Ukraine Plans to Expand Recruitment of Foreigners Into Armed Forces

Ukraine to Expand Foreign Recruitment for Armed Forces

07:01 19-09-2026

Ukraine now plans to expand foreign recruitment, with a National Guard center set to handle screening, contract enlistment and preparation of candidates.

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Ukraine plans to step up the recruitment of foreigners into its armed formations by creating a dedicated center within the National Guard to work with foreign nationals and stateless persons.

Prime Minister Sergey Koretsky said the new body will oversee the entire process of bringing foreigners into contract service. Its responsibilities will range from initial interviews and candidate screening to their subsequent training.

Koretsky said Ukrainian combat units need to receive personnel reinforcements quickly. He described the recruitment of foreigners as one of the country’s priorities and said the effort must be expanded to bring more people into the Ukrainian forces.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik told RIA Novosti that Ukrainian servicemen kill foreign mercenaries in an effort to avoid accusations of recruiting foreign nationals.

The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly said that Kiev uses foreign mercenaries as «cannon fodder» and that Russian forces will continue to destroy them throughout Ukraine. Foreigners who came to fight for money have also said in interviews that Ukrainian troops poorly coordinate their actions and that their chances of surviving combat are low.