“We are still in the process of recruitment,” Mamuka Mamulashvili told Military Times in a Skype interview. “There are a lot of guys joining us. On the list, there are now about 750 men, mostly from Georgia, and the United Kingdom. We have a lot of Americans.”

Mamulashvili leads the Georgian National Legion, one of several paramilitaries integrated into the Ukrainian armed forces after the War in the Donbas, part of the larger conflict between Russia and Ukraine, began in 2014.

Now, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, some U.S. military veterans eager for a war with what they see as a righteous cause have pledged to come to Ukraine’s defense.

The Georgian National Legion hopes to relieve the Ukrainian military of some of the logistical burden that comes with organizing overseas recruits. But absorbing the 16,000 foreigners ― the number that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims have volunteered ― will be a challenge.

Flooding conflicts with foreign fighters can animate extremist movements or offer experience to the already radicalized. And though the vast majority of fighters who travel to Ukraine will be well-intentioned, it’s not clear how many will be particularly helpful on the battlefield given language and training barriers.

Foreigners may be more useful in a propaganda role to signal global unity rather than as a front-line fighting force.

Three veterans spoke with Military Times and offered a mix of plans for how they would fight in Ukraine.

Only one intended to join the fledgling International Legion that Ukrainian officials have been promoting. But all three echoed similar concerns about Ukrainian embassies that are slow to process applications and worries about contractual obligations.

“The contract with the Ukrainians sounds a little bit more ambiguous — a little more long-term,” said a Marine veteran who is traveling now and who hopes to join a unit other than the International Legion.

He had connected with a group of like-minded U.S. veterans on Reddit.

“They vetted me and put me into a Signal group chat with about 15 people and we’ve been organizing,” said the U.S. veteran, who asked that his name be withheld for this article.

Paperwork hurdles

Setting up an international legion is a bold undertaking for a government that, while punching above its weight class in its war with Russia, is nevertheless facing overwhelming odds.

Ukraine is trying to screen applicants as fast as possible, Ukrainian Maj. Gen. Borys Kremenestkiy, a military attaché in Washington, D.C., told Military Times. But vetters have to parse out those with criminal records and those who are too old or otherwise unfit for service.

So far, the embassy has received about 6,000 applications, Kremenestkiy said, adding that about half immediately were turned down for various reasons. Of those 3,000, the embassy has approved about 100 people to join Ukraine’s International Legion.

“It’s not surprising that there have been administrative challenges given the scale of foreigners who have responded to this call,” said Austin C. Doctor, director of counterterrorism research initiatives at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s NCITE Center. “But from a broader security standpoint, I think it’s especially important that the Ukrainian government does its best to create the administrative infrastructure to incorporate these hires into formal units for purposes of monitoring and accountability.”

The processing delays have caused some volunteers to grow frustrated.

It took one 82nd Airborne Division Army veteran days even to get in touch with the Ukrainian embassy and submit his application, he told Military Times. He received a notification indicating that his application was being reviewed, but was not given a timeline on when it may be approved or denied.

“Every hour feels like a day, he said. “Every day feels like a week. At the end of the day, as a combat soldier, what is the rush?”

Others are not so patient.

Kremenstkiy said he was aware that some volunteers have been traveling to Ukraine without going through any formal process to join the International Legion. But his goal is to properly vet as many as possible, even if that takes longer than desirable.

“I don’t have a big staff to work with and we have other areas, like working with the Pentagon on security assistance,” he said. “That is more important.”

“We have to see everyone or talk to everyone,” he said. “So they can try and go on their own, but I have a task to talk to everyone.”

While U.S. citizens can go abroad to enlist in a foreign military, they could be in legal trouble if they’re “recruited or hired” in the U.S., which may be why Ukraine is having volunteers sign contracts when they arrive. The Defense Department still has discouraged U.S. citizens from volunteering.

“We still do not believe that Ukraine is a safe place for Americans to go,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters March 7. “We urge them not to go. And if any are still there, we urge them to leave.”

Skipping red tape

Beyond organizational delays, some U.S. volunteers are uncomfortable committing to fight in Ukraine for the duration of the war, especially without knowing exactly how the end is defined.

Corey Wetherholt said he has joined an independent militia over concerns about the ambiguous commitment.

The veteran is no stranger to volunteering in foreign war zones.

After being administratively separated from the Marine Corps following two years in the infantry, Wetherholt headed to Syria as a volunteer for the People’s Protection Unit, or YPG. After seven months in Syria, he returned to the United States, but before long he was in Iraq with the Sinjar Resistance Units, or YBS.

On his way home from 13 months in Iraq, Wetherholt heard about Russia’s invasion and changed his plans.

Once in Ukraine, Wetherholt linked up with other foreigners who served in Iraq and Syria. The group, which he declined to name, plans to go to Kyiv, Ukraine, for paperwork that would show they were operating in the country with the permission of the Ukrainian government and are not Russian forces.

“No ideology or politics, just guys who wouldn’t wanna miss out on a just war,” Wetherholt said. “The big one.”

Integrating foreign volunteers will be a challenge if the 16,000 number claimed by Ukraine is accurate, according to Ilmari Käihkö, a Finnish military veteran and an associate professor at the Swedish Defence University in Stockholm, who has researched the volunteer phenomenon in Ukraine.

“While some of the volunteers will no doubt contribute to the military effort on the Ukrainian side, many probably won’t have much of an effect,” Käihkö told Military Times. “However, there is a political benefit for Ukraine in receiving volunteers from abroad, as this makes the Ukrainian cause more relevant in other countries. The propaganda value may be considerable.”

There’s also good reason to be skeptical about any volunteer’s plans that involve fighting for independent groups outside official Ukrainian channels.

Käihkö said his Ukrainian contacts doubt such units “can constitute any considerable forces.”

And any independent fighters could be forced to join the International Legion or cease activities.

