Foreigners join Ukraine’s war for different reasons — money, ideology, or combat experience. Officials say better conditions could help attract far more international fighters.

More than 10,000 foreigners from different countries are currently fighting in the Ukrainian army. Our country could increase this number, but it is important to consider the goals and motivations of fighters coming from abroad.

This was stated to 24 Kanal by Member of Parliament Inna Sovsun, who noted that some come to earn money, some are driven by pro-Ukrainian convictions. There are also those who need to gain military experience in order to use it in their home countries.

Who Among Foreigners Comes to Fight in Ukraine — and Why

The member of parliament noted that there are three types of foreigners with different goals who come to fight for Ukraine. One of them is labor migrants. If Ukraine focuses on this category, it should look at how much Russia pays foreigners and offer about 10% more.

At the same time, former soldiers with combat experience from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia also join the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This category of foreigners is driven by ideological reasons — they want to fight against Russia and help Ukraine. For them, the issue of financial support is not critical.

The last category includes foreigners, particularly from Latin America, who come to Ukraine to acquire military skills and later apply them in their own countries. There are even rumors that entire cartels are being sent here, but there is no confirmation of this.

“Therefore, we need to look at the categories we are trying to attract. I have not heard complaints about supplies. The main complaints concern bureaucracy and the lack of understanding of how foreigners can enlist,” she noted.

Earlier, Kostyantyn Milevskyy, deputy head of the department for coordinating the service of foreigners in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that more than 10,000 foreigners are currently serving in units of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. According to Sovsun, the real number may be higher, as many foreigners serve not in the Armed Forces of Ukraine but in the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, National Guard brigades, or the Azov unit.

By the way, a representative of the International Legion of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Volodymyr Kaminskyy, said that many foreign fighters seek to obtain Ukrainian citizenship. However, this is quite difficult to do, so it is important that foreigners have a legal opportunity to go through this procedure.

“Overall, the figure is still low. We could attract significantly more foreigners. Some came here, did not understand how to enlist, and went back home. This will not radically solve the problem of manpower shortages in the army. However, if we increased this number to 50,000, it would be realistic. It would ease the situation and reduce the mobilization burden on Ukrainian society,” the member of parliament said.

She added that Ukraine can motivate foreigners ideologically and show that they can gain useful skills during the war that may later be valuable to them.

How can more foreigners realistically be recruited?

Ukrainian serviceman Danylo Yakovlev explained that Ukraine could recruit foreigners in very large numbers, particularly from countries in Latin America or Africa. To do this, dedicated funding would be required.

There is no need for a separate recruiting center specifically for them — it would be enough if each recruiting center had at least 10–20 people constantly recruiting candidates from other countries, similar to how the Russians operate.

In his opinion, it would also be necessary to allocate funds for budget flights, affordable accommodation, and food so that foreigners would not have to worry about these issues at the beginning.

Which countries do foreigners come from to fight in Ukraine?

Within the Khartiia Brigade there is a unit called “Guajiro.” Many Colombians serve in it. One of them said that he fought communism at home against organizations supported by Russia and Putin, and has now come to Ukraine to put an end to the “cancer.” His goal is not only to earn money but also to support Ukrainians.

Meanwhile, the International Legion of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine is made up of about 70% foreigners. Fighters come from the United States, the United Kingdom, virtually all European countries, Australia, New Zealand, and countries in Latin America.

Georgians are also defending Ukraine. One of them is Miro Vanadze, who joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the beginning of the full-scale invasion and took part in the defense of the Kyiv region.