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Foreign fighters in the Russo-Ukrainian War

January 01, 1970

The Russo-Ukrainian War has seen foreign volunteers participate on both sides of the conflict. Most foreign fighters joined the conflict during one of two waves. The first wave happened from 2014 to 2019 during the War in the Donbas and consisted of approximately 17,241 foreign fighters.[a] The second wave is considered by researchers to have been much larger and began in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Background

The Russo-Ukraine War has seen two distinct waves of foreign fighters: the 2014 wave to join Ukrainian volunteer battalions and pro-Russia separatist groups during the War in the Donbas phase and the post-Russian Invasion of Ukraine wave starting in 2022.[2]

War in the Donbas

Further information: Ukrainian volunteer battalions § Foreign fighters

The foreign fighter movement in 2014 was largely short-lived, with researcher Kacper Rekawek writing, "fighters arrived throughout the summer of 2014, and most of them were gone from Ukraine at some point in 2015, although some returned later, with a small group settling in Ukraine permanently."[3] By the end of 2015, Rekawek notes, "both sides took steps to professionalise their forces and incorporate the bottom-up organised volunteer battalions into e.g. the Ukrainian National Guard or, in the case of the 'separatists,' into the 'army corps.' This effectively meant an end to foreign fighter recruitment for this conflict and very few (new) foreigners joined either side after the end of 2015."[3]

An analysis of foreign fighters by Arkadiusz Legieć, a Senior Analyst at the Polish Institute of International Affairs, estimated that about 17,241 foreign fighters fought in Ukraine between 2014 and 2019. 3,879 of those foreign fighters supported Ukraine and joined foreign volunteer battalions. The largest group of foreign fighters in Ukraine was approximately 3,000 Russian citizen volunteers. The second-largest group consisted of approximately 300 Belarusians. The third-largest group consisted of approximately 120 Georgians. The only other country to exceed 50 foreign fighters was Croatia, with approximately 60 fighters. Other countries whose nationals supported Ukraine included Albania (15), Australia (5), Austria (35), Azerbaijan (20), Belgium (1), Bosnia and Herzegovina (5), Bulgaria (6), Canada (10), Czech Republic (5), Denmark (15), Estonia (10), Finland (15), France (15), Germany (15), Greece (2), Ireland (7), Israel (15), Italy (35), Latvia (8), Lithuania (15), Moldova (15), Kosovo (4), Netherlands (3), North Macedonia (4), Norway (10), Poland (10), Portugal (1), Romania (4), Serbia (6), Slovakia (8), Sweden (25), Turkey (30), the United Kingdom (10), and the United States (15).[1]

Russian invasion of Ukraine

The launch of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 caused a significant increase in the amount of foreign fighters in the conflict.[citation needed] The Ukrainian government announced the establishment of an officially-sanctioned foreign legion two days after it began,[4] which had received alleged endorsement from some Western governments after ambiguous statements from officials.[5][6][7][8] The Georgian Legion and Belarusian Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment and are one of the largest such units on the Ukrainian side.

Russian president Vladimir Putin publicly welcomed fighters from abroad to join his forces.[9] Most foreigners arriving to fight for Russia are enlisted in the Prizrak Brigade.

Russian side

Post-Soviet countries

A significant number of foreign fighters from the former Soviet Union have fought in Russo-Ukrainian War for the pro-Russian side. These have included fighters from Armenia,[10] Belarus,[11] Kazakhstan,[12] Kyrgyzstan,[13][14] and Latvia,[15] as well as from pro-Russian breakaway regions such as Abkhazia,[16] South Ossetia[17][18] and Transnistria.[19] Some have fought as volunteers due to being members of Russian diaspora or ideological reasons, while others are mercenaries allegedly hired by the Russian government.

Russian Federation

Prior to its open involvement in 2022, especially during the first peak of the war in Donbas between 2014 and 2015, Russia had previously tried to deny any formal intervention in Ukraine and portrayed Russian forces in the country as either part of local forces[20] or Russian citizens voluntarily fighting in the country.[21][22] These units have been referred as "little green men" by Western and Ukrainian media and as "polite people" by Russian media.[23] The Russian government-supported private military company Wagner Group, largely composed of former Soviet, Eastern European and Syrian soldiers, is deployed in Ukraine to secure Russian interests[vague] while maintaining the deniability of formal Russian involvement.[24]

Outside of Russian forces which have been described as volunteers or unrelated to the Russian government to maintain deniability, various Russian individuals and groups have joined separatist forces in Donbas.[25] These have included Cossacks,[26] the pro-Putin National Liberation Movement,[27] the neo-Nazi Russian National Unity,[28] the National Bolshevik Other Russia party[29] and left-wing activists.[30] Non-Slavic ethnic minorities have been among the foreign fighters, including North Ossetians, Ingush,[31] and Chechens.[25]