The Ukrainian military has greatly increased its command and control in recent years, and any units independent of its efforts present practical problems, Käihkö said ― like friendly fire.

“This said, one possible explanation for the existence of volunteer units could be red tape,” he explained. “Many foreign volunteers no doubt want to get to the fight fast, and the Ukrainian army might not offer the quickest way to do this.”

“Then again, I have already seen photos of Swedish volunteers in Ukrainian gear, so the process seems to be quick.”

A history of militias

Ukraine has a history of volunteer battalions that sprouted up in the early days of the War in the Donbas.

In 2019, about 17,000 people from more than 50 countries traveled to participate in the conflict, the Soufan Center nonprofit estimated, most fighting for pro-Russian separatists.

Mamulashvili’s Georgian National Legion was organized in 2014 and has served as a clearinghouse for some of those foreigners who fought on the Ukrainian side. The Georgian’s unit officially was integrated into the Ukrainian armed forces in 2016.

“We are under control of Ukrainian armed forces,” Mamulashvili said. “We work with several different structures. And we work under their command.”

Mamulashvili’s forces have unique insight into integrating foreign fighters that the burgeoning International Legion lacks.

“They have no experience in doing such a job. And they’re using our skills,” Mamulashvili said.

A complicating factor in the Ukraine conflict has been the presence of far-right paramilitaries on both sides of the conflict, such as Azov, which started as a volunteer militia and attracted foreign members, including U.S. neo-Nazis. It eventually was absorbed into Ukraine’s National Guard.

But despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims that his invasion is intended to “de-Nazify” Ukraine, extremists, like those of the Russian Imperial Movement, also fought for separatists in the Donbas.

The history of ideological units is one reason why Doctor, the counterterrorism researcher, stresses the need for a formal enlistment process with direct supervision, monitoring and accountability.

“There are likely going to be some [volunteers] who are doing this for more malevolent purposes, especially if the conflict that we’ve seen in the Donbas region is any indicator, particularly as it relates to receiving training or connecting with persons affiliated with Nazi or white supremacist organizations on the ground,” Doctor said. “Looking at that risk with eyes wide open will be important.”

Monitoring foreign volunteers probably will be more important for their home countries. For Ukraine, the risk is likely limited, according to Käihkö, the Swedish Defense University professor.

“I have difficulties seeing how foreign volunteers can become the kind of domestic political force in Ukraine the volunteer battalions constituted in 2014–2015,” Käihkö said. “It is good to keep in mind that many of these foreign volunteers come with their own motivations and without military background. Few probably speak Ukrainian or Russian. Even in the best case scenario they might get gear they’ve never used before. For Ukraine the risk is probably limited, and consists mainly of Russian accusations of a NATO army in Ukraine.”

Käihkö echoed the warnings by some analysts that individuals with radical views might travel to Ukraine to get combat experience that could be used back home, and domestic intelligence agencies should take note. But intelligence agents may find other uses for returning volunteers, as well.

“This said, military intelligence might also be interested to learn as much about the situation in Ukraine and Russian tactics as possible,” Käihkö said.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the Polish minister of defense on Wednesday that the U.S. is not interested in participating in its plan to transfer its fight jets to the U.S., who would them give them to Ukraine.

The Polish government announced Tuesday that it was prepared to immediately transfer its MiG-29s to Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The Pentagon responded that the proposal did not appear tenable, and after Austin’s call, DoD announced it would not play a role in such a transfer.

“Secretary Austin thanked the minister for Poland’s willingness to continue to look for ways to assist Ukraine, but he stressed that we do not support the transfer of additional fighter aircraft to the Ukrainian air force at this time, and therefore have no desire to see them in our custody, either,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

The U.S. intelligence community’s opinion figured into the decision, Kirby said.

While the U.S. and others have sent military aid to Ukraine, fighter jets “may be mistaken as escalatory,” Kirby said. “That could result in significant Russian reaction that might increase the prospects of a military escalation with NATO.”

From the Pentagon’s point of view, anti-air and anti-armor missiles are doing a good job of slowing Russia’s assault on Ukraine.

“We believe the best way to support Ukrainian defense is by providing them the weapons and the systems that they need most to defeat Russian aggression, in particular, anti-armor … and we know that they are being used with great effect.”

Further, Kirby added, it’s the Pentagon’s assessment that given Russia’s widespread anti-aircraft capabilities, adding fighter jets to Ukraine’s inventory will have little payoff for the high risk involved.

With his country under increasing aerial bombardment, including an airstrike on a maternity hospital in the besieged city of Mariupol, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued yet another plea to politicians around the world, including House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat.

“The partners are fully informed about what is happening in our Mariupol. And about the situation in all other regions of Ukraine, where hostilities continue,” he said in a message contained in the daily “War Bulletin” produced by the Ukrainian embassy in Washington D.C. this evening and shared with Military Times. “We are working to make Russia feel the consequences of its actions. We are doing everything to finally secure our sky.”

But, Zelenskyy said, despite what the Pentagon said, his country needs the jets.

“Together we must return courage to some Western leaders,” he said. “So that they finally do what they had to do on the first day of the invasion. Either close the Ukrainian sky from Russian missiles and bombs, or give us fighter jets so that we can do everything ourselves. A pause without a decision has become simply deadly.”

Whether Poland wants to provide aid directly to Ukraine is a separate issue, Kirby added, as they’re free to provide security assistance on their terms.

“What I’m talking about today is this particular proposal about the MiG-29s … we believed it was important to lay flat our concerns about that and that’s what we’ve done here,” Kirby said.

Ukraine says it killed another high-ranking Russian military leader.

Vitaliy Gerasimov, a major general of the Russian Army, “was eliminated” near Kharkiv, according to Ukraine’s defense intelligence directorate.

