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Today, Ukraines regular military is a much more capable fighting force, which no longer relies on the assistance of volunteer militias. ", 'There is no difference between so-called civilians and the government'. The group is commanded by Mamuka Mamulashvili, a veteran Georgian officer. Civilised people will understand this.". The setback derailed him but didnt defeat him. I found myself out of a job, I felt useless, he said. Matthew Robinson at the Georgia Legion's base in Kyiv. Fighting in the Donbas began a month after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula. Young drew the ambulance to a slow stop, parked, and then was led into a bunker. Four volunteers, maybe fiveit was all sketchyhad apparently been caught in an ambush and killed, somewhere in the east, out in the shifting turmoil of the chaos zone. Diverse reasons have inspired foreigners to volunteer for Ukraines armed forces. While the motivations of foreign fighters are often questioned, John said going to Ukraine was not the result of a desire to kill. Since 1957, GQ has inspired men to look sharper and live smarter with its unparalleled coverage of style, culture, and beyond. They werent exactly fighting, but things did feel risky. The men say at least six from Britain have joined, but not all wish to be identified. The unit was organized in 2014 with the declared aim "to stand up to Russian aggression". While the Georgian National Legion does not include civilians, he said that it did train around 300 Ukrainian civilians as tensions were escalating and war became an increasing possibility.. I grew up amid wars, he told me. And everybody should understand that its a real war, and its the real face of Russia that we see today in Ukraine.. Theres a few lessons you learn along the way., Mamulashvili, the Georgia Legion founder, told me that his organization imposed a three-week waiting time on fresh volunteers to allow commanders to assess their battle readiness. The alarms went off, we were getting ready to leave, and mortars started coming down, he said. Combatants from Syria and Afghanistan have been drawn into the war, alongside former servicemen and inmates from Russian prisons. The Georgian National Legion, a volunteer unit comprising mostly Georgian soldiers, is ready to come to Ukraine's defence. Im just worried, he confessed, that wherever I go, its going to be Get out of here, we dont like you, we dont want you.. Meet Yuliia Levchenko, the high jumper with a travel bug who loves beach snaps. In late April, Robinson and some of his men took over an abandoned office building in the capital and turned it into a Georgia Legion barracks and an urban training ground for Ukrainian reservists in the Territorial Defense Force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said that 16,000 foreigners have volunteered to fight for Ukraine against the Russian invasion. It is a training exercise, for now. I am a true liberal, he told me. TBILISI, GeorgiaSince Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, Georgia has been a house divided. He took us on a hit-and-run mortar strike and as we drove to the frontline, he told me why he had signed up. Ukraine is our ally, and this is another battle of the war that started in Georgia, said Levan Fifia, 30, a Georgian army veteran of the 2008 war with Russia, as well as multinational missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, who is a Georgia National Legion volunteer. I realized that the caliber of candidates was not going to be sufficient. He quit and joined the Georgia Legion, where his assertive personality and wartime experience earned him a promotion to commander of the foreign contingent, the group that included Michael Young and his two American comrades. Ukraine's embattled president has issued a call to foreign nationals who are "friends of peace and democracy" to travel to the country to fight . Young, who stayed behind, told me that the pattern was typical. Suddenly their days adopted a new gloss of hazard. Russia is a terrorist state, it's killing civilians in the middle of Europe, and we have to brave enough to say it. I dont think that Ukraine would be on my radar if I hadnt gone., Youngs time in the Baltics helped him understand the long-simmering fear of Russian authoritarianism that exists in the former Soviet statesin places like Ukraine, where the threat of invasion always felt real. Thats why were fighting., Read Next: Ukraine Requires Women To Register for Military Conscription as Russia Threat Looms. The Georgian National Legion has "a special affinity for U.S. recruits". In 2007 he received a general discharge under honorable conditions, but it disqualified him from receiving tuition assistance under the G.I. No matter ones military background, each foreign applicant must complete three months of basic military training before deploying to the war zone. "I'm not going to lie to you, being in battle's a scary thing, and people generally do not enjoy being in a battle," John says. He was shutting down his unit of the International Legion and heading back to the States, he said. At 2 a.m., the three of us settled aboard the chilly bus as it rumbled east, into the dark. Fighters in the group are paid around $600 a month - roughly 420 - for living expenses, but say they do not class themselves as mercenaries. Russia stepped up shelling. It was no surprise, he says, when earlier this year he was again pulled aside for questioning at Heathrow before boarding the flight to Ukraine. Everyone deserves this.. As the first surge of applicants declared their intentions to volunteer, a spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Defense declared that all foreign fighters would be treated as mercenaries, rather than as