Published on: 11/13/2024 – 3:52 p.m.Amended: 11/13/2024 – 3:48 p.m.

3 minutes

“Glory to Ukraine,” declared Igor Rusakevych as he enlisted on Tuesday as a volunteer in the Ukrainian Legion that kyiv created for its nationals living abroad.

Ukraine is struggling to bolster its ranks after nearly three years of Russian invasion and the legion is its latest effort to convince combat-age men to enlist.

Its recruitment office, opened last month in the Polish city of Lublin, about 100 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, has received around 700 applications so far.

“I had to finish some things. I have a family here, a good job. I had to gather my strength,” Rusakevych said, explaining why he did not join the army sooner.

This 37-year-old construction site manager has lived in Poland for more than 30 years, has a teenage son and a Polish wife.

“I feel Polish, but I am Ukrainian at heart,” he said.

“I watch the news every day. I see we are losing.”

Russian forces are steadily advancing in eastern Ukraine and have intensified their assaults on the southern front, while maintaining barrages of drone and missile attacks on towns across Ukraine.

‘To redeem myself’

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said the first group of volunteers who signed a contract in Lublin immediately underwent basic military training lasting about a month.

With the legion created as part of a broader security deal between Warsaw and kyiv, Poland hosts initial training before new soldiers are sent to NATO bases in Europe.

Another volunteer, Dmytro Zdorik, 20, who previously lived in Lithuania, said he had felt “drawn” to the army since childhood.

He said he discovered the Legion through his grandfather, himself a former soldier.

“He sent me a video. And I said to myself: Here it is: a chance to quickly join the army,” Zdorik said.

It is estimated that around 300,000 Ukrainian men of fighting age live in neighboring Poland alone.

Through its online advertising, Ukraine aims to reach its nationals residing across Europe.

Yuriy Kulius, a former prisoner, said he spent two years in Germany before deciding to enlist in the legion, a decision he had been thinking about “for a long time.”

“I just want to make amends…I’m tired of the stigma of a criminal record,” the 45-year-old said.

“The main thing is…to be useful,” Kulius said.

He said he shared the news of his enlistment in the army with his mother, who still lives in Ukraine.

“She said I was an idiot,” the man recalled, before adding with a laugh: “Well, I’m not looking for ease in my life.”

© 2024 AFP