Six US veterans of special operations are on the Polish border, ready to enter Ukraine and join the resistance against Putin’s army after a call for help from the president Green.
The men are joined by three British veterans and a German, all of whom are trained in NATO and are ready to help Ukrainian territorial defense teams.
They are believed to be among the first to join the new former International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, which Zelensky announced on Sunday after a weekend of repulse of the enemy.
BuzzFeed News quoted an unnamed U.S. Army veteran as saying there were two former U.S. infantry officers ready to fly to the region to lead the group.
They will join sixty British volunteers who also plan to travel to Ukraine to help with the battle.
These former soldiers from the army and special forces were gathered by 43-year-old Mamuka Mamulashvili, commander of the Georgian National Legion.
Mamuka Mamulashvili, 43, commander of the Georgian National Legion. He leads groups of international volunteers in the fight against Russia in Ukraine
Sixty British volunteers travel to Ukraine to fight Vladimir Putin’s Russian forces, led by Mamuka Mamulashvili, commander of the Georgian National Legion (pictured training in Kyiv in January)
A Russian tank burning in the Ukrainian city of Sumy, just days after recently discovered footage from a billboard, shows a huge column of tanks moving in
It is unclear whether he has recruited the ten NATO troops already on the Polish border.
British Minister of Foreign Affairs Liz Trass said on Sunday that the United Kingdom would support the British if they traveled to join the resistance movement, which is boldly repelling Russian forces.
The White House has not given such approval.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said he did not “want to see Britons killed more than I want to see Ukrainians” and asked people who were not properly trained or “an experienced member of the armed forces” not to join the war. Ukraine.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was “very dangerous,” he told Sky News, and had “better ways” to support the country.
A resident of Kyiv and a volunteer preparing a rear post with trenches, in Kyiv on February 28, 2022.
Soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces patrol the center of Kyiv on February 28, 2022.
In an interview with MailOnline, Commander Mamulashvili said: “I have a very large group of Britons, about sixty, traveling to Ukraine to join my unit of the Georgian National League.
“They are traveling by car from the United Kingdom and will cross the Polish border. I expect them here with equipment and supplies in the next few days.
“They are mostly boys who have fought with me in Ukraine before, but there are also recruits.
“We will provide them with training and weapons, and they come from London and all over Britain.
“Their origins are the former British army and special forces and they are good fighters, they can be trusted to deal with the Russian aggressors and most importantly to win.
Vladimir Zelensky warned that Ukraine faces a “decisive” 24 hours as Russia throws even more ground forces at Kyiv
Clouds of smoke rise from a building caused by a cruise missile, according to local media, in Kyiv, Ukraine
Smoke rises above the city of Vasilkov, which is right next to Kyiv on February 27
Public Chernihiv reports that a rocket hit a residential building in the center of Chernihiv, north of Kyiv. A fire broke out on two lower floors. The number of injured is currently unknown
“What I want to emphasize is that none of them get paid, they are not mercenaries, they are all volunteers.”
Commander Mamulashvili is a veteran of the 2008 war against Russia in Georgia and a mixed martial arts expert and founded the unit in 2014 to provide foreign fighters in Ukraine’s war against Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas region.
He added: “The boys from the United Kingdom only wear basic equipment with their uniforms and rations, they will receive weapons when they arrive.
“Putin is very mistaken, if he thinks he will take over Ukraine, he will face a battle to the death, because the Ukrainian army has shown how brave and strong it is.
“They have experience and now have good equipment from the rest of Europe and the world, and now we have the support of some of the best foreign volunteer soldiers in the world.
“We know that some of us may die, but unless we fight Russia, Putin will simply go on and try to take over countries.
“When he went to Georgia in 2008, the then president of my country said that Ukraine would be next, and he was right.”
The father of two, Mamulashvili, added that he “expects” the number of volunteers from Britain and elsewhere to exceed 500 over the next few days, after receiving dozens of requests for details on how to join.
Georgian Legion members train civilians to adapt to January’s self-defense capabilities
The paramilitary unit, formed mainly of ethnic Georgian volunteers to fight Russian aggression in Ukraine in 2014, now includes people of different nationalities
Commander Mamuka Mamulashvili told MailOnline: “Anyone in the UK who wants to come and fight should contact the Ukrainian embassy in London and they will advise how to get to our base. If this is not possible, the volunteers have to make their way to Poland and cross the border with Ukraine and head to the city of Lviv, where we have a mobilization base and report to the local authorities.
He added: “My advice to anyone in the UK who wants to come and fight is to contact the Ukrainian embassy in London and they will advise how to get to our base.
War in Ukraine: the latest
- Ukraine’s defense ministry says Russia has lost 5,300 troops, 29 planes, 29 helicopters and 151 tanks
- Russia’s Defense Ministry admitted for the first time that it had suffered losses, but declined to say how much
- Russia’s economy plunged into free fall as Western sanctions imposed over the weekend took effect, with the ruble falling to its lowest level ever
- Moscow’s central bank has more than doubled interest rates to 20 percent
- Russia orders people and companies to sell 80% of their income in foreign currency, forcing them to buy the ruble to help maintain it
- Moscow Stock Exchange will not open at least 15:00 in an attempt to prevent a total collapse
“If this is not possible, the volunteers have to make their way to Poland and cross the border with Ukraine and head to the city of Lviv, where we have a mobilization base, and report to the local authorities, but for obvious reasons I can’t tell you I give the exact address. ‘
Earlier this year, it became clear that at least two Britons were fighting in Ukraine, Aidan Aslin, 28 from Newark, Nottinghamshire and Sean Piner, 48, from Bedfordshire.
Harry Jackson, 27, who founded UK Aid for Ukraine and appealed on Facebook for volunteers and equipment, said he had been “flooded with offers of help”.
Harry said: “I connect the people with Mamuka Mamulashvili, commander of the Georgian National Legion.
“I have helmets, bulletproof vests and medical supplies, as well as a group of volunteers.”
On Sunday, President Zelensky urged foreigners to head to Ukrainian embassies in their home countries to enlist in an “international brigade” to help fight Russian invading forces.
He said: “All foreigners who want to join the resistance against the Russian occupiers and protect global security are invited by the Ukrainian leadership to come to our country and join the ranks of the Territorial Defense Forces,” Zelensky said in a statement. on the presidential website. .
“A separate unit is being formed from foreigners – the International Territorial Defense Brigade of Ukraine. This will be a key testimony to your support for our country. “
Since 2016, it has been legal for foreigners to join the Ukrainian army.
Click here for the DailyMail.com live blog with the latest updates on the crisis in Ukraine