combatants; thus they would not be protected by the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit the torture and execution of prisoners of war. They say, Hey, were not leavingwere waiting for the Russians to liberate us. The base had become a training center for new legionnaires, and as many as 1,000 were there at the time of the strike. I hope this will be the last point for Russia to spread its occupation of former Soviet Union countries, Mamulashvili said. He struggled to put himself through college but finally graduated from Washington State University with a degree in psychology. If escalation begins, many will join us from Ukraine alone, not to mention overseas, said Adam Osmayev, commander of the Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion, a Chechen volunteer battalion that fought in the Donbas alongside Ukrainian forces. We stand on the wall, not letting the barbarian hordes get into the country, making sacrifices in our lives so that rest of the people can have normal lives.. The evacuation missions had continued since then. "But they enjoy the achievement of doing it, and the camaraderie is something that is undeniable.". Which prompted Young to make a commitment to himself. From my third-floor hotel room, I heard two explosions. First was at 3 a.m., was trying to get a guy with bronchitis to the hospital and now hes sitting in the shelter with us. "When one man straps a bomb on himself in a shopping mall, he is called a terrorist," he said. The horror of the conflict reverberated around the world when Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine, leaving all 298 people on board dead. I already knew then that Russia is going to start a war in Ukraine, Mamulashvili said. Ukraine's neighbour Georgia has a vested interest - Russia supported breakaway provinces in Georgia too in 2008. A former professional mixed martial arts fighter who holds a post-graduate degree in international relations from a French university, Mamulashvili saw Russias 2014 attack on Ukraine as one more battle in his lifelong struggle against Russian oppression. In an interview with the leader of the Georgian Legion, Mamuka Mamulashvili, I asked whether his men were simply mercenaries, fighting the enemy for a monthly handout. Ukraine legalized the service of foreigners in the regular armed forces in October 2015. If a major Russian invasion kicks off there will definitely be an influx of foreigners, and I think it will be important for the Ukrainian government to utilize the potential of ex-military who wish to serve and protect Ukraine, said Aiden Aslin, a 27-year-old British citizen who enlisted in the Ukrainian Marines in 2018 and recently renewed his service contract. First published on Sun 27 Feb 2022 08.55 EST. Though still shadowed by its past, the battalion has cleaned up its image in recent months and this spring earned distinction and global attention for its part in holding off the Russians for weeks from inside the abandoned Azovstal Iron and Steel Worksthe huge industrial complex filled with subterranean chambers and tunnelsin the destroyed city of Mariupol. Its a bit like a start-up, he told The Washington Post in April. Once approved for service, the foreign volunteer must then apply to an individual unit for acceptance normally, a letter of invitation from a battalion commander is required to formally join a unit. There is not an agreement that they have not broken, because the only language they understand is the bullet. They had been drilling without weapons and taking cover in a basement when the sirens went off. Several Ukrainian embassy websites experienced cyberattacks the day after the International Legion was announced, and Norwegian police alleged that Russians hacked the Ukrainian Embassy in Oslo. One Briton who has joined the conflict told the BBC why he considers himself to be a freedom fighter. On command, he drops to one knee, adopting a shooting position. An informal network sprung up to share logistical details and helpful tips for those looking to join the war. This is a very important thing for me personally, said Bazanji, the Albanian volunteer in the Georgia National Legion. He left the UK in February, joining a group called the Georgian National Legion - a group embroiled in the fighting in Ukraine. I do not represent Albania. Young had come to Ukraine a few weeks earlier, arriving from Portland, Oregon, to join thousands of eager volunteers flooding into the war zone, anxious for the chance to help fend off Vladimir Putins troops. Take care of yourselves, he told Young and his comrades. I dont know who you are, said Robinson, a slim man with unruly blond hair and flecks of gray in his beard. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Russians assaulted, threatened and abused in UK as hate crimes linked to Ukraine war surge. The Georgian Legion has been around since 2014, when 10 officers from Georgia volunteered to fight - and train Ukrainian soldiers - at the beginning of the conflict with Russia. After that bus trip I had no fear, he said. When the first reports came in, nobody knew much of anything. In 2021, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the Russia was ruling directly in these areas and responsible for serious human rights abuses. Hed heard rumors that many of the people whod sought refuge in the bomb shelters eventually grew impatient and came out, and that most of the ones who came out got killed. A California Marine remains in the brig, accused of threatening to chop up his wife with a machete. It remains unclear exactly how many made it into the countryand how many went home after only a few daysbut a week after the Legion was announced, the Ukrainian government claimed that 20,000 volunteers from 52 countries had applied to join its ranks. There