Fighters from other countries

Most foreign fighters from countries outside the former Soviet Union are from Europe. According to a report by Polish security expert Kacper Rękawek for the Polish Institute of International Affairs published in 2015, around a hundred Germans, a hundred Serbs, and thirty Hungarians are fighting for pro-Russian forces in Donbas.[32]

Nepali and Indian foreign fighters

In December 2023, the government of Nepal revealed that six of its citizens had been killed in Ukraine fighting for Russian forces and urged Russia to stop recruiting young men from the country to fight in its army. Nepal's ambassador to Russia claimed around 150-200 Nepali nationals have been fighting for Russia.[33] In early January 2024, Nepal stopped issuing permits for its citizens to work in Russia or Ukraine after 10 of its citizens were killed fighting in Russia's army.[34] The number of Nepalis killed in Ukraine is officially 12 but could be as high as 19.[35]

In addition, Nepali foreign minister Narayan Prakash Saud said that as of December 2023, four Nepali men had been taken prisoner by the Ukrainian army, and about 100 were missing or injured.[36][37]

A number of Indian nationals were reportedly 'duped' into fighting in Russia's army after being promised other jobs, admissions to "dubious private universities" and "free discounted visa extensions" within Russia, but were instead sent to the front lines. The identities of at least two Indian nationals expecting to work as "helpers" have been confirmed killed fighting at the front in Ukraine. In March 2024, India said it had uncovered a "major human trafficking network" which lured young men to Russia with the promise of jobs only to force them to fight in the war.[38][39][40][41]

Serbian foreign fighters

A significant amount of Serbian citizens and ethnic Serbs from neighbouring countries such as Bosnia (specifically the autonomous Republika Srpska) and Montenegro have joined to fight for pro-Russian forces in Donbas, having been described by external observers and the DPR/LPR authorities as one of the largest components of foreign fighters.[32][42] Many of the Serb fighters are veterans of the Yugoslav Wars. Serbian units within the pro-Russian forces include the International Brigade, Seventh Brigade, Serbian-Hussar Regiment, Ural Unit, First Slavic Unit, Batman Unit, Rezanj Unit[43] and the Jovan Šević Detachment.[44]

Historical links with Russia, pan-Slavism and religious affinity have been regarded as a major factor in Serbs joining the pro-Russian forces, although many are mercenaries.[25] Many of the fighters identify as Chetniks.[44] In January 2024, Serbian DPR fighter Dejan Berich spoke of abuse of Serbian recruits with Russian paratroopers referring to the Serbs as ″gypsies″ and sending them on assaults with two or three magazines of ammunition, ordering them to obtain weapons in the battlefield.[45]

Far-left volunteers

Left-wing volunteers have gone to fight for the pro-Russian forces, accusing the Ukrainian government of being a "fascist state" and seeking to engage in an "anti-fascist struggle". However, these leftist volunteers have co-operated with far-right groups in Donbas.[46] Among the initial volunteers were members of the Communist Party of Ukraine, as well as some members of trade unions and labor organizations opposed to the new government that emerged after the Euromaidan Ukrainian Revolution.[47][48][49][50][51][52]

A small number of Spanish socialists travelled to Ukraine to fight for the separatists, with some explaining they were "repaying the favour" to Russia for the USSR's support to Republicans during the Spanish Civil War.[25][53] They were also enlisting in solidarity with those who died in the Unions House fire.[54][55] Spanish fighters established the 'Carlos Palomino International Brigade', which fought under the flag of the Second Spanish Republic. In 2015, it reportedly had less than ten members.[56] Other examples include the 'DKO' (Volunteer Communist Unit) and the Interunit, both composed of foreign communist volunteers.[57][58]

Latvian communist of Ugandan and Russian descent Beness Aijo was arrested in Donetsk in 2014 for fighting with separatist forces and the National Bolshevik Interbrigades.[59][60] A female member of the Israeli Communist Party had also reportedly gone to fight for the separatists in 2015.[61]

Far-right volunteers

Far-right foreign fighters from Europe and to a lesser extent North America have fought alongside the pro-Russian separatists in Donbas, including white nationalists, neo-Nazis, fascists and Christian extremists. Motivations for these fighters have included the belief that they are fighting America and Western interests and that Vladimir Putin is a bulwark for traditional white European values who they must support against the decadent West.[32][46]

One notable far-right group is the French organisation Continental Unity, which has been accused of recruiting far-right extremists across Europe to come and fight in Donbas.[25] Other far-right groups include the Bulgarian nationalist Orthodox Dawn Battalion[62] and the Hungarian nationalist Legion of Saint Istvan.[63]

Finnish far-right and neo-Nazi groups have been recruited for the Donbas war by Johan Bäckman and Janus Putkonen who are aligned with the local pro-Russian party.[64][65][66][67][68]

