hospitallers were happy to have me, and they treated me quite well. The long and the short of it, the International Legion is decent if you have combat experience and are up to date on combat operations. But unless you can prove yourself to them immediately, it’s probably not a good option. There are other programs in Ukraine accepting international volunteers, but from my knowledge the Hospitallers are among the best. Just make sure you are completely up to date with TCCC & weapons handling, otherwise you will be relegated as a driver: a position they already have a healthy surplus of.

I've met foreign legionnaires during Kharkiv offensive near city of Balakliya. Most of them were from Scotland and Ireland. I noticed that their training level and fighting skills much further than ours (national guard of Ukraine). They helped us as we trapped in minefields , gave my wounded brothers-in-arms medical care they needed , disarmed a lot of OZM-72 antipersonnel mines to clear safe path. Legionnaires are people of courage and honour, I respect and proud that they fight side by side with us against russia. Excuse me for bad English

Colombian volunteers poured in from the beginning. My brother has been fighting since the war started he is former Colombian Special Forces 🇨🇴 God bless all 🙏

“The reason transnational volunteers sign up to fight against Russia often is because their ideological beliefs within their own state failed them. Many American Iraq and Afghanistan veterans feel that the fight in Ukraine was what they wished they were fighting for in the global war on terror.” Just casually dropping some weapons-grade truth here.

Just want to address some things as an ex-Foreign Legion member operating under GUR. 1. The legion gets bad equipment - No. the legion gets better equipment than the Ukrainians most of the time. It’s just not handed out to every unit. There are units who have been proven in combat, they get everything they ask for. When I left I had a suppressor, laser, high rise mounted optic, and $7000 pair of RNVGs with dual peltor comtacs and an AMP mount, baofengs, Motorolas, and ATAK phones. We had any equipment we asked for within a month or two. 2. We get sent on suicide missions. - No. Ukraine is not America, they do not have the capacity to support an operation like America does. When we went out, we had no medical support because there was no medical support. There were no aircraft, the QRF was a unit on the frontline that just took casualties from a shelling, and they had no one to come get us — most of the time. We were the best trained soldiers in that battle space, and Ukraine employed us as such. The missions were dangerous, but we accomplished them nonetheless despite rampant desertions from a lot of other foreigners, US included. It was a real war, not like the last decade of Iraq or Afghanistan. TLDR: Foreigners get good equipment and are not sent on suicide missions.

Lindybeige recently interviewed a British foreign fighter who was at the Yavoriv base when it was bombed for those interested. He also covers some other topics about the foreign volunteers in Ukraine in a series of interviews.

I read from an American volunteer that he got redemption for the war in Iraq, where he was seen and called an "invader". He helped liberate towns in Ukraine and was proud to be called a liberator and was thanked by the civilians.

Yugoslavs that fought in Spanish civil war then had huge combat experience during ww2 and they were the only resistance force that liberated its own country. These guys were pretty badass once the war started

I remember watching some Russian POW being interviewed by Ukrainian journalists, and many of them said that “they were captured by foreign mercenaries”. When the journalists explained that those people were not “mercenaries” (for whom Ukraine simply doesn’t have the money) but international volunteers, the POWs were dumbfounded as to why so many people from India, America or Western Europe would leave the safety of their usually rich countries, in order to risk their lives for Ukraine’s survival! They really couldn’t even conceive that, when you invade a far smaller country to literally CONQUER it, people around the world don’t see you as “the good guys”…

These are older issues highlighted by the Kyiv Independent and I hope the government addressed them. Even Poland is seeking their citizen for crimes committed in Poland. As anti-corruption goes, this highlights that you as an individual should speak out if you see an incompetent commander, so these issues are fixed or join a unit that works like the Georgian Legion.

I am helping a battalion and another unit of the Legioners. At this point they’re supplied with everything, and I help them with some specific and urgent requests + financing cars repairs. I know the commander of this battalion, he’s an experienced, good and very careful guy. He cares about each one of his boys. Just saying. We are deeply grateful to each and every foreign volunteer.

In Ireland our laws concerning fighting in foreign armies are extremely loose, in that they don't exist. As long as you are not part of an organisation declared illegal in Ireland like ISIS or Al-Qaeda you can join freely with no restrictions. Foreign armies can't actively recruit in Ireland but people frequently travel abroad to join the military, most notably in the British army where there are thousands of Irish citizens, as well as the US military and French Foreign Legion. Also with your mention of the Spanish civil war about a thousand Irish citizens fought in the war, most of them fought for Franco as part of the Irish brigade. We have a long history of the "Wild Geese", a nickname for Irishmen travelling abroad to fight in foreign armies that has existed since the Crusades and continues to this day. So even though it is not on any lists concerning the legality of foreigners joining the Ukrainian military, lads joining the Ukrainian army is perfectly legal in Ireland and a good few have gone.

my buddy fought for ukraine last year from march til august and was treated great, once they knew he was a former marine sniper he was given the best they could get for him because they knew what the had and he proved his worth. He went there because he doesnt like Russia or what they stand for and still says they are the worst trained troops hes ever fought and has fought in iraq and afghanistan. Still insists in a conventional war the us could defeat Russia in under 2 weeks as well given what hes seen as far as russian military in ukraine

I tried joining the Ukrainian foreign legion a bit after the war started ( March 5th) but I never got to Ukraine. I ended up changing my mind half way there and went back. Seeing as I have no military training whatsoever I would probably just have been a burden for the Ukrainians but I still feel like a bit of a coward for not going all the way. At least Poland was nice.

Cappy my grandfather fought against Franco in the Spanish civil war too. He had some crazy experiences in that war and it shaped the lives of that whole side of my family as my grandmother was sent away from Spain as a child at the outbreak of the war to Mexico. Once Franco won my grandfather eventually made his way to Mexico to escape persecution under Franco’s regime.

I have a classmate from college who served in the 🇳🇿 New Zealand Army from 2011 to 2017, was deployed to 🇹🇱 East Timor and 🇦🇫 Afghanistan during his time in the NZ Army and later travelled to Europe to fight in Ukraine last year in 2022. When he returned home back in January, we asked why he opted to go to 🇺🇦 Ukraine in the first place. Apparently he opted to fight in Ukraine because he didn't have much for him here at home. According to him he had trouble holding a job, kept going on & off the benefit (welfare), had a bit of a drinking problem, his fiancee left him whilst he was deployed to East Timor and just didn't quite fit in with society after his time in the army.

I think there's another very relevant aspect to foreign fighters leaving. The war is now more than a year old. I don't think we can judge foreign fighters for deciding they've done enough for someone else's country.

Holy shit, i did not expect my country flag, Perú, to appear in one of the soldiers chest, 0:19

My experience in the wars in the former Yugoslavia was that foreign volunteers were mostly guys trying to escape from their wives or else from a tedious, meaningless life. A lot of Brits who were on the dole were volunteers. They were guys trying to prove to themselves that they weren't cowards. A motley bunch for sure.