“Another loss among the top team of the army of the occupying country,” the directorate wrote on its Facebook page and Twitter account. The directorate said Gerasimov was killed in battles near Kharkiv.

Gerasimov was a Russian military commander, chief of staff and first deputy commander of the 41st Army of the Central Military District of Russia, according to the directorate.

He “took part in the second Chechen war and the Russian military operation in Syria,” according to the directorate. He received a medal “for the return of the Crimea.”

Tuesday morning, a senior U.S. defense official could not confirm that Gerasimov had been killed outside Kharkiv, nor whether he had any family ties to Valery Gerasimov, the Russian armed forces chief of staff.

The Russian embassy in Washington D.C. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last week, Russian media said another military leader was killed in that nation’s war on Ukraine.

Russian news outlets reported that Andrei Sukhovetsky, deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District, was killed last week.

Sukhovetsky died during a special operation in Ukraine, his comrade-in-arms Sergey Chipilev wrote on social media, according to Pravda.ru.

“With great pain, we learned the tragic news of the death of our friend, Major General Andrey Sukhovetsky, on the territory of Ukraine during the special operation. We express our deepest condolences to his family,” he wrote, according to the publication.

Sukhovetsky graduated from the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School in 1995, according to Pravda.ru. “As reported on the website of the Ministry of Defense, he started his career path as a platoon commander and went up to the chief of staff of the Guards airborne assault unit.”

This marks the first time the unit has been used, Ukraine Brig. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of that nation’s defense intelligence agency, told Military Times Monday afternoon.

Late last month, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy created “The International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine,” as a global appeal for foreigners to come to the aid of his country.

“The first groups are already in the battlefield,” said another Ukraine official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to explain the situation. “A new group goes to the combat area every day.”

They have arrived from the U.S., U.K., Sweden, Lithuania, Mexico, India and other countries, said the official.

The official did not know all the tasks they are performing, but said some are defending Kyiv.

“It is difficult to speak with them as they are in the combat area,” the official said, estimating that worldwide, about 20,000 people have expressed interest in volunteering. Last week, a Ukrainian defense official in Washington D.C. said about 3,000 Americans expressed interest, including many veterans.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby urged Americans to stay home.

“I don’t have an estimate of Americans who might want to be volunteering to go there,” he said. “I would say what I said last week, if you’re an American and you want to do right by Ukraine, the best thing you can do is find a way to donate to so many agencies that are trying to deal with what is now clearly a humanitarian crisis in the region, and certainly there in Ukraine. We still do not believe that Ukraine is a safe place for Americans to go. We urge them not to go and if any are still there, we urge them to leave.”

The U.S. State Department also recommends citizens not travel to Ukraine.

Russia’s war on Ukraine, now in its 12th day, has seen the invading forces slowed, but Ukraine’s cities are experiencing a devastating barrage of aircraft and missile strikes. This is an effort to help shore up Ukrainian forces.

No volunteers will be allowed to bring their own weapons, a Ukrainian official told Military Times last week. Those who fight will be issued at least rifles, he added. He would not comment on whether they will be issued other types of weapons.

Ukraine officials stress to Military Times that they are looking for foreign volunteers with combat experience who require little training before being armed and sent to the front line.

The instructions for joining the legion require “documents confirming military service or work with law enforcement agencies and participation in combat.”

“We are asking for trained people to come,” said the official in Ukraine. “We don’t have time for training.”

“In western Ukraine there is a huge problem with a huge number of migrants and people are starving and cold,” a Ukrainian official told Military Times Monday morning by written message. “There is a humanitarian catastrophe!! Children under 1 year old are dying of pneumonia. We still have winter. and we are already thinking that the catastrophe in Ukraine will lead to a catastrophe in the world with food because Ukraine was a major supplier of wheat and grain.”

The Associated Press reports that nearly two million people have fled Ukraine, most heading to Poland.

Well into the second week of war, Russia’s plan to quickly overrun the country has been stymied by fierce resistance, the Associated Press reports. Its troops have made significant advances in southern Ukraine and along the coast, but many of its efforts have become stalled, including an immense military convoy that has been almost motionless for days north of Kyiv.

Though Russia has now committed about 95% of the combat power it amassed along Ukraine’s borders, the Pentagon has seen “limited changes on the ground” while the airspace remains contested, a senior U.S. defense official said Sunday evening.

After 11 days of war, “Russian forces’ continued efforts to advance and isolate Kyiv, Kharkiv and Chernihiv across the north and east are being met with strong Ukrainian resistance,” the official said, in an email to reporters.

“There does not appear to be any significant movement along the Russian axes,” the official said. “Leading elements remain outside these city centers. We cannot give specific distances today.”

The long convoy of Russian troops and vehicles headed south to Kyiv “continues to be stalled,” the official said, offering details on the condition of anonymity.

Fighting continues in the south, near the cities of Kherson and Mykolaiv, the official added.

Ukrainian forces continue to strike the long Russian convoy heading south toward Kyiv, Ukraine Brig. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of that nation’s defense intelligence agency, told Military Times Monday morning.

The Russian embassy in Washington D.C. did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday morning.

Russia is concentrating its main efforts on the encirclement of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernigov, Sumy, Mariupol and Nikolaev, according to a noon, local time, operational update from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine provided to Military Times.

They are trying to establish control over Chernihiv and are trying to prepare for an attack on Sumy, the update states. In addition, Russia “is trying to continue the offensive in the direction of the Dnieper using units of the tank army, two combined arms armies and an army corps,” according to the update. “The main efforts are focused on the directions of Kanev, Dnieper and Severodonetsk.”

In the direction of Donetsk, Russians — with forces of up to seven battalion tactical groups — continue offensive operations near the cities of Dnipro and Zaporozhye. Their aim is to reach the administrative borders of the Donetsk region, according to the update.