The Ukrainian conflict has shattered the Italian far right and while some CasaPound Italia militants are volunteers in the Ukrainian ranks alongside the Azov battalion with which they have a long-standing collaboration, other radical far-right militants are aligned with the pro-Russian separatist militias of Donbas. In particular, the latter fight together with volunteers with a far-left political background [69]

Middle Eastern and African volunteers and mercenaries

Following its 2022 offensive, US and Ukrainian intelligence have alleged that Russia has sought to hire and already deployed fighters from forces it supports in places such as Syria,[70] Libya[71] and the Central African Republic under the command of the Wagner Group private military forces.[72] Fighters have reportedly included those from the pro-Syrian government National Defence Forces,[73] Central African Union of Peace[72] and the pro-Khalifa Haftar Libyan National Army.[74] The Libyan National Army denied any of its fighters were fighting for Russia in Ukraine.[75]

The Iran-aligned Lebanese political party Hezbollah denied sending fighters to Ukraine after the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces accused some of their members of being among 1,000 Syrian mercenaries allegedly hired to fight in Ukraine.[76]

Turkish media and Russian-American journalist Vera Mironova alleged that members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party and the People's Defense Units (both affiliated with the Kurdistan Communities Union) were fighting as mercenaries for Russian forces.[77]

On 4 October, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 5 Syrian Arab Army soldiers of the 25th Special Mission Forces Division had been killed fighting for Russia during the 2022 Ukrainian southern counteroffensive.[78]

In January 2023, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that just under 2000 soldiers of the Syrian Arab Army, specifically the 25th Special Mission Forces Division, had been deployed to fight on behalf of Russia in Ukraine. The SOHR had obtained a document allegedly from the Syrian Government, explaining the Syrian Army's budget and salaries affecting Syrian soldiers in Ukraine.[79]

It was widely reported in October 2022 that the Wagner Group had attempted to recruit former members of the American-trained Afghan National Army Commando Corps which became defunct after the victory of the Taliban insurgency in August 2021.[80][81][82]

Latin American and South Asian mercenaries

Cuban mercenaries are reported to have participated in the conflict.[83]

It was reported in February 2024 that "at least a dozen" Indian nationals had been "duped" into serving in the Russian military in Ukraine after being engaged as labour migrants.[84]

Foreign expatriates in Russia

A number of African students or former students are known to have been recruited for military service on the Russian side.[85] Jean-Claude Sangwa, a student from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who had formerly studied in Rostov, was reported to have enlisted in Luhansk People's Militia in late 2021 alongside two other expatriates from the DRC or Central African Republic.[86][87]

A number of other African former students are known to have been recruited by the Wagner Group after receiving criminal convictions while in Russia. Lemekani Nathan Nyirenda, a Zambian former student at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute who had been sentenced to a nine-and-a-half year jail term, was killed while fighting for the Wagner Group in September 2022.[88] Nemes Tarimo, a Tanzanian former student at Moscow Technological University who had previously received a seven-year jail term, was killed in similar circumstances in October 2022.[88]

Ukrainian side

Post-Soviet countries

Similarly to their opponents, many foreign fighters from the former Soviet Union have fought in the Russo-Ukrainian War for the Ukrainian side. These have included fighters from Armenia,[89] Azerbaijan,[89] the Baltic states,[25] Belarus[11] and Georgia.[90][91] Exiled Chechens opposed to Ramzan Kadyrov[25] and some Russian dissidents[25][92] have also taken up arms on behalf of the Ukrainians.

Georgia

Georgians have been participating in the conflict on the side of Ukraine, since 2014. Large formations such as the Georgian Legion that consist of 1,000 fighters, are mostly made up of Georgian, but also various other nationalities, including British.[93]

Unofficialy, since the launch of Russia's invasion in 2022, an estimated 1.500 Georgians are fighting for Ukraine in various Ukrainian Armed Forces units and the International Legion.[94]

Belarus

Already during the War in Donbas (2014–2022), Belarusians fought alongside Ukraine, forming the Pahonia Detachment and the Tactical group "Belarus".

In spring 2022, it was reported that more than 200 Belarusian citizens have joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine to defend Ukraine from the Russian invasion, with another 300 volunteers from Belarus came through Poland.[95][96] In July 2023, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that around 450 Belarusians fight for Ukraine.[97]

In the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Belarusians have created a separate battalion named after Kastuś Kalinoŭski to defend Kyiv.[98][99] It later transformed into a regiment consisting of two battalions, u UAV unit and a medical company.[97] The Kastus Kalinouski Regiment was also joined by Pavel Shurmei, a former Belarusian Olympic rower and world record holder.[100]

Another Belarusian volunteer battalion fighting for Ukraine, a part of the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Battalion, was known as the Pahonia Regiment.[101][102] It ceased to exist in 2023.[97]

