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Ukrainian Legion in Poland reportedly receives over 500 applications in a month

by Martin Fornusek and The Kyiv Independent news desk November 5, 2024 1:18 PM 2 min read
The Ukrainian Legion has launched its first recruitment center in the Polish city of Lublin. In its first days of operation, the center received over 200 applications from volunteers for military service, the Defense Ministry said on Oct. 3, 2024. (Ukraine's Defense Ministry)
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The recruitment center of the Ukrainian Legion in Poland has received over 500 applications in a month from Ukrainians living in 30 countries, Ukrinform reported on Nov. 5, citing the center's officials.

The legion was unveiled in July as a volunteer military unit made up of Ukrainian men living in Poland and trained by the Polish Armed Forces. The first volunteer recruitment center was opened in October at the Ukrainian consulate in the eastern Polish city of Lublin.

The unit is part of an effort to replenish the ranks of Ukraine's military as the all-out war with Russia goes on for over two and half years.

Most applications came from Poland and Czechia, but Ukrainians living in the U.K., Ireland, the U.S., and Canada also submitted requests, Ukrinform wrote. While the center's officials believe that not all applicants will end up signing a contract, they deem the turnout to be a good first result.

The legion will allow Ukrainians to join the fight while being able to return to Poland after completing their service. Under martial law instituted in 2022 after the start of the full-scale war, Ukrainian men aged 18-60 are not permitted to leave Ukraine without permission.

The U.N. estimates that 6.7 million Ukrainians were driven abroad as a result of Russia's all-out invasion. This is in addition to a sizeable diaspora living in Europe, the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere since before 2022.

The first volunteers are expected to sign a contract before the end of the year and begin training in Polish training grounds. Around 90% of the applicants were men, and roughly 80% had no previous military experience, Ukrinform reported.

Poland and Ukraine to form a military unit from Ukrainians in Europe. Will it be effective?
Kyiv and Warsaw have agreed to form and jointly train a new army brigade on Polish soil, betting the initiative could help recruit some of the scores of Ukrainian men living in Poland and other EU countries. The so-called Ukrainian Legion, a fresh initiative to boost Ukraine’s military manpower

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