Czech President Petr Pavel has approved 20 Czech citizens to join Ukraine’s Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Chech president said in a program broadcast on 25 February by Nova TV channel.
The Ukrainian military reported in August 2022 that no more than 100 foreign soldiers serve under contract in the Ukrainian army.
Civil service in foreign armed forces is prohibited for Czechs without the president’s permission. At the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Czech authorities decided not to prosecute citizens who went to fight in Ukraine against Russia.
According to the Chech president’s statement, 56 applications were rejected based on recommendations from the defense and interior ministries.
President Pavel said the rejections stemmed from applicants not meeting the criteria.
His predecessor, Milos Zeman, had issued 132 permissions for Czechs to enlist in Ukraine’s Armed Forces since Russia’s invasion began on 24 February 2022.
As of June 2022, volunteers from 55 countries have joined the International Legion of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
There are reportedly representatives from 55 countries from all continents, even as far away as Brazil, South Korea, and Australia, according to the spokesman for the International Legion of Defense of Ukraine, Damien Magrou.
The Legion has the largest number of Americans and Britons, Poles and Canadians, and citizens of the Baltic and Nordic countries.
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