Other Belarusian units include the Belarusian Volunteer Corps which includes the Terror Battalion. There are also around 20 Belarusians fighting in the Second International Legion.[97]

In June 2023, Valery Sakhashchyk, effective defence minister of the Belarusian United Transitional Cabinet (a government-in-exile opposed to the de facto government of Alexander Lukashenko) informed about the creation of the 1st separate amphibious assault company "Belarus", which is part of the 79th Air Assault Brigade.[103] The Belarusian assault company is located in the Donetsk direction.[104]

Several other Belarusians are fighting in different Ukrainian military formations as well.[105][97]

Fighters from other countries

Ajnad al-Kavkaz, a group of Chechen foreign fighters which fights on the side of the Syrian opposition, which is fighting the Russian government in the Syrian civil war, deployed some fighters to fight for the Ukrainian side. Like other Chechen foreign fighter groups across the world, they are motivated by anti-Russian sentiment stemming from the Chechnyan Conflict.[106]

A small number of South Koreans have also volunteered for Ukraine, although they were legally prohibited from doing so, due to concerns that it could cause diplomatic issues for South Korea. Four South Koreans had been convicted for serving in Ukraine by 2023.[107]

International Legion

Main article: International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine

Three days after the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy announced the establishment of the International Legion.[4]

List of notable expatriate units in Ukraine

Pro-Russian units

Pro-Ukrainian units

 
Members of the Norman Brigade

Notable people

  • Beness Aijo, Latvian Nazbol of Russian and Ugandan descent who was arrested and deported from Ukraine for fighting with the Interbrigades in 2014. He later returned to Ukraine to fight for the Donetsk People's Republic.
  • Dejan Berić, Serbian sniper in the armed forces of the DNR.
  • Trevor Cadieu, a three star Canadian general, possibly captured in June 2022.
  • Sandra Andersen Eira, Norwegian Sámi member of the Sámi Parliament of Norway (2017–2021) who joined the Ukrainian International Legion.
  • Aleko Elisashvili, Georgian parliamentarian who joined the Ukrainian International Legion.
  • Mamuka Mamulashvili, Georgian paramilitary leader and former soldier who leads the Georgian National Legion.
  • Isa Munayev, Chechen rebel who led the Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion before his death at the Battle of Debaltseve in 2015.
  • Malcolm Nance, American author, media pundit, and former US Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer who joined the Ukrainian International Legion.
  • Shaun Pinner, former British soldier who joined the Ukrainian Army as a volunteer and was captured and sentenced to death by the authorities of the Donetsk People's Republic.
  • Tseng Sheng-guang, Taiwanese indigenous veteran who volunteered in the Ukrainian International Legion and the Carpathian Sich Battalion, was the first East Asian soldier killed in action.[110][111]
  • Pavel Shurmei, Belarusian Olympic rower who joined the pro-Ukrainian Belarusian Kalinoŭski Regiment.
  • Aliaksiej Skoblia, Belarusian dissident who defected to Ukraine in 2015 and currently leads the Kalinoŭski Regiment.
  • Yulia Tolopa, Russian-born woman fighting on the side of Ukraine from 2014-2019
  • Russell Bentley, a former American soldier and communist who fought with Russian separatists in 2014 and returned in 2022 with the expressd intention of helping Russian forces.[112][113]
  • Rafi Jaffar, Son of an Afghan Communist who was murdered during the Afghan Civil War, Rafi was taken in by the Soviets. Rafi joined the separatists in 2014 fighting as part of the Vostok battalion, losing both legs in 2017, he is still assisting Russian forces as of 2023.[114][115][116]He is an ethnic Pashtun[117]

See also

Bibliography

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  • Gall, C. (8 January 2023), "Now Fighting for Ukraine: Volunteers Seeking Revenge Against Russia", The New York Times, retrieved 8 January 2023
  • Guarino, M. (6 November 2022), "Foreign fighters in Ukraine speak out on their willingness to serve: "I had to go"", ABC News, retrieved 8 January 2023
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  • Williams, S. (13 December 2022), "Why Taiwanese are among Ukraine's foreign fighters", BBC, retrieved 8 January 2023

Notes

  1. ^ Numbers for foreign fighters between 2014 and 2019 are according to an study by Arkadiusz Legieć, a Senior Analyst at the Polish Institute of International Affairs.[1]