“Despite heavy losses, it is advancing in the direction of Volnovakha,” the update states. “At the same time, the enemy is trying to break through the city’s defenses in the areas west” near Mariupol, Stary Krym. “No luck.”

Backed by up to 17 battalion tactical groups in the area Russians hold the lines in the Kherson region, including up to three battalion tactical groups arrayed against Mariupol.

“The enemy is regrouping troops for a further attack on the city of Zaporozhye,” the update states.

While Russian forces have not taken action yet against Odessa, Russian force in the area are in an overestimated degree of combat readiness, the update states.

“Despite the large number of troops, the occupiers have a low moral and psychological state,” the update states. “Having suffered losses, enemy units lose their offensive potential and surrender en masse.”

Russian invasion still slowed, airspace over Ukraine still contested, Pentagon says

6:33 p.m. EST March 6

Though Russia has now committed about 95% of the combat power it amassed along Ukraine’s borders, the Pentagon has seen “limited changes on the ground” while the airspace remains contested, a senior U.S. defense official said Sunday evening.

After 11 days of war, “Russian forces continued efforts to advance and isolate Kyiv, Kharkiv and Chernihiv across the north and east are being met with strong Ukrainian resistance,” the official said, in an email to reporters.

“There does not appear to be any significant movement along the Russian axes,” the official said. “Leading elements remain outside these city centers. We cannot give specific distances today.”

The long convoy of Russian troops and vehicles headed south to Kyiv “continues to be stalled,” the official said, offering details on the condition of anonymity.

“We assess that the Russians have now committed inside Ukraine somewhere near 95% of the combat power they had amassed along the border.

Fighting continues in the south, near the cities of Kherson and Mykolaiv, the official said.

“We cannot independently verify reporting of Russian forces firing on protesters in Kherson,” said the official, who added that the Pentagon has not observed an amphibious landing in or near Odessa either.

“Nor do we assess one is imminent,” the official said.

“We’ve observed continued ongoing fighting and efforts to encircle Mariupol,” the official said. “There continue to be reports of wide-spread utility outages (water and electricity).”

Earlier in the day, Ukraine claimed Russia violated a second ceasefire agreement. The official could not independently verify those claims.

“We continue to observe that the airspace over Ukraine is contested,” said the official. “Ukrainian air and missile defenses remain effective and in use. The Ukrainian military continues to fly aircraft and to employ air defense assets.”

The official could not independently verify Ukrainian claims of Russian aviation losses.

“We are aware of the Ukrainian military’s release of videos and numbers of Russian aircraft shot down,” the official said. “We cannot independently verify those incidents, but neither are we in a position to refute them. Both sides have taken losses to both aircraft and missile defense inventories. We are not going to speak to numbers. We assess that both sides still possess a majority of their air defense systems and capabilities.”

As of today, the Pentagon said that approximately 600 Russian missile launches have occurred since the invasion began, the official said.

“Again, these are of all different types of missiles,” the official said. “We believe the Ukrainian people in most parts of the country still have means of communication, access to internet and the media.

The official added a list of reports that could not be verified or corroborated, including:

*reports of the use of cluster munitions or thermobaric weapons.

*reports that the Russians are calling up reserves.

*reports of Russian naval infantry loading on LSTs.

*reports of Ukrainian claims that they shot down one enemy Su-25 fighter jet, two Su-34 fighter-bombers, two Su-30 SM planes, and four helicopters today.

*reports that Russia dropped 1,000 pound bombs near Chernihiv.

US gives ‘green light’ for NATO allies to send military planes to Ukraine, Blinken says

1:25 p.m. EST March 6

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday said the United States would approve of NATO allies sending fighter jets to Ukraine.

“That gets the green light,” said Blinken on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

“In fact, we’re talking with our Polish friends right now about what we might be able to do to backfill their needs if in fact they choose to provide these fighter jets to the Ukrainians,” Blinken said.

Blinken said the countries are in close contact about the proposal for the U.S. to provide fighter jets to Poland if Poland sends jets to Ukraine, confirming a Wall Street Journal report released earlier Sunday.

Earlier Sunday, Poland’s prime minister’s office tweeted Poland would not send fighter jets to Ukraine.

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked U.S. lawmakers to help provide more warplanes for his military.

-Jessica Edwards, Military Times

Russian forces tightening grip on Zaporizhzya nuclear plant, IAEA says

12:30 p.m. EST March 6

The International Atomic Energy Agency has said Russian forces are tightening their grip on the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant, Ukraine’s largest, that they seized last week.

The director general of the agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said Sunday Ukrainian staff members are now required to seek approval for any operation, even maintenance, from the Russians, and that they have impeded normal communications by switching off some mobile networks and internet at the site.

Ukraine’s regulatory authority said that phone lines, as well as e-mails and fax, are no longer working. Grossi said he is “extremely concerned about these developments,” adding that for the plant to operate safely, “staff must be allowed to carry out their vital duties in stable conditions, without undue external interference or pressure.”

-The Associated Press

Evacuation effort in Mariupol halted for second day

9:55 a.m. EST March 6

Plans to evacuate civilians from a besieged port city in Ukraine collapsed Sunday for the second time along with an expected Russian cease-fire, Ukrainian officials said as they tried to persuade Russia to agree on terms for safely getting residents out of areas under fire near Ukraine’s capital.

Residents expected to leave the port city of Mariupol during a 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. local ceasefire, Ukrainian military authorities said earlier in the day. Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko said the planned evacuations were halted because of an ongoing assault by Russian troops.

“There can be no ‘green corridors’ because only the sick brain of the Russians decides when to start shooting and at whom,” Gerashchenko said on Telegram.

The news dashed hopes of progress in easing, much less ending, the war in Ukraine, which is now in its 11 day and has caused 1.5 million people to flee the country. The head of the U.N. refugee agency on Sunday called the exodus “the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.

The presidents of Turkey and France, as well as Pope Francis, appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate to end the conflict.

