Ukraine has fully launched recruitment for the Ukrainian Legion, which is stationed in Poland. The recruits will start military training soon. Find out how many people have managed to join the formation

Legal advice for Ukrainians

GET

It's been several months since Ukraine announced the establishment of the Ukrainian Legion in Poland as part of a bilateral security agreement between the two countries. We will tell you about the current stage of this idea and how many people have already expressed a desire to join the formation.

According to Ukrinform, the recruitment centre for the Ukrainian Legion currently operates on the basis of the Consulates General of Ukraine in Poland. The centre, which employs more than 10 people - officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine seconded from Ukraine - is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time.

How many people have joined the Legion?

During the month of its operation, the Centre received more than 500 applications from Ukrainian citizens living abroad to join the Ukrainian Legion. Although not all of them will eventually sign a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Centre's staff consider this a good result, noting that this is only the beginning of their work. 

When will the training start?

By the end of the year, the first volunteers will sign contracts with the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the recruitment centre in Lublin and will be sent to one of the training grounds in Poland for training. The contract can be signed either for a fixed term (three years) or until the end of a special period.

The training will be conducted by NATO instructors at designated locations. In general, the basic training course in accordance with NATO standards will last 35 days. After that, servicemen who need separate military training in their chosen specialisation can undergo additional training in other locations.

Don't want to miss important updates and useful articles? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter!

Who joins the Legion more often?

According to Ukrinform, which cites an officer of the recruitment centre, the legion receives most applications from Ukrainians living in Poland and the Czech Republic, but there are also applications from geographically remote regions such as the UK, Ireland, and even Canada and the US.

90% of applications were received from men, and 10% from women. In terms of age, about half of the applications were received from young people under 25, while the other half were from slightly older people.

According to the officer, applications are submitted by all sorts of people: from students who are ready to take academic leave for the period of military service to older people who have worked abroad, for example, as builders or truckers.

Earlier we wrote that Ukraine has opened the first recruitment centre for the Ukrainian Legion.

Want to know more? Read the latest news and useful materials about Ukraine and the world in the News section.