Thousands of people worldwide have heeded the call from Ukrainian leaders to join their military in the fight against Russian forces.
Ukrainian leaders have received more than 20,000 “appeals from foreigners who are ready to come to Ukraine and protect the world from Russian Nazis on the Ukrainian front,” Ukraine Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov announced on Facebook Monday. “So that the Kremlin evil does not spread.”
Among the group, more than 3,000 Americans have sought to join the fight as of last Thursday, though the Pentagon has strongly advised against it.
ZELENSKY BEGS US FOR FIGHTER JETS AND A RUSSIAN OIL EMBARGO
“This is not the place for Americans to be in Ukraine right now, and the State Department has made that very clear in urging over so many weeks for Americans that are in Ukraine to leave, and urging Americans not in Ukraine not to go,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters Friday.
Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces detailed the process of how to apply in a Facebook post last Thursday, instructing those interested to contact the Ukrainian embassies in their home countries and apply in written form to join the International Legion for the Territorial Defense of Ukraine under a voluntary contract.
Approximately 140,000 Ukrainians who had been living abroad have also returned home to fight for their home country, Reznikov added.
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Ukrainian civilians have also taken up arms in defense of their country, while leaders plead with the international community for their assistance. NATO and other countries not directly involved in the conflict have sought to provide weapons for the Ukrainian troops and have placed significant sanctions on Russia, its leaders, and financial institutions, though they stopped short of providing troops to fight Russians in Ukraine.
