{"id":29099,"date":"2022-03-14T18:39:57","date_gmt":"2022-03-14T18:39:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/03\/14\/us-veterans-head-to-ukraine-to-fight-but-zelenskyys-legion-faces-hurdles\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:43:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:43:58","slug":"us-veterans-head-to-ukraine-to-fight-but-zelenskyys-legion-faces-hurdles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2022\/03\/14\/us-veterans-head-to-ukraine-to-fight-but-zelenskyys-legion-faces-hurdles\/","title":{"rendered":"US veterans head to Ukraine to fight, but Zelenskyy\u2019s legion faces hurdles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From an undisclosed location in Ukraine, a former Georgian soldier runs a combined tactical operations center and military training camp that sends U.S. and other foreign fighters to battle Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are still in the process of recruitment,\u201d Mamuka Mamulashvili told Military Times in a Skype interview. \u201cThere 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Now, following Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion<\/a> 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\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u2015 the number that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/a> claims have volunteered \u2015 will be a challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s not clear how many will be particularly helpful on the battlefield given language and training barriers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foreigners may be more useful in a propaganda role to signal global unity rather than as a front-line fighting force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three veterans spoke with Military Times and offered a mix of plans for how they would fight in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe contract with the Ukrainians sounds a little bit more ambiguous \u2014 a little more long-term,\u201d said a Marine veteran who is traveling now and who hopes to join a unit other than the International Legion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He had connected with a group of like-minded U.S. veterans on Reddit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey vetted me and put me into a Signal group chat with about 15 people and we\u2019ve been organizing,\u201d said the U.S. veteran, who asked that his name be withheld for this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paperwork hurdles<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukraine is trying to screen applicants as fast as possible, Ukrainian Maj. Gen. Borys Kremenestkiy, a military attach\u00e9 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s International Legion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not surprising that there have been administrative challenges given the scale of foreigners who have responded to this call,\u201d said Austin C. Doctor, director of counterterrorism research initiatives at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security\u2019s NCITE Center<\/a>. \u201cBut from a broader security standpoint, I think it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces member holds an NLAW anti-tank weapon, in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. Authorities announced a new ceasefire on Wednesday to allow civilians to escape from towns around the capital, Kyiv, as well as the southern cities of Mariupol, Enerhodar and Volnovakha, Izyum in the east and Sumy in the northeast. Previous attempts to establish safe evacuation corridors have largely failed due to attacks by Russian forces. (AP Photo\/Efrem Lukatsky)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The processing delays have caused some volunteers to grow frustrated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery hour feels like a day, he said. \u201cEvery day feels like a week. At the end of the day, as a combat soldier, what is the rush?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others are not so patient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have a big staff to work with and we have other areas, like working with the Pentagon on security assistance,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is more important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have to see everyone or talk to everyone,\u201d he said. \u201cSo they can try and go on their own, but I have a task to talk to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While U.S. citizens can go abroad to enlist in a foreign military, they could be in legal trouble if they\u2019re \u201crecruited or hired\u201d in the U.S.<\/a>, which may be why Ukraine is having volunteers sign contracts when they arrive. The Defense Department still has discouraged U.S. citizens from volunteering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe still do not believe that Ukraine is a safe place for Americans to go,\u201d Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters March 7. \u201cWe urge them not to go. And if any are still there, we urge them to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skipping red tape<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corey Wetherholt said he has joined an independent militia over concerns about the ambiguous commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The veteran is no stranger to volunteering in foreign war zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After being administratively separated from the Marine Corps following two years in the infantry, Wetherholt headed to Syria as a volunteer for the People\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On his way home from 13 months in Iraq, Wetherholt heard about Russia\u2019s invasion and changed his plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo ideology or politics, just guys who wouldn\u2019t wanna miss out on a just war,\u201d Wetherholt said. \u201cThe big one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Ukrainian soldiers drive on an armored military vehicle in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, March 5, 2022. (AP Photo\/Emilio Morenatti)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Integrating foreign volunteers will be a challenge if the 16,000 number claimed by Ukraine is accurate, according to Ilmari K\u00e4ihk\u00f6, a Finnish military veteran and an associate professor at the Swedish Defence University in Stockholm, who has researched the volunteer phenomenon in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile some of the volunteers will no doubt contribute to the military effort on the Ukrainian side, many probably won\u2019t have much of an effect,\u201d K\u00e4ihk\u00f6 told Military Times. \u201cHowever, 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s also good reason to be skeptical about any volunteer\u2019s plans that involve fighting for independent groups outside official Ukrainian channels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

K\u00e4ihk\u00f6 said his Ukrainian contacts doubt such units \u201ccan constitute any considerable forces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And any independent fighters could be forced to join the International Legion or cease activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ukrainian military has greatly increased its command and control in recent years, and any units independent of its efforts present practical problems, K\u00e4ihk\u00f6 said \u2015 like friendly fire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis said, one possible explanation for the existence of volunteer units could be red tape,\u201d he explained. \u201cMany foreign volunteers no doubt want to get to the fight fast, and the Ukrainian army might not offer the quickest way to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen again, I have already seen photos of Swedish volunteers in Ukrainian gear, so the process seems to be quick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A history of militias<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ukraine has a history of volunteer battalions that sprouted up in the early days of the War in the Donbas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Mamulashvili\u2019s 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\u2019s unit officially was integrated into the Ukrainian armed forces in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are under control of Ukrainian armed forces,\u201d Mamulashvili said. \u201cWe work with several different structures. And we work under their command.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mamulashvili\u2019s forces have unique insight into integrating foreign fighters that the burgeoning International Legion lacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey have no experience in doing such a job. And they\u2019re using our skills,\u201d Mamulashvili said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A complicating factor in the Ukraine conflict has been the presence of far-right paramilitaries on both sides of the conflict, such as Azov<\/a>, which started as a volunteer militia and attracted foreign members<\/a>, including U.S. neo-Nazis<\/a>. It eventually was absorbed into Ukraine\u2019s National Guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But despite Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s claims that his invasion is intended to \u201cde-Nazify\u201d Ukraine, extremists, like those of the Russian Imperial Movement<\/a>, also fought for separatists in the Donbas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Volunteers with the right-wing paramilitary Azov National Corps attend a rally against Russia in front of the Ukrainian president’s office in Kiev, Ukraine, on Friday. Hundreds of the far-right party National Corps members waved flags and protested. (Efrem Lukatsky\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are likely going to be some [volunteers] who are doing this for more malevolent purposes, especially if the conflict that we\u2019ve 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,\u201d Doctor said. \u201cLooking at that risk with eyes wide open will be important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monitoring foreign volunteers probably will be more important for their home countries. For Ukraine, the risk is likely limited, according to K\u00e4ihk\u00f6, the Swedish Defense University professor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have difficulties seeing how foreign volunteers can become the kind of domestic political force in Ukraine the volunteer battalions constituted in 2014\u20132015,\u201d K\u00e4ihk\u00f6 said. \u201cIt 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\u2019ve never used before. For Ukraine the risk is probably limited, and consists mainly of Russian accusations of a NATO army in Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

K\u00e4ihk\u00f6 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis said, military intelligence might also be interested to learn as much about the situation in Ukraine and Russian tactics as possible,\u201d K\u00e4ihk\u00f6 said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many veterans are eager to fight for Ukraine. 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