This page exists as a resource for anyone considering joining the International Legion in Ukraine. The International Legion for Defense of Ukraine (ILDU) is a front-line unit within Ukraine’s military, helping protect the country from Russian aggression. The Legion accepts non-Ukrainian English-speakers with military training who can pass a background check and basic physical and mental assessments.
The primary focus of this information is the main, official Legion, the International Legion for Defense of Ukraine (ILDU) but most of the information on this page can be applied to any of the many International Legions in the country.
If you are a currently serving or former Legionaire, feel free to suggest edits to this information to reflect your experiences in the Legion.
Essential Topics
- Basic info about the Legion
- Can you join the Legion
- Should you join the Legion
- How to join the Legion
- Preparing to join the Legion
- I’m about to cross the border
Staying alive at the front
Basic info about the Legion
Before deciding if joining the Legion is the best decision, a recruit should get familiar with some basic information about the Legion. There is a multitude of resources available on the internet:
- International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine – Wikipedia
- Fight for Ukraine
- International Legion of Defense of Ukraine (ILDU) | Facebook
- International Legion of Defense of Ukraine (ILDU) | Twitter
- War in Ukraine is worst we’ve seen, say Iraq and Afghan veterans | Euromaidan Press
- Ukraine foreign legion closely vetted – The Washington Post
Can you join the Legion
Potential recruits to the Legion must possess the following qualifications
- Have a passport
- Prior military experience (this may be waived in a few specific cases, if the recruit has other valuable experience such as medical trauma training)
- English language – the official language of the Legion is English. Recruits with good skills but poor English who speak certain languages (Russian, Spanish, Polish) may be accepted.
- Financial resources of at least $2000-5000USD. Do not travel to Ukraine with less than $2000USD, in Hryvnia or USD.
- Age – Current age restrictions are 18 to 50 (approximately) and may be waived in certain cases.
- Clean criminal record – The Legion claims to background check recruits
- Physical fitness – Recruits should be able to perform basic military activities such as jogging, lifting and carrying 20kg several km.
- Commitment length – Recruits should be able to commit for at least 3-6 months. Yes you can leave at any time but don’t join planning on it.
- Medical problems – Recruits should not have any major medical problems.
- Willingness to sign the contract – If recruits are unwilling to sign, do not waste anyone’s time. Yes you can leave at any time but don’t join planning on it.
- Ability to transport one’s self and gear to and across the Polish/Ukrainian border
Note that the ILDU does not currently require combat experience to join, although this is certainly preferred.
Should you join the Legion
Beyond the requirements listen in the previous page, there are some important questions recruits should ask themselves before deciding whether to volunteer for the Legion.
- Financial security – Is the recruit’s home life going to function without him/her for 3-6 months? What happens if he/she can’t pay bills? Can he/she give Power of Attorney to a trusted person, to take care of urgent needs back home? Can he/she get a leave of absence from his/her work? How will he/she gather the money for his/her flight, equipment and the recommended $2-5000USD to take with him/her?
- Family matters – How is the recruit’s family going to react to him/her disappearing to an active combat zone for months? Will divorces or family estrangement result?
- Reasons for joining – Is the recruit planning to join to defend Ukraine’s fragile democracy and civilians? Or is he/she seeking excitement and adrenaline? Does he/she want to help stop Putin from recreating a new Iron Curtain in Europe, or does he/she want to live out Hollywood/video game fantasies?
- Psychological preparedness – The recruit may be physically fit and ready for a grueling outdoor existence, but is he/she ready for contradictory and incomprehensible orders? Endless boredom fighting mosquitos and the cold more than Russians? Life at the front is dirty, hard work under unpleasant conditions. It’s not fun or at all like Hollywood.
How to join the Legion
There are several ways to join the Legion.
- Contact the Ukrainian embassy and/or consulate nearest you in your home country. Follow the process laid out on one of the several How to Join websites:
- Fight for Ukraine – https://fightforua.org/
- Email and text them. Be prepared to wait
- Contact Task Force Yankee. TFY serves as a talent agency for the Legion and other military units [Updated, TFD seems to be inoperative]
- Reach out directly to ILDU and/or other units for the possibility to join directly
Recruits should decide in advance if they want to go the regular route and train for 2-4 weeks before deploying to the front as part of “the Battalions” or if they would like to shorten the training and quickly join one of the special forces teams. (This options is typically only available to high speed recruits with prior combat experience)
Preparing to join the Legion
While waiting to physically join the Legion, there are some actions a recruit can take to make themselves a more effective soldier when he gets to the front.
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- Get in physical shape – There will be limited time for PT in training and virtually none at the front.
- Learn Ukrainian or Russian. Here is an excellent Survival Ukrainian Guide with audio files, by the Peace Corps. Other languages are helpful in the Legion, especially Spanish, Polish and French.