Separately, Ukraine’s national security service said Russian forces fired rockets at a physics institute in the city of Kharkiv that contains nuclear material and a reactor. Russian troops already took control of the Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine, as well as Chernobyl, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster.

The security service said a strike on the nuclear facility in Kharkiv could lead to “large-scale ecological disaster.” The service said on Facebook Sunday that the Russians were firing from Grad launchers. Those missiles do not have precise targeting, raising concern that one would go astray.

Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelenskyy reiterated a request for foreign protectors to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine, which NATO so far has ruled out because of concerns such an action would draw the West into the war.

“The world is strong enough to close our skies,” Zelenskyy said in a video address on Sunday.

Putin warned Saturday that Moscow would consider a third-party declaration to close Ukrainian airspace to be a hostile act.

The disappointment for women, children and older adults who waited to leave Mariupol and the nearby city of Volnovakha while able Ukrainian men stayed behind to fight came after a similar cease-fire deal collapsed Saturday and foreign leaders sought to bring diplomacy to bear on ending the war.

Putin told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could be halted only “only if Kyiv ceases hostilities and fulfills the well-known demands of Russia,” according to the Kremlin’s readout of the phone call the two leaders held on Sunday.

Putin earlier listed “demilitarization” and “denazification” of Ukraine, recognition of Crimea as part of Russia, and recognition of the separatist regions in eastern Ukraine as independent states as the Kremlin’s main demands.

“Hope was expressed that during the planned next round of negotiations, the representatives of Ukraine would show a more constructive approach, fully taking into account the emerging realities.” The third round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators is scheduled for Monday.

In a highly unusual move, Pope Francis said Sunday that he had dispatched two cardinals to Ukraine, saying the Vatican was will to do everything it could to bring peace to end a conflict that began on Feb. 24 when Russia invaded Ukraine.

“In Ukraine, rivers of blood and tears are flowing,” the pontiff said in his traditional Sunday blessing. “This is not just a military operation, but a war that sows death, destruction and misery.’’

Oleksiy Arestovich, an adviser to Zelenskyy, said Sunday that Ukrainian officials and international humanitarian organizations were working with Russia through intermediaries to establish humanitarian corridors from Bucha and Hostomel, which are Kyiv suburbs where there has been heavy fighting.

After the cease-fire in Mariupol failed to hold Saturday, Russian forces intensified their shelling of the city and dropped massive bombs on residential areas of Chernihiv, a city north of Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said.

In Mariupol, bereft mothers mourned slain children, wounded soldiers were fitted with tourniquets and doctors worked by the light of their cellphones as bleakness and desperation pervaded.

–Yuras Karmanau, The Associated Press

Blinken says US considering a “backfill” of Polish combat jet stock

7:50 a.m. EST March 6

The U.S. government is considering sending fighter jets to Poland, should that country decide to provide Ukraine with Soviet-era combat jets, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

“We are looking actively now at the question of airplanes that Poland may provide to Ukraine and looking at how we might be able to backfill should Poland choose to supply those planes,” Blinken said in Moldova, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The statement came after a desperate plea by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for more aircraft — especially those his pilots can fly — and a no-fly zone as his nation faces an increasingly devastating Russian onslaught. Blinken made his comments during a stop through Europe to reassure allies there about U.S. support in the wake of Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Blinken, according to the Wall Street Journal, said the U.S. is working with Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials to get an “up-to-the-minute assessment of their needs.”

Poland’s prime minister’s office, however, on Sunday dismissed reports that an arrangement was in the works to provide Ukraine combat aircraft, the Wall Street Journal reported.

“Poland won’t send its fighter jets to #Ukraine as well as allow to use its airports,” the chancellery of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki tweeted, calling one synopsis of that report “Fake News.”

Poland flies MiG-29 combat jets that were produced by the Soviet Union in the late 1970s, along with U.S. Lockheed Martin Corp. F-16 fighter jets, as well as other aircraft types, according to published reports.

NBC reported that the deal would involve Poland donating its old Russian-made MiG fighters to Ukraine, and then selling Poland U.S.-made F-16 jets to replace the Soviet-era fighters.

“We are working with the Poles on this issue and consulting with the rest of our NATO allies,” a White House spokesperson told NBC. “We are also working on the capabilities we could provide to backfill Poland if it decided to transfer planes to Ukraine.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a “desperate plea” to U.S. senators on Saturday to send more planes to help the country fight the Russian invasion.

Zelenskyy made the request on a call joined by more than 300 people, including senators, some House lawmakers and aides.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said in a statement that Zelenskyy made a “desperate plea for Eastern European countries to provide Russian-made planes to Ukraine.”

“I will do all I can to help the administration to facilitate their transfer,” Schumer said.

Schumer told Zelenskyy the U.S. lawmakers are inspired by him and by the strength and courage of the Ukrainian people, according to another person on the call who was granted anonymity to discuss it.

Zelenskyy’s focus “was on control of Ukrainian airspace, asking either for a [no-fly zone] or sending Ukraine Russian-made airframes and drones so that they can protect themselves,” Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat and former acting assistant Defense Secretary and CIA analyst, said in a Tweet Saturday morning,

The U.S. Congress also is working on a $10 billion package of military and humanitarian aide, and Schumer told Zelenskyy that lawmakers hope to send it quickly to Ukraine, the person said.

Zelenskyy told senators he needs planes and drones more than other security tools, according to a senior Senate aide granted anonymity to discuss the private meeting.

-Howard Altman, Military Times, Associated Press reporter Lisa Mascaro in Washington

Russians shell Ukraine cities as safe passage again promised in south

7:30 a.m. EST March 6

On Day 11 of Russia’s war on Ukraine, Russian troops shelled encircled cities and a pro-Russian official said safe-passage corridors would open again for residents of the besieged port city of Mariupol.

