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Polish officials announce readiness to train Ukrainian Legion volunteers

Polish officials express readiness to train Ukrainian Legion volunteers despite slow initial recruitment

byMaria Tril

04/10/2024

2 minute read

Creation_of_New_Ukrainian_Volunteer_Legion_in_Poland

The Ukrainian Legion. Credit: Ukrainian MoD

Polish officials announce readiness to train Ukrainian Legion volunteers

Poland has announced its readiness to begin training the initial cohort of Ukrainian volunteers for the Ukrainian Legion, reports Wnp.pl.

Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said that the country had been prepared to conduct training since 1 September, but there was a lack of willing participants.

“I understand that Ukraine has now taken steps to inform, recruit, and promote this process, so we are counting on results,” he said.

When asked about the number of potential recruits for the Ukrainian Legion, Kosiniak-Kamysz mentioned, “I previously heard about one brigade, but so far, the number is significantly lower – 300 people.”

Deputy Minister Pawel Zalewski reminded that recruitment for the Ukrainian Legion began this week at the Ukrainian Consulate General in Lublin.

Poland has trained over 20,000 Ukrainian military personnel as part of the EU training program.

The Ukrainian Legion’s recruitment center in Poland began operations on 1 October, coinciding with the Day of Defenders. This timing aligned with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha’s visit to Poland, where he participated in the Warsaw Security Forum and met with several Polish officials.

Polish Defense Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz said on 2 October that the number of Ukrainians who volunteered for the Ukrainian Legion in Poland was “extremely small.”

The Ukrainian Legion of Volunteers is a military unit composed of foreign nationals who have volunteered to fight for Ukraine. It was formed in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, allowing non-Ukrainian citizens to join Ukraine’s armed forces to defend the country. Volunteers come from dozens of countries, including the US, U.K., Canada, Poland, Georgia, Belarus, and other European nations.

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