- Get financially fit – pay off any bills in advance. Get a power of Attorney for someone trusted. Make a will and have it notarized.
- Purchase the recommended equipment – While the Ukrainians will provide much of what soldiers will need, such as uniforms, body armor and weapons, there are many items not provided that recruits will need to purchase on their own. Headlamps, wrist watches, power banks, multitools, etc.
- Do yourself a favor and learn the ranks of the Ukrainian military
- Watch this video on Ukrainian culture: Ukraine Cultural Brief for Volunteers of the International Legion
- We recommend creating a SpotFund donations page (don’t use GoFundMe) to collect money to help fund your deployment.
Here are a couple examples: - 4x4forIntlLegionOfUkraine
Resources
- Info from Polish volunteer
- Lengthy equipment list on Google Sheets
- How to live out of your bag for months, for soldiers
- Back from the front: a British volunteer in Ukraine
- An International Legionnaire’s Guide to Useful and Useless Kit
- What it is like to be shelled by the Russians
- Cultural Faux Pas
- Write it Kyiv, not Kiev
- Call it Ukraine, not “the Ukraine”
- Calling borscht “Russian”
- Speaking to people, shaking hands or handing money over a threshold
- Presenting an even number of flowers
- Not taking off your shoes before entering
- Putting your hands in your lap when eating
I’m about to cross the border
Some helpful basics
To join the Foreign Legion, you MUST have formal military experience (not just nongovernmental tactical training or hunting experience), good command of English, and availability to remain in Ukraine for a potentially long period. Otherwise, non-legion fighting options are available. Contact the Legion intake personnel in any case.
Combat experience is NOT required for joining the Foreign Legion.
BEFORE you enter Ukraine:
- Install Signal app on your phone, and establish family/friends contact. (Use WiFi if you don’t have roaming cell service.) WhatsApp and Telegram are not as secure.
- Install offline map program OsmAnd, and the offline full map of Ukraine.
- Mark your border location on the map, then turn off location services.
- Turn off I-message & face time if you have an iPhone.
- Remove your SIM card and store it away. It’s a security risk. Get a Ukrainian one with unlimited data for $8/month. That’s not a typo.
- Put on civilian clothes. Buy now if you brought none.
- If your pack has camo, use a civy rain cover to be discreet. There are Russian spies on both sides of the border.
- Do not bring alcohol or drugs.
When crossing:
- Tell PL and UA border guards you’re joining the Foreign Legion if they ask.
In Sheginy:
- Local volunteers are available in the white tent to transport you to Legion intake.
In UA:
- Buy a SIM card. Do not give the phone number to anyone, unless specifically instructed otherwise by Legion intake.
- Reconfirm Signal contact with friends and family via UA cell service. Your Signal phone number will continue to be the original one you registered on Signal, despite the change of SIM card. Your Signal number’s absence on Ukrainian cellular networks inhibits Russian surveillance.
- Put your phone in airplane mode while you’re en route to Legion intake.
- Double check that location services are turned off.
- Never call or text anyone except local Ukrainian stores and services using plain cell phone service. For ALL other calls and texts, use Signal app ONLY.
- Jury is out if you can use your foreign phone on Airplane Mode connected to the UA phone’s hotspot.
- Don’t give your passport or full name to anyone except checkpoint guards, and don’t give any phone number or other contact information to anyone, until you reach Legion intake. There are Russian spies operating in the area.
- Never take photos or videos, and never post messages on Facebook or other social media. This includes “private” pages.
- Never discuss your current location with family and friends. Just say UA, and if you’ve deployed yet.
- Do not collect contact information for fellow soldiers until authorized by Legion intake.
- Remember: 37 people died in a Russian cruise missile strike in Yavoriv because somebody violated these opsec rules. If you post a selfie, or google “where am I?”, innocent blood will be on your hands.
Staying alive at the front
There are several things Legionaires can do to increase their survivability and effectiveness at the front:
- Learn from more experienced soldiers – This means listening and watching more than talking
- Volunteer and be helpful – This will be noticed
- Treat Ukrainian officers/NCOs with respect
- Be aware that nonsensical orders may be tests of your willingness to follow orders
- “Pick your battles” with your fellow soldiers and Ukrainian officers. This is not a NATO army, and trying to correct every mistake or problem might impede your ability to make a bigger difference later.
- Set an example. Be quietly better than anyone else, at everything.
- Be in excellent shape before you go. You won’t have an opportunity “get into shape” once there
- Don’t hurt yourself. Don’t expect a lot of sympathy if you do injure yourself
- Get a quality, sharp shovel and get good with it.
- Don’t get too comfortable in one place. Be ready to move quickly at short notice.
- Don’t attempt to act “Rambo” when the bombs are falling, and avoid any idiots who do.
- Choose to sleep in the uncomfortable trench over the more pleasant exposed position.
More to be added as time allows