The number of Ukrainians forced from their country increased to 1.5 million and the Kremlin’s rhetoric grew, with Russian President Vladimir Putin warning that Ukrainian statehood is in jeopardy. He likened the West’s sanctions on Russia to “declaring war.”

Here’s a look at key things to know about the conflict Sunday:

Promise of safe passage from two cities — again

A pro-Russian official said safe-passage corridors would open again for residents of Mariupol on Sunday, a day after a promised cease-fire in the besieged port city collapsed.

Ukrainian officials confirmed that evacuations from the city would take place starting from 12 p.m. local time.

Ukrainian officials said Russian artillery fire and airstrikes had prevented residents from leaving before the agreed-to evacuations got underway Saturday. Putin accused Ukraine of sabotaging the effort.

Russia has sought to cut off Ukraine’s access to the Sea of Avrov in the south. Capturing Mariupol could allow Russia to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.

Eduard Basurin, spokesman for the military in separatist-held Donetsk territory, said safe passage corridors for residents would also be opened for residents of Volnovakha.

What else is happening on the ground?

Russian forces launched hundreds of missiles and artillery attacks across the country, including dropping powerful bombs on residential areas of Chernihiv, a city north of the capital of Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said. But a mileslong Russian armored column threatening the capital was still stalled outside Kyiv.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces were holding key cities in the central and southeastern part of the country, while the Russians were trying to block and keep encircled Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv and Sumy.

Ukrainian forces were also defending Odesa, Ukraine’s biggest port city, from Russian ships, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovich said.

Russian troops took control of the southern port city of Kherson last week. Ukrainian forces have managed to keep control of key cities in central and southeastern Ukraine, Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy pushes for a no-fly zone

Zelenskyy pushed his call for foreign countries to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine. Establishing a no-fly zone would risk escalating the conflict by involving foreign militaries directly. Although the United States and many Western countries have backed Ukraine with weapons shipments, they have sent no troops.

Zelenskyy said in a video address on Sunday that “the world is strong enough to close our skies.”

NATO countries have ruled out policing a no-fly zone, which would bar all unauthorized aircraft from flying over Ukraine. Putin said Saturday that Moscow would consider any third-party declaration of a no-fly zone over Ukraine as “participation in the armed conflict.”

Directly witnessed by The Associated Press

Onlookers in Chernihiv cheered as they watched a Russian military plane fall from the sky and crash, according to video released by the Ukrainian government. In Kherson, hundreds of protesters waved blue and yellow Ukrainian flags and shouted, “Go home.”

In Mariupol, Associate Press journalists witnessed doctors make unsuccessful attempts to save the lives of wounded children, pharmacies ran bare and hundreds of thousands of people faced food and water shortages in freezing weather.

In Irpin, near Kyiv, a sea of people on foot and even in wheelbarrows trudged over the remains of a destroyed bridge to cross a river and leave the city. Assisted by Ukrainian soldiers, they lugged pets, infants, purses and flimsy bags stuffed with minimal possessions. Some of the weak and elderly were carried along the path in blankets and carts.

Kyiv’s central train station remained crowded with people desperate to leave, and frequent shelling could be heard from the center of the capital city.

Diplomatic efforts

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Moldova pledging America’s support to the small Western-leaning former Soviet republic. The country is coping with an influx of refugees from Ukraine and keeping an eye on Russia’s intensifying war with its neighbor.

A third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine will take place Monday, according to Davyd Arakhamia, a member of the Ukrainian delegation. He gave no additional details.

Previous meetings were held in Belarus and led to the failed cease-fire agreement to create humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians from besieged cities.

Putin continued to blame the war on the Ukrainian leadership and slammed their resistance to the invasion. He said if they continued to resist, “They are calling into question the future of Ukrainian statehood.” His comments came as Zelenskyy made a “desperate plea” on Saturday to the U.S. Congress for more planes as Russian forces continued to batter strategic locations.

Meanwhile, Israel’s prime minister returned Sunday from a trip to Russia where he met Putin and discussed the war.

Naftali Bennett flew to Moscow on Saturday, where he met the Russian leader for three hours. Bennett spoke to Zelenskyy after his meeting with Putin.

Bennett’s trip was the latest attempt at diplomacy in the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Israel is one of the few countries that has good working relations with both Russia and Ukraine.

The humanitarian situation

The death toll of the conflict has been difficult to measure. The U.N. human rights office said at least 351 civilians have been confirmed killed since the Feb. 24 invasion, but the true number is probably much higher.

The U.N. World Food Program says millions of people inside Ukraine, a major global wheat supplier, will need food aid “immediately.”

Ukrainian refugees continued to pour into neighboring countries, including Poland, Romania and Moldova. The number of people who have left since fighting began has now reached 1.5 million, according to U.N. refugee agency..

A defense official at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington, D.C., told Military Times that they have already received more than 3,000 applications for U.S. citizens wanting to fight. That figure, he said, includes many military veterans. He could not say how many.

Ukrainian officials spoke to Military Times on the condition of anonymity to discuss the plans.

On Sunday, Military Times reported that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy created “The International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine.”

It is a new effort, the Ukrainian official told Military Times, to help bolster the fight.

The Russian advance on Kyiv is stalled at the moment, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters Thursday morning, in part because of a stiff Ukrainian resistance. Military Times also reported that Ukrainian aircraft and other assets have struck a 40-mile long convoy about 25 kilometers north of Kyiv.

A number of veterans have reached out to Military Times, either saying they are planning to travel to Ukraine to fight or want to. Ukraine’s embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to questions about how many U.S. veterans had signed up.

The call for volunteers has been met with enthusiasm on several online forums like Reddit and Discord.

One Reddit page for those volunteering to fight for Ukraine has more than 32,000 members according to the site.