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January 01, 1970
foreign, fighters, russo, ukrainian, this, article, lead, section, short, adequately, summarize, points, please, consider, expanding, lead, provide, accessible, overview, important, aspects, article, november, 2023, russo, ukrainian, seen, foreign, volunteers,. This article s lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article November 2023 The Russo Ukrainian War has seen foreign volunteers participate on both sides of the conflict Most foreign fighters joined the conflict during one of two waves The first wave happened from 2014 to 2019 during the War in the Donbas and consisted of approximately 17 241 foreign fighters a The second wave is considered by researchers to have been much larger and began in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine Contents 1 Background 1 1 War in the Donbas 1 2 Russian invasion of Ukraine 2 Russian side 2 1 Post Soviet countries 2 1 1 Russian Federation 2 2 Fighters from other countries 2 2 1 Nepali and Indian foreign fighters 2 2 2 Serbian foreign fighters 2 2 3 Far left volunteers 2 2 4 Far right volunteers 2 2 5 Middle Eastern and African volunteers and mercenaries 2 3 Latin American and South Asian mercenaries 2 4 Foreign expatriates in Russia 3 Ukrainian side 3 1 Post Soviet countries 3 1 1 Georgia 3 1 2 Belarus 3 2 Fighters from other countries 3 3 International Legion 4 List of notable expatriate units in Ukraine 4 1 Pro Russian units 4 2 Pro Ukrainian units 5 Notable people 6 See also 7 Bibliography 8 Notes 9 ReferencesBackgroundThe Russo Ukraine War has seen two distinct waves of foreign fighters the 2014 wave to join Ukrainian volunteer battalions and pro Russia separatist groups during the War in the Donbas phase and the post Russian Invasion of Ukraine wave starting in 2022 2 War in the Donbas Further information Ukrainian volunteer battalions Foreign fighters The foreign fighter movement in 2014 was largely short lived with researcher Kacper Rekawek writing fighters arrived throughout the summer of 2014 and most of them were gone from Ukraine at some point in 2015 although some returned later with a small group settling in Ukraine permanently 3 By the end of 2015 Rekawek notes both sides took steps to professionalise their forces and incorporate the bottom up organised volunteer battalions into e g the Ukrainian National Guard or in the case of the separatists into the army corps This effectively meant an end to foreign fighter recruitment for this conflict and very few new foreigners joined either side after the end of 2015 3 An analysis of foreign fighters by Arkadiusz Legiec a Senior Analyst at the Polish Institute of International Affairs estimated that about 17 241 foreign fighters fought in Ukraine between 2014 and 2019 3 879 of those foreign fighters supported Ukraine and joined foreign volunteer battalions The largest group of foreign fighters in Ukraine was approximately 3 000 Russian citizen volunteers The second largest group consisted of approximately 300 Belarusians The third largest group consisted of approximately 120 Georgians The only other country to exceed 50 foreign fighters was Croatia with approximately 60 fighters Other countries whose nationals supported Ukraine included Albania 15 Australia 5 Austria 35 Azerbaijan 20 Belgium 1 Bosnia and Herzegovina 5 Bulgaria 6 Canada 10 Czech Republic 5 Denmark 15 Estonia 10 Finland 15 France 15 Germany 15 Greece 2 Ireland 7 Israel 15 Italy 35 Latvia 8 Lithuania 15 Moldova 15 Kosovo 4 Netherlands 3 North Macedonia 4 Norway 10 Poland 10 Portugal 1 Romania 4 Serbia 6 Slovakia 8 Sweden 25 Turkey 30 the United Kingdom 10 and the United States 15 1 Russian invasion of Ukraine The launch of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 caused a significant increase in the amount of foreign fighters in the conflict citation needed The Ukrainian government announced the establishment of an officially sanctioned foreign legion two days after it began 4 which had received alleged endorsement from some Western governments after ambiguous statements from officials 5 6 7 8 The Georgian Legion and Belarusian Kastus Kalinoŭski Regiment and are one of the largest such units on the Ukrainian side Russian president Vladimir Putin publicly welcomed fighters from abroad to join his forces 9 Most foreigners arriving to fight for Russia are enlisted in the Prizrak Brigade Russian sideThis section needs expansion You can help by adding to it August 2022 Post Soviet countries A significant number of foreign fighters from the former Soviet Union have fought in Russo Ukrainian War for the pro Russian side These have included fighters from Armenia 10 Belarus 11 Kazakhstan 12 Kyrgyzstan 13 14 and Latvia 15 as well as from pro Russian breakaway regions such as Abkhazia 16 South Ossetia 17 18 and Transnistria 19 Some have fought as volunteers due to being members of Russian diaspora or ideological reasons while others are mercenaries allegedly hired by the Russian government Russian Federation Prior to its open involvement in 2022 especially during the first peak of the war in Donbas between 2014 and 2015 Russia had previously tried to deny any formal intervention in Ukraine and portrayed Russian forces in the country as either part of local forces 20 or Russian citizens voluntarily fighting in the country 21 22 These units have been referred as little green men by Western and Ukrainian media and as polite people by Russian media 23 The Russian government supported private military company Wagner Group largely composed of former Soviet