Ukraine decided to liquidate international legions

Some representatives of the legions state that the decision made could lead to a significant reduction in the flow of foreign volunteers into the Ukrainian army, and possibly — to its complete cessation.

The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine assures that this reform is an evolutionary process and that the legions have already played their role, which was important primarily in the first years of the war.

What are international legions?

The International Legions for the Territorial Defense of Ukraine (sometimes referred to as "Foreign Legions" or "International Legions") are, in fact, separate special forces battalions that existed within the structure of Territorial Defense from the beginning of the full-scale war, and later — under the command of the Ground Forces. Separate from them exists the "International Legion of the HUR" (Main Intelligence Directorate), created as a military unit of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, which performs specific tasks, primarily reconnaissance and sabotage.

The International Legions began to be formed according to the decision of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on February 27, 2022.

The main focus was on the voluntary recruitment of experienced foreigners with military or police service experience into the Ukrainian army. They could sign a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine for three years, but, unlike Ukrainians, they had the right to terminate it after six months of service.

Foreigners receive the same monetary allowance as Ukrainian military personnel, meaning significant additional payments are possible only with prolonged stays in combat positions.

As of 2025, four international legions were operating within the Armed Forces of Ukraine, each approximately battalion-sized (about 400-600 people). Of these, three are combat and one is training.

The First International Legion was established in March 2022. In April-September of the same year, the unit participated in the defense of Kharkiv Oblast near the border with the Russian Federation. In September 2022 - July 2023, legionnaires participated in the counteroffensive in the Kharkiv direction, specifically liberating Kupyansk. After the counteroffensive, the soldiers held the defense in the liberated territories.

From July 2023 to July 2024, the legion participated in counteroffensive actions in the Bakhmut district, liberating and subsequently defending the settlements of Andriivka and Klishchiivka.

In the summer of 2024, the unit participated in combat operations in the direction of Velyka Novosilka and Vuhledar in Donetsk Oblast.

The Second International Legion was formed in October 2022. The core of the battalion's command staff consisted of representatives of the first international special purpose company of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who participated in the battles for Lysychansk, Hryhorivka, Siversk, and Bakhmut.

Over the years of the war, the legion fought in various directions in Donetsk and Kharkiv Oblasts, particularly engaging in battles for Vovchansk and Chasiv Yar.

The Third International Legion began its combat journey in August 2022 as a special purpose battalion within the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The legion was involved in the defense of Kharkiv Oblast, participated in the Kharkiv counteroffensive, the liberation of Kupyansk, parts of Luhansk Oblast, Novoselivka district, and also in battles in the Bakhmut area.

The Fourth International Legion functions as a training and recruitment center. Its creation was initiated by US Army veteran Matthew Parker, who served from 1990 to 2011 as a cavalry scout.

He proposed creating a battalion that would specialize in selecting and training instructors and soldiers for the three combat international legions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

During the war, thousands of representatives from more than 75 countries, including Great Britain, USA, Georgia, Poland, Belarus, Estonia, Colombia, and Brazil, joined these units.

It should be noted that foreigners fight not only as part of the international legions. Ordinary combat units also strive to attract them, for example, the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade "Magura" or the Second Corps of the National Guard "Khartiya".

However, it was in the international legions that the recruitment of foreigners was put on stream from the very beginning of the war and had the most systematized character among all others.

According to sources of BBC Ukraine in the higher command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, this autumn the General Staff issued a non-public joint order with the Ministry of Defense on the disbandment of all international legions and the incorporation of their personnel into assault units.

This process is to be completed by December 31. This means that from the new year, foreign volunteers should already be fighting as part of the assault troops, which are clearly planned to be created in the near future.

The Fourth Legion is in the process of reformatting into a training center, while the First and Third Legions have already become part of their assault regiments. In particular, the fighters of the First Legion joined as a separate battalion in the 475th Separate Assault Regiment CODE 9.2.

However, the command of the Second International Legion publicly opposed the disbandment. It demands that the General Staff leadership stop this process and preserve the Second Legion in its current status as a separate battalion or even expand it to a regiment or brigade.

The command of the "rebellious" legion cites a number of reasons why it should be this way and not otherwise.

Andriy Spivak, deputy commander of this battalion, told BBC News Ukraine that their unit is a unique military organism which, firstly, has a high level of manning, well-established processes for recruiting foreigners, a large team of officers fluent in English and Spanish, an enhanced UAV component, and an "innovative approach" to conducting combat operations.

He points out that the assault troops, which the legionnaires are supposed to join, have not even been officially created yet.

"What is happening now? We are simply being liquidated into 'nowhere'," the serviceman states.

"Foreigners" vs. "criminals"

Another problem, according to Spivak, is that foreigners were attracted to the legion on a voluntary basis. Most of them, says the deputy battalion commander, went to fight for Ukraine out of sympathy for the country, not for monetary compensation.

Since they have the right to terminate their contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine after six months of service, conditions were created in the legion to retain them, create a comfortable atmosphere, thoroughly explain functions on the battlefield, and not just give orders to "storm a landing."

There were cases, Spivak recounts, when a foreigner agreed to perform a task only after meticulously reviewing the operation plan, seeing drone footage, and understanding the further direction of actions on that front section.

For this, he must fully trust his commanders and comrades in the unit.

"They cannot be forced to storm just like that; they came to our legion because they trusted us," the officer emphasizes.

In his opinion, most foreign volunteers will perceive their "forced transfer" to assault troops as a betrayal and will terminate their contracts.

Moreover, since "Ukrainian International Legions" were a recognizable brand, and many foreigners specifically wanted to join them, the liquidation of these units could be perceived by them as Ukraine's complete refusal to attract foreigners into its army.

Restoring their trust in the Armed Forces of Ukraine after this will be very difficult, Andriy Spivak is confident.

"We were a center of attraction for foreigners. They came to us because we don't have concepts like 'to bend' or 'to screw over' (to force and deceive). We don't have service investigations and all that. We have a team. Believe me, people are asking to join the legion."

Another reason not to liquidate the battalion is the necessity to complete the development of a new concept of training and combat operations, which the Second Legion has been working on for almost a year. In general terms, this "innovative concept," according to the deputy battalion commander, is to put the main emphasis on the use of UAVs, rather than infantry, during offensive operations.

One of the servicemen of the Second International Legion (an ethnic Ukrainian) was more open about the reasons why the unit's fighters are not eager to join the assault troops.

According to him, they are concerned about the "dubious reputation" of assault regiments. This refers to allegedly high losses, harsh treatment by the command, and a high percentage of the so-called "special contingent" among assault troops, i.e., people who came to the front from places of detention.

"It's no secret that assault troops are largely staffed by criminals, people with criminal records... This means that on one side we will have, in fact, a 'penal battalion,' and on the other — foreigners who came at the call of their own conscience, who understand how unfair this war is, and are ready to risk their lives for Ukraine. These are different people and there should be fundamentally different approaches to them," he says.

In his opinion, the "harsh approach" to personnel, practiced in assault units, will not work at all with foreigners.

"People simply get offended, turn around, and leave. How is it even morally acceptable to put volunteers and criminals on the same level?" the legion representative indignantly asks.

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