While the forums do have people claiming to be combat veterans, many seem to be young people who have never seen combat or even picked up a gun, heading to Ukraine in search of adventure in the name of a good cause.

A former SEAL turned CIA officer who writes under the name Frumentarius offers his own advice about going.

Notify the U.S. State Department first, he urges. And he offers a note of caution to those who want to fight.

“You aren’t Rambo,” he writes in SANDBOXX.

“If you are determined to go, be professional, responsible, and realistic in your expectations,” Frumentarius writes. “Follow the Ukrainian government’s advice about how to officially register, and do not go there telling them where and how you want to participate in the fighting.

“They will place you in whatever capacity they need you, and wherever they need you most. You are not Rambo, there to single-handedly slay Russians and post your selfies. You will be part of a military machine that is under extreme stress, and you need to seamlessly integrate into that system to be an effective part of it.”

No volunteers will be allowed to bring their own weapons, said the Ukrainian official. Those who fight will be issued at least rifles, he added. He would not comment on whether they will be issued other types of weapons.

Ukraine officials stress to Military Times that they are looking for foreign volunteers with combat experience who require little training before being armed and sent to the front line.

The instructions for joining the legion require “documents confirming military service or work with law enforcement agencies and participation in combat.”

“We are asking for trained people to come,” said the official in Ukraine. “We don’t have time for training.”

The defense official in Washington said there are opportunities for help beyond combat.

“We do not want to send people who are not trained, but at the same time, people can provide medical help. Or some can analyze mass media if they do not wish to fight.”

The defense official, however, stressed all these efforts are voluntary.

“We are not hiring anyone,” he said.

Ukraine armed forces have been striking that long line of Russian troops heading to Kyiv while the Russians have used thermobaric weapons against Ukrainian cities, the head of Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency tells Military Times.

“We are striking the enemy’s columns,” Brig. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov told Military Times in an exclusive interview Wednesday morning. “We burn many columns of the enemy.”

The strikes, he said, are being conducted by Ukraine Su-24 and Su-25 fighter jets, artillery and missile barrages.

“My intelligence officers and agents are directing and calling the strikes,” he said.

Marine Lt. Col. Anton Semelroth, a Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday morning he “would not speak to intel assessments.”

Speaking to reporters Wednesday afternoon on the condition of anonymity, a senior defense official said the Pentagon has indications Ukraine forces are targeting the convoy in an attempt to stymie what officials believe is Russia’s ultimate goal: to occupy Kyiv and install a puppet government. The official spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity.

[Ukraine jets hit Russian column; Russia has used thermobarics, Ukraine military says]

“We’ve seen indications that at times and at certain places, the convoys may have been resisted by Ukrainian forces and I think I have to leave it at that,” the official said. “But we’ve seen indications that we are in no position to refute [Ukraine claims they have hit the convoy].”

The Russian troops staged around the outside of Ukraine’s capital city appear to be in a holding pattern of some kind, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters Tuesday.

Formations that had been moving toward Kyiv are essentially in the same spot today as they were Monday, the official said, roughly 17 miles outside the city center.

“We believe that that’s for a number of reasons,” the official said. “Obviously, the resistance that they’re facing, the fuel and sustainment problems that they’re having. We are also picking up signs that they’re having problems feeding their troops, that they’re not only running out of gas, but they are running out of food.”

The Pentagon’s assessment echoes multiple reports from recent days that Russian troops are looking for fuel and sustenance as they roll toward Kyiv.

There’s also the possibility, the official said, that the Russians are taking a strategic pause to regroup, possibly after a stiffer defense than anticipated from the Ukrainian armed forces.

Budanov also told Military Times that the Russians have been using thermobaric weapons in the assault on Kharkiv and near Kyiv.

They were fired, he said, by TOS-1M weapons systems.

Thermobaric weapons produce more heat and overpressure than conventional weapons by exploding a vapor in the blast zone, according to the Journal of Military and Veterans’ Health. Such weapons create tremendous damage to the human body, according to the journal.

The Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately return a request seeking comment on both claims by Budanov.

Human Rights Watch condemned Russia’s reported used of the weapons a year earlier in Chechnya in 2000, according to The Guardian, as “a dangerous escalation” with “important humanitarian implications”.

The Guardian described the weapons as effective at their “specific purpose” of “primarily destroying defensive positions.” While they would not be used to penetrate a tank, they could be a “”very destructive weapon” against an apartment complex or other building.

“They are not illegal, even though their effects can be pretty horrific because of … creating a vacuum and sucking the air out of the lungs of defenders,” Marcus Hellyer, senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told The Guardian.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations, confirmed the Russians have used thermobaric weapons, also known as vacuum bombs.

“We have seen videos of Russian forces moving exceptionally lethal weaponry into Ukraine which has no place on the battlefield,” the U.S. envoy to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told the General Assembly, according to The Hill.

“That includes cluster munitions and vacuum bombs, which are banned under the Geneva Convention.”

She echoed allegations made on Monday — by Ukraine’s Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova to American lawmakers — that Russia was using in its attacks on Ukraine a thermobaric weapon, according to The Hill.

A senior U.S. defense official on Tuesday said the Pentagon has seen weapons systems that can launch themobaric weapons inside Ukraine, but could not confirm the thermobaric weapons are actually in Ukraine or their use. Semelroth on Wednesday told Military Times there was no update to that assessment. That official on Wednesday “had nothing more to add.”

Military Times Pentagon Bureau Chief Meghann Myers contributed to this report.

During the Cold War, the CIA covertly supplied Stingers to Afghan guerrillas fighting Russian forces. Now Ukrainian forces locked in an intensifying fight to repel Russia will get more of the shoulder-fired weapon, which has a 4-kilometer range.

With the Raytheon Technologies-made Stingers, Ukrainian forces gain a tool for fighting Russian helicopters being used to transport troops and as close-air support. They have relied on missile defenses and aircraft to, so far, keep Russian aircraft from completely dominating their skies.