was not only the danger of what might happen to these foreign fighters in battle, but what would happen to those who were captured. When I saw him in Kyiv and asked if I could visit the base, he regarded me with suspicion. But in 2015, seeing the rise of the so-called Islamic State (IS), he decided to make something of a return to his military roots and signed up to fight as a volunteer with the Kurds in Syria. "Some soldiers are on a contract now, like the Ukrainian soldiers, [but] it is not much. I told my husband that I was going to go, Casey recounted. The U.S. State Department, for its part, has confirmed the deaths of only two Americans fighting in Ukraine. The cell service had gone down, knocking out the GPS and forcing him to steer blindly. The Georgia National Legion trains at their base on the outskirts of Kyiv in 2021. The encrypted messaging apps Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp have allowed volunteers to reach out directly to intermediaries in Ukraine and in neighboring Poland, where recruiters set up shop and began processing incoming fighters. Osmayevs wife, a Ukrainian-born doctor of Chechen heritage named Amina Okuyeva, served as a sniper in the Chechen volunteer unit. Moreover, my wife was Ukrainian by birth, and she is buried on this land, as well as our general Isa Munaev.. In truth, as hed explained to me over Signal, an encrypted messaging app, in the preceding weeks, Young had been seeking a combat mission ever since hed flamed out of the U.S. Marines 15 years ago, before hed had a chance to fight in Iraq or Afghanistan. The shopkeeper noticed the Croatians accent and asked where he was from. As he spoke, Young hungrily forked at a rib-eye steak. With the possibility of a major Russian offensive this winter, many of Ukraines foreign soldiers both veterans and those on active duty anticipate a surge in foreign volunteers desiring to take up arms in Ukraines defense. Mamuka. We were told that there are 50 Britons currently serving in the unit. 04 March 2022. As to my reasons for fighting [in Ukraine], for me its a continuation of the war in Chechnya, Osmayev told Coffee or Die. International investigators said the Russian-made missile that downed the passenger plane was brought in from Russia and launched from the rebel-held territory. Just like Poles or French fought in the allied armies in World War II, so am I fighting with Ukraine. I promised myself that if such a thing were to happen in Eastern Europe and I were in a position to help, I would do so., After Putins attack, Young made plans to enlist in the International Legion, but he changed course once he began to read about the group on Signal. But after I sent Robinson a lengthy email to be forwarded to Mamulashvili, the units founder, and pledged to reveal no details about the centers whereabouts, he agreed to take me there and introduce me to his squad. Extensive second-degree burns, shrapnel, their contact wrote. In an emotional video posted to his Telegram. Some foreigners arrived in Ukraine expecting to be immediately dispatched to fight Russian tanksonly to face what they saw as a shortage of munitions and a seemingly interminable wait to get to the front. He had served as a medic in the U.S. Army and then worked in Israel for Triple Canopy, the security group, guarding government officials. An "International Legion" was formed by the Ukrainian government earlier this year, with positions for people with prior military experience. In front of the citys main train station, an ornate Austro-Hungarian colossus, the bus doors opened for the two ex-Marines, and they followed a Google Map pin drop to a rendezvous point. Mamuka insists all would-be fighters are vetted to eliminate individuals who may not be a good fit. For a few panicky moments, he was all but certain that hed make a wrong turn and run into a Russian position. If Russia invades, I will be back for sure in a few seconds, said Giuseppe Donini, an Italian who previously fought for Ukraine as a volunteer at the wars outset. He said that his ex-wife, the daughter of Ukrainians, wasnt speaking with him, hed been unable to contact their young children, and his uncle had turned over his name to the Australian government. To his friends and his family he struck a brave posture, though his anxiety was palpable. The latest Tweets from Georgian National Legion (@GeNatLegion). When they reached Kyiv, Young, Watson, and Caseyeager for actionfell in with the unaffiliated squad of foreign volunteers. The Georgia Legion also requires volunteers to keep their location services turned off during their training periodand kicks out anyone caught violating the rule. Im flattered because you strike me as thoroughly sane, and it made me feel good that you searched me out on Signal, Young told Watson. I was granted access to an enormous Signal group started by a British combat veteran that was being used as a kind of primer for foreigners wading into the conflict. His military career had taken him to the Philippines with an infantry unit and to Israel with one of the Marines Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team (FAST) units. "Yes, killing is not easy for a human, but Russians aren't human.". Among the volunteer soldiers, speculation spread that social media posts had helped the Russians hit their target. Young, who spoke only minimal Latvian or Russian, was ignored at first but managed to find acceptance. When Young was 12 years old, his fathera Navy vet whod become a Pentecostal missionarymoved the family from Washington to Latvia. The application process for a foreign citizen to join Ukraines armed forces typically takes between two and four months. Russian forces invaded Georgia in 2008, at the invitation, they claimed, of separatists from