United to win: Poland launches recruitment for Ukrainian Legion, receiving almost 200 applications in first days

The Consulate of Ukraine in Lublin, Poland, recently opened a recruitment center for Ukrainian citizens interested in joining Ukraine's armed forces. 138 applicants submitted their interview requests through the website in just a few days, and 58 more applied through consular offices.

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced this.

"The first recruiting center was opened based on the Consulate of Ukraine in Lublin and operates daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. without breaks. The Military Medical Commission (MMC) operates on-site. Volunteers are trained on a training ground