“Once the Stinger’s employed, it has the ability to be a game changer,” said retired Army Lt. Gen. Jim Dubik, now a senior fellow with the Institute for the Study of War. “The Russians don’t have air dominance, but they do have air superiority ― and the Stingers won’t take that away, but it’ll be contested airspace, and that hurts the Russians’ ability to conduct operations and increases Ukraine’s ability to defend.”

There’s been a steady stream of new commitments from the European Union and western countries to send arms and other aid to Ukraine, which had asked for Stingers and Javelin missiles.

The Associated Press was first to report the Stingers would be part of a $350 million tranche of supplies U.S. President Joe Biden authorized last week. Defense News confirmed the report with an administration official granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

The U.S. decision follows Germany’s announcement it will send 500 Stinger missiles and 1,000 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, marking a reversal of Germany’s long-standing policy of never sending lethal munitions to war zones.

The Baltic states have also been providing Ukraine with Stingers since January, and in order to do that had to get U.S. permission.

While it’s unclear when this tranche of U.S. aid will arrive, the Pentagon says it has not seen any Russian efforts to interdict western aid to Ukraine or problems with previous tranches.

“The assistance continues to flow, and we are comfortable that is it getting into hands that need it,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday.

Jim Townsend, who was the Pentagon’s top Europe and NATO policy official throughout the Obama administration, speculated that the previous U.S. reluctance to send Stinger missiles stemmed from a fear that, if Ukrainian forces did not mount as successful a fight as they have, the highly effective weapon could fall into Russian hands.

But now it’s time for Ukraine’s western allies to make sure Ukraine’s supply lines don’t run dry, and for Ukraine to get weapons and other gear it needs, Townsend said.

“Ukraine is great, but if they run out of ammunition, if their supply lines are cut, if Russians dominate the air, it’s going to be a different picture,” he said. “We’ve got to keep resupply routes open, and we’ve got to hurry. … We have Stingers in stock, and we’ve got to put them on trucks and get them the hell over there.”

This week, Russia has already targeted airfields and fuel facilities, in what appeared to be the next phase of an invasion slowed by fierce resistance.

Ukraine Brig. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of that nation’s defense intelligence agency, told Military Times Monday morning the Russians could use missile barrages to continue to destroy Ukrainian airfields. That in turn could be used to choke off Ukrainian supplies.

Budanov said Ukraine could benefit from the U.S.-made Patriot, a sophisticated surface-to-air missile defense system that would take time for the U.S. to send. Meanwhile, Russia is getting close to air dominance, in spite of Ukraine’s anti-aircraft systems, bombers and other war planes.

Adding another challenge for Kyiv’s defenders, the Russians have moved their Pantsir-S1 mobile air defense systems closer to the city, according to Budanov. The system can track up to 20 tactical aircraft-sized targets at a range of 32-36 km.

“They almost control the sky,” Budanov said.

At least for a moment.

“This night is more [a] relax[ed] one,” said a Ukrainian military official from Kyiv. He spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide his military’s assessment of what is taking place on the battlefield.

“I feel [the] security situation improvement at least in short term,” he said.

Though vastly outnumbered by Russian forces, “we have been able to stop their blitzkrieg,” the official said. “They don’t control any major cities in Ukraine, including [in the] south.”

The Russians, he said, have seen 4,500 troops killed or wounded, and the destruction of 27 fixed wing aircraft, 26 rotary wing aircraft, 150 tanks, 700 armored personnel carriers, four multiple launch rocket systems, 50 artillery pieces and 60 fuel cisterns.

Military Times is unable to verify those claims. But, Oleksiy Arestovych, a Ukrainian official, offered similar figures on Ukrainian television.

While the Russians have made gains, the official said the “overall security situation is still tough, with positive tendencies.”

Speaking to reporters earlier Sunday, a senior U.S. defense official said that that while Vladimir Putin has committed two-thirds of his combat power arrayed against Ukraine, “we do continue to see Russian momentum slowed. They continue to face a stiff resistance.”

In particular, the Russians are experiencing fuel and logistics shortages, said the official, who was speaking to reporters on the condition of anonymity. “This is most particularly acute in their advanced on Kharkiv.”

Echoing the Ukrainian military official’s assessment, the U.S. defense official said the Russians “are facing some logistics challenges as well on their advanced down to Kyiv. We still as of this morning have no indication that the Russian military has taken control of any cities. But clearly, that continues to be in our view, their goal.”

The Russians have made more gains in the south of Ukraine, along the Sea of Azov, said the senior U.S. defense official. Their goal is to try to cut off the Sea of Azov completely from Ukraine by establishing a land bridge to occupied Crimea and ultimately taking Odesa, to the west. Such a move would block off virtually all of Ukraine’s access to the water and create a devastating economic blow.

However, the Russians are not facing the same kinds of logistic shortfalls as are taking place in the north, said the senior defense official. And Russian naval infantry from a previous amphibious assault have now linked up with ground forces in a move toward the city of Mariupol.

But the Ukrainians are continuing to fight there as well, the senior defense official said.

“Our assessment is that Mariupol is contested,” said the senior defense official. Ukrainian forces “will put up a resistance there.”

In addition, Ukraine fighter jets and anti-aircraft systems are still keeping the skies contested, with Russian forces firing more than 320 missiles at Ukraine.

“Today it is fifth day of wider Russian invasion and what they have positively achieved? Almost nothing,” said the Ukraine military official. “They have gotten more severe economic and personalized sanctions, excluded from EU Council, disconnected from the SWIFT [banking communications] system, a huge drop of property value on international markets, and a national currency drop. All these tendencies would only deteriorate.”

On a comparatively calmer night in his nation’s capital, the official had one more message.

“Good luck fucking Russians,” he said. “We will help them to go to the hell.”