Ukraine's parliament passes bill allowing foreigners to serve as officers in International Legion

The parliament adopted amendments to a law that would allow foreign volunteers fighting in Ukraine's International Legion to serve as officers, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said on his Telegram channel on Oct. 10.

Until now, volunteers could оnly fight as privates or sergeants.

"The main idea is to allow foreigners to be recruited not only as soldiers and sergeants but also as officers," lawmaker Oleksii Honcharenko said earlier on his Telegram channel.

Ukraine's International Legion was launched at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, attracting foreigners who volunteered to defend Ukraine.

Citizens from over 50 countries have joined the unit since the start of the full-scale invasion, including military veterans from the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Europe, and beyond, Ukraine's military intelligence said.

The unit was first formed under the Territorial Defense Forces but was later put under the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces, with some units subordinate to the military intelligence agency (HUR).

Initially lauded as a PR success, soon it was marred with scandals and stories about misconduct.

The Kyiv Independent's investigation from 2022 revealed leadership misconduct in the unit, both in the parts led by military intelligence and those overseen by the Armed Forces.

Recently, Poland opened a program to attract Ukrainians living in Poland to be trained by the Polish Forces. The formation of the Ukrainian Legion in Poland faced delays due to a low turnout of applicants.

Investigation: Almost 2 years into first reports of wrongdoing, Ukraine’s International Legion appears immune to change

Editor’s Note: This is the third part of the Kyiv Independent’s investigation into the International Legion – a military formation created for foreign fighters defending Ukraine. Published in August 2022, the first part revealed leadership misconduct in the military-intelligence-led wing of the Legi…

The Kyiv IndependentAnna Myroniuk

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