the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Theyre asking us to do a lot of extractions of wounded soldiers now, Casey told me, when I met the three men in Kyiv. Under the command of a former Georgian military officer named Mamuka Mamulashvili, the Georgia National Legion formerly operated as a front-line unit in the early years of the war in Ukraines eastern Donbas region. But. He drew a contrast between the low-key ex-Marine and certain swaggering veterans, he said, who make comments like, Were going to do Inglourious Basterds shit, and Im like, No, I dont want to be in that movie., Watson had seen that behavior while serving in the Marine Corps. The Russian side of the war has drawn more than 13,300 foreign fighters, of which about 12,000 are Russians. John is not the only Briton to have signed up to join the conflict in Ukraine. "I don't call myself a mercenary, but I'm sure other people will," he says. As Young messaged me, he, Watson, and Casey were standing down and reassessing. Meanwhile, the wars dangers were enveloping other foreign volunteers as the battle for Donbas intensified. Perhaps, in the fog of war, incidents had been conflated or misunderstood. Mamulashvili, the founder of the Georgia National Legion, a 44-year-old mixed martial arts fighter and veteran of the Georgia-Abkhazia and First Chechen wars, told me that Hoeft had been expelled after a Georgia Legion interviewer intuited possible ties to an extremist movement. He said his. Mamuka Mamulashvili is the leader of the Georgian National Legion, a volunteer unit formed by mostly Georgian soldiers that has attracted foreign fighters to Ukraine, including from many Western . located around Brest, Luninets, Baranovichi, Osipovichi and Minsk including forces from the Northern Fleet (200th (Arctic) Motor Rifle Brigade, 61st Guards Naval Infantry Brigade) and the VDV (76th and 98th Guards airborne divisions), estimated strength of 6-7 battalion tactical groups Southeastern Belarus grouping (Kyiv offensive direction): But that post, too, he said, was apparently compromised by recruits who had inadvertently revealed their location on TikTok and other social media platforms. My family history is a fight against Russian occupation, so of course they are trying to get rid of me, and my family members too.. 2023 BBC. The Japanese guy posted on instagram how fond he was and much he respected his Taiwanese brother-in-arms, and that if he gets reincarnated, he wants to wind up in the same life as his friend. We are fighting for Western democracy, we are fighting for world democracy, in fact. Watson scanned the room, glancing at other men arched over their beers. Foreigners who join volunteer organizations to contribute to the war effort must obtain temporary residency by other means. We were joined by Michael Kelley, an American ex-soldier and commercial fisherman from Maine. "We have one enemy, and this enemy occupies 20% of my land. Youd better be prepared., Michael Young, the erstwhile Marine from Washington State, had, in a sense, been waiting longer than just about anybody to get to the frontto get into the fight. Kelleys and Robinsons no-nonsense manner initially struck me as overdramatic: two would-be soldiers playing war games far from the front lines. Sitting with Young in the booth were the two Americans with whom hed quit the Georgia National Legion; the men had become inseparable during the past month and were staying together in a hotel nearby. "I don't speak diplomatically because I have been fighting for 30 years. Once [the hospital is] up and running well be doing extractions, Young told me. On the bus into the country, he says, an intoxicated volunteer pulled a knife out of his backpack in a deranged effort to attack the driver and take command of the vehicle. The Biden administration believes that the reason . Young insisted that he was leaving the Georgia Legion on good terms. Rendezvous points, supply checklists, current conditions inside the conflict zone. Rather than treat Russia as a pariah, the focus should be on reintegrating it into Europe. On battlefields throughout history, the combat engineer has proven time and again to be a decisive factor in victory and defeat. In particular, Ukrainian defense officials reject applicants who have associated with any far-right extremist groups or have ties to the Russian government. KYIV, Ukraine At a base on the outskirts of Ukraines capital city, members of the Georgia National Legion gathered for an afternoon of combat training. When the Russians get here our life is going to get better, Young said. Outside, the city streets were slick and cold with the April drizzle. Zelensky's call echoes that of the Spanish Second Republic, which, when the right wing Spanish military tried to launch a coup d'etat in 1936, relied on tens of thousands of foreign volunteers in the International Brigades to fight against General Francisco Franco's professional soldiers. Mr Mamulashvili does not draw a line between the Russian state and Russian civilians, blaming them equally for the current crisis. Some simply wanted to defend Ukraines territorial sovereignty. The Navy Cross the branchs second-highest award for valor in combat isnt handed out to just anybody. All the buildings corporate tenants had evacuated the place hours after the Russians invaded; computer monitors left on desks and documents strewn about the floor attested to their panic. He gave his life for a nation he had never been to before., In the weeks that followed, he grew only more resolutemore committed to the people of Ukraine. Adverts have seemingly . By the end of May they were receiving assignments and driving almost daily to contested Luhansk towns such as Pryvillia and Severodonetsk, then held by Ukrainian forces but infiltrated by mobile teams of Russian troops.