Eastern European and Syrian soldiers is deployed in Ukraine to secure Russian interests vague while maintaining the deniability of formal Russian involvement 24 Outside of Russian forces which have been described as volunteers or unrelated to the Russian government to maintain deniability various Russian individuals and groups have joined separatist forces in Donbas 25 These have included Cossacks 26 the pro Putin National Liberation Movement 27 the neo Nazi Russian National Unity 28 the National Bolshevik Other Russia party 29 and left wing activists 30 Non Slavic ethnic minorities have been among the foreign fighters including North Ossetians Ingush 31 and Chechens 25 Fighters from other countries Most foreign fighters from countries outside the former Soviet Union are from Europe According to a report by Polish security expert Kacper Rekawek for the Polish Institute of International Affairs published in 2015 around a hundred Germans a hundred Serbs and thirty Hungarians are fighting for pro Russian forces in Donbas 32 Nepali and Indian foreign fighters In December 2023 the government of Nepal revealed that six of its citizens had been killed in Ukraine fighting for Russian forces and urged Russia to stop recruiting young men from the country to fight in its army Nepal s ambassador to Russia claimed around 150 200 Nepali nationals have been fighting for Russia 33 In early January 2024 Nepal stopped issuing permits for its citizens to work in Russia or Ukraine after 10 of its citizens were killed fighting in Russia s army 34 The number of Nepalis killed in Ukraine is officially 12 but could be as high as 19 35 In addition Nepali foreign minister Narayan Prakash Saud said that as of December 2023 four Nepali men had been taken prisoner by the Ukrainian army and about 100 were missing or injured 36 37 A number of Indian nationals were reportedly duped into fighting in Russia s army after being promised other jobs admissions to dubious private universities and free discounted visa extensions within Russia but were instead sent to the front lines The identities of at least two Indian nationals expecting to work as helpers have been confirmed killed fighting at the front in Ukraine In March 2024 India said it had uncovered a major human trafficking network which lured young men to Russia with the promise of jobs only to force them to fight in the war 38 39 40 41 Serbian foreign fighters A significant amount of Serbian citizens and ethnic Serbs from neighbouring countries such as Bosnia specifically the autonomous Republika Srpska and Montenegro have joined to fight for pro Russian forces in Donbas having been described by external observers and the DPR LPR authorities as one of the largest components of foreign fighters 32 42 Many of the Serb fighters are veterans of the Yugoslav Wars Serbian units within the pro Russian forces include the International Brigade Seventh Brigade Serbian Hussar Regiment Ural Unit First Slavic Unit Batman Unit Rezanj Unit 43 and the Jovan Sevic Detachment 44 Historical links with Russia pan Slavism and religious affinity have been regarded as a major factor in Serbs joining the pro Russian forces although many are mercenaries 25 Many of the fighters identify as Chetniks 44 In January 2024 Serbian DPR fighter Dejan Berich spoke of abuse of Serbian recruits with Russian paratroopers referring to the Serbs as gypsies and sending them on assaults with two or three magazines of ammunition ordering them to obtain weapons in the battlefield 45 Far left volunteers Left wing volunteers have gone to fight for the pro Russian forces accusing the Ukrainian government of being a fascist state and seeking to engage in an anti fascist struggle However these leftist volunteers have co operated with far right groups in Donbas 46 Among the initial volunteers were members of the Communist Party of Ukraine as well as some members of trade unions and labor organizations opposed to the new government that emerged after the Euromaidan Ukrainian Revolution 47 48 49 50 51 52 A small number of Spanish socialists travelled to Ukraine to fight for the separatists with some explaining they were repaying the favour to Russia for the USSR s support to Republicans during the Spanish Civil War 25 53 They were also enlisting in solidarity with those who died in the Unions House fire 54 55 Spanish fighters established the Carlos Palomino International Brigade which fought under the flag of the Second Spanish Republic In 2015 it reportedly had less than ten members 56 Other examples include the DKO Volunteer Communist Unit and the Interunit both composed of foreign communist volunteers 57 58 Latvian communist of Ugandan and Russian descent Beness Aijo was arrested in Donetsk in 2014 for fighting with separatist forces and the National Bolshevik Interbrigades 59 60 A female member of the Israeli Communist Party had also reportedly gone to fight for the separatists in 2015 61 Far right volunteers Far right foreign fighters from Europe and to a lesser extent North America have fought alongside the pro Russian separatists in Donbas including white nationalists neo Nazis fascists and Christian extremists Motivations for these fighters have included the belief that they are fighting America and Western interests and that Vladimir Putin is a bulwark for traditional white European values who they must support against the decadent West 32 46 One notable far right group is the French organisation Continental Unity which has been accused of recruiting far right extremists across Europe to come and fight in Donbas 25 Other far