Over 1,000 applications have been submitted to the Ukrainian Legion in Poland, Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar said in an interview with Suspilne on Dec. 22.
The first contracts with the Ukrainian Armed Forces were signed in November, and the next recruitment phase is set for early January.
Bodnar highlighted Poland's robust support for basic military training, followed by specialized training based on the soldier's role. After training, recruits are assigned to relevant military units in Ukraine, where they operate under direct command.
“Poland is a country that is quite seriously helping Ukraine, because it understands that this is a strategic interest for it, for all of Europe, and it is a country that sympathizes with Ukraine with all these terrible events that we are currently experiencing during the almost three years of ongoing war,” Bodnar said.
The legion was unveiled in July as a volunteer military unit made up of Ukrainian men living in Poland and trained by the Polish Armed Forces.
The first volunteer recruitment center was opened in October at the Ukrainian consulate in the eastern Polish city of Lublin. The unit is part of an effort to replenish the ranks of Ukraine's military as the all-out war with Russia continues into its third year.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
(Updated: )
