President Volodymyr Zelensky urged foreigners to join Ukraine’s “international brigade” in its fight against Russia.
File photo of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (File)
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday urged foreigners to sign up for an “international brigade” of volunteers to help attack Russian forces by visiting Ukrainian embassies around the world.
“All foreigners wishing to join the resistance against the Russian occupiers and defend global security are invited by the Ukrainian leadership to come to our state and join the ranks of the regional defense forces,” Zelensky said in a statement. “
“A separate unit is being created from foreigners – the International Brigade of Territorial Defense of Ukraine. This will be an important proof of your support for our country,” he said.
Zelensky insisted that the Ukrainians were courageous enough to face Russia alone, but added: “This is not just a Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is the beginning of a war against Europe”.
He added that anyone interested in joining should contact the military attache at their nearest Ukrainian embassy.
The statement comes after Zelensky called on foreigners with prior war experience to come to help defend his country.
Ukrainian forces are struggling to prevent a multilateral attack from Russia’s military as it seeks to penetrate deeper into its pro-Western neighbour.
Read | The world unites to fight for Ukraine, but co-sponsoring at UNSC tells a different story
Ukraine’s defense ministry claimed on Sunday that nearly 4,300 Russian soldiers have been killed since President Vladimir Putin launched an offensive on Thursday.
There has been no independent verification of that figure and Russia has not released any details of military losses.
But Western security officials say Ukraine’s military has surprised Moscow with its level of resistance and that Russia is not making the rapid progress it had hoped for.
Read | Putin puts Russian nuclear missiles and hypersonic missiles on high alert