right groups include the Bulgarian nationalist Orthodox Dawn Battalion 62 and the Hungarian nationalist Legion of Saint Istvan 63 Finnish far right and neo Nazi groups have been recruited for the Donbas war by Johan Backman and Janus Putkonen who are aligned with the local pro Russian party 64 65 66 67 68 The Ukrainian conflict has shattered the Italian far right and while some CasaPound Italia militants are volunteers in the Ukrainian ranks alongside the Azov battalion with which they have a long standing collaboration other radical far right militants are aligned with the pro Russian separatist militias of Donbas In particular the latter fight together with volunteers with a far left political background 69 Middle Eastern and African volunteers and mercenaries Following its 2022 offensive US and Ukrainian intelligence have alleged that Russia has sought to hire and already deployed fighters from forces it supports in places such as Syria 70 Libya 71 and the Central African Republic under the command of the Wagner Group private military forces 72 Fighters have reportedly included those from the pro Syrian government National Defence Forces 73 Central African Union of Peace 72 and the pro Khalifa Haftar Libyan National Army 74 The Libyan National Army denied any of its fighters were fighting for Russia in Ukraine 75 The Iran aligned Lebanese political party Hezbollah denied sending fighters to Ukraine after the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces accused some of their members of being among 1 000 Syrian mercenaries allegedly hired to fight in Ukraine 76 Turkish media and Russian American journalist Vera Mironova alleged that members of the Kurdistan Workers Party and the People s Defense Units both affiliated with the Kurdistan Communities Union were fighting as mercenaries for Russian forces 77 On 4 October the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 5 Syrian Arab Army soldiers of the 25th Special Mission Forces Division had been killed fighting for Russia during the 2022 Ukrainian southern counteroffensive 78 In January 2023 the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that just under 2000 soldiers of the Syrian Arab Army specifically the 25th Special Mission Forces Division had been deployed to fight on behalf of Russia in Ukraine The SOHR had obtained a document allegedly from the Syrian Government explaining the Syrian Army s budget and salaries affecting Syrian soldiers in Ukraine 79 It was widely reported in October 2022 that the Wagner Group had attempted to recruit former members of the American trained Afghan National Army Commando Corps which became defunct after the victory of the Taliban insurgency in August 2021 80 81 82 Latin American and South Asian mercenaries Cuban mercenaries are reported to have participated in the conflict 83 It was reported in February 2024 that at least a dozen Indian nationals had been duped into serving in the Russian military in Ukraine after being engaged as labour migrants 84 Foreign expatriates in Russia A number of African students or former students are known to have been recruited for military service on the Russian side 85 Jean Claude Sangwa a student from the Democratic Republic of the Congo DRC who had formerly studied in Rostov was reported to have enlisted in Luhansk People s Militia in late 2021 alongside two other expatriates from the DRC or Central African Republic 86 87 A number of other African former students are known to have been recruited by the Wagner Group after receiving criminal convictions while in Russia Lemekani Nathan Nyirenda a Zambian former student at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute who had been sentenced to a nine and a half year jail term was killed while fighting for the Wagner Group in September 2022 88 Nemes Tarimo a Tanzanian former student at Moscow Technological University who had previously received a seven year jail term was killed in similar circumstances in October 2022 88 Ukrainian sideThis section needs expansion You can help by adding to it August 2022 Post Soviet countries Similarly to their opponents many foreign fighters from the former Soviet Union have fought in the Russo Ukrainian War for the Ukrainian side These have included fighters from Armenia 89 Azerbaijan 89 the Baltic states 25 Belarus 11 and Georgia 90 91 Exiled Chechens opposed to Ramzan Kadyrov 25 and some Russian dissidents 25 92 have also taken up arms on behalf of the Ukrainians Georgia Georgians have been participating in the conflict on the side of Ukraine since 2014 Large formations such as the Georgian Legion that consist of 1 000 fighters are mostly made up of Georgian but also various other nationalities including British 93 Unofficialy since the launch of Russia s invasion in 2022 an estimated 1 500 Georgians are fighting for Ukraine in various Ukrainian Armed Forces units and the International Legion 94 Belarus Already during the War in Donbas 2014 2022 Belarusians fought alongside Ukraine forming the Pahonia Detachment and the Tactical group Belarus In spring 2022 it was reported that more than 200 Belarusian citizens have joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine to defend Ukraine from the Russian invasion with another 300 volunteers from Belarus came through Poland 95 96 In July 2023 Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty reported that around 450 Belarusians fight for Ukraine 97 In the beginning of the full scale invasion Belarusians have created a separate battalion named after Kastus Kalinoŭski to defend Kyiv 98 99 It later transformed into