Three percent are women, one Italian (Julia Schiff) and her story has gone viral in the past few hours. But like her, there are others around her 20,000 foreign fighters who signed up Ukraine to fight alongside Kyiv against the invasion of Russia. They belong to 52 different nationalities and have responded to the call from Zelensky a few days after the outbreak of the conflict, when he called on volunteers from all over the world to repel the attack on Moscow.
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An anomalous type of world war in which foreign states are not directly and officially involved, but some of their citizens who enlist in the Ukrainian international legion. They are the “foreign fighters” who provide their military contribution to the official army of Kyiv. Not a simple militia, but a real combat unit in the service of the official armed forces.
Giulia Schiff volunteers in Ukraine, her father: “Proud of this commitment”. She was expelled from the Air Force
Incoming foreign military personnel from around the world
Foreign military personnel who decide to fight for the Ukrainian cause range in age from 25 to 80 (the number of advanced ages should not come as a surprise, as the only real requirement for admission is previous battlefield experience) and get by all areas of the world, not only from the Baltic neighboring countries or from Northern Europe, France, GermanyPortugal and out Great Britain: Many men come from the USA and Canada, some even from South Korea, others also from Italy. Among them are women, including the 23yearold Julia Schiffthe former Venetian pilot who was expelled from the Air Force was in the news a few years ago for repeatedly reporting that he was the victim mobbing and harass when she was a student at the Pozzuoli Academy.
How they are sorted
Upon arrival at the recruitment camps, the foreign “legionnaires” do not undergo proper training but are placed in competent positions depending on the experience gained in many cases in Iraq or in Iraq Afghanistan and the Middle East in general. In order to facilitate their arrival, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has activated a special page where a real form must be filled out. Also the President Zelensky issued a decree abolishing visa requirements for foreign citizens wishing to join the Ukrainian army. On the other side of the fence, it must be said that Russia also has a Foreign Legion, which is close in number to Ukraine’s: according to the Defense Ministry to fly In fact, more than 16,000 soldiers, mostly from the Middle East, have applied to fight alongside the Russian army. However, unlike the foreign volunteers who stick to Kiev’s grounds, the proRussian volunteers recruited by the Wagner group are real mercenaries, particularly Syrian fighters who specialize in urban warfare, according to some analysts.