a regiment consisting of two battalions u UAV unit and a medical company 97 The Kastus Kalinouski Regiment was also joined by Pavel Shurmei a former Belarusian Olympic rower and world record holder 100 Another Belarusian volunteer battalion fighting for Ukraine a part of the Kastus Kalinoŭski Battalion was known as the Pahonia Regiment 101 102 It ceased to exist in 2023 97 Other Belarusian units include the Belarusian Volunteer Corps which includes the Terror Battalion There are also around 20 Belarusians fighting in the Second International Legion 97 In June 2023 Valery Sakhashchyk effective defence minister of the Belarusian United Transitional Cabinet a government in exile opposed to the de facto government of Alexander Lukashenko informed about the creation of the 1st separate amphibious assault company Belarus which is part of the 79th Air Assault Brigade 103 The Belarusian assault company is located in the Donetsk direction 104 Several other Belarusians are fighting in different Ukrainian military formations as well 105 97 Fighters from other countries Ajnad al Kavkaz a group of Chechen foreign fighters which fights on the side of the Syrian opposition which is fighting the Russian government in the Syrian civil war deployed some fighters to fight for the Ukrainian side Like other Chechen foreign fighter groups across the world they are motivated by anti Russian sentiment stemming from the Chechnyan Conflict 106 A small number of South Koreans have also volunteered for Ukraine although they were legally prohibited from doing so due to concerns that it could cause diplomatic issues for South Korea Four South Koreans had been convicted for serving in Ukraine by 2023 107 International Legion Main article International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine Three days after the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022 Ukrainian President Zelenskyy announced the establishment of the International Legion 4 List of notable expatriate units in UkraineThis section needs expansion You can help by adding to it August 2022 Pro Russian units Interbrigades Pavel Sudoplatov Battalion Prizrak Brigade Unofficially attracts large amounts of foreign volunteers 108 109 Vostok Brigade Pro Ukrainian units nbsp Members of the Norman Brigade Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion Freedom of Russia Legion Georgian National Legion International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine Kastus Kalinoŭski Regiment Misanthropic Division Sheikh Mansur Battalion Turan Battalion Ajnad al Kavkaz Norman Brigade Pahonia Regiment Russian Volunteer Corps Ichkerian Special Purpose Battalion Tactical group Belarus Russian Insurgent ArmyNotable peopleThis section needs expansion You can help by adding to it August 2022 Beness Aijo Latvian Nazbol of Russian and Ugandan descent who was arrested and deported from Ukraine for fighting with the Interbrigades in 2014 He later returned to Ukraine to fight for the Donetsk People s Republic Dejan Beric Serbian sniper in the armed forces of the DNR Trevor Cadieu a three star Canadian general possibly captured in June 2022 Sandra Andersen Eira Norwegian Sami member of the Sami Parliament of Norway 2017 2021 who joined the Ukrainian International Legion Aleko Elisashvili Georgian parliamentarian who joined the Ukrainian International Legion Mamuka Mamulashvili Georgian paramilitary leader and former soldier who leads the Georgian National Legion Isa Munayev Chechen rebel who led the Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion before his death at the Battle of Debaltseve in 2015 Malcolm Nance American author media pundit and former US Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer who joined the Ukrainian International Legion Shaun Pinner former British soldier who joined the Ukrainian Army as a volunteer and was captured and sentenced to death by the authorities of the Donetsk People s Republic Tseng Sheng guang Taiwanese indigenous veteran who volunteered in the Ukrainian International Legion and the Carpathian Sich Battalion was the first East Asian soldier killed in action 110 111 Pavel Shurmei Belarusian Olympic rower who joined the pro Ukrainian Belarusian Kalinoŭski Regiment Aliaksiej Skoblia Belarusian dissident who defected to Ukraine in 2015 and currently leads the Kalinoŭski Regiment Yulia Tolopa Russian born woman fighting on the side of Ukraine from 2014 2019 Russell Bentley a former American soldier and communist who fought with Russian separatists in 2014 and returned in 2022 with the expressd intention of helping Russian forces 112 113 Rafi Jaffar Son of an Afghan Communist who was murdered during the Afghan Civil War Rafi was taken in by the Soviets Rafi joined the separatists in 2014 fighting as part of the Vostok battalion losing both legs in 2017 he is still assisting Russian forces as of 2023 114 115 116 He is an ethnic Pashtun 117 See alsoInternational Legion Ukraine Ukrainian volunteer battalions Foreign fighters in the Syrian Civil War and War in IraqBibliographyByman D L 3 March 2022 Foreign fighters in Ukraine Evaluating the benefits and risks Brookings retrieved 8 January 2023 Dongen T van Weijenberg G Vugteveen M Farrell Molloy J 4 May 2022 Foreign Volunteers in Ukraine Security Considerations for Europe International Centre for Counter Terrorism retrieved 8 January 2023 Gall C 8 January 2023 Now Fighting for Ukraine Volunteers Seeking Revenge Against Russia The New York Times retrieved 8 January 2023 Guarino M 6 November 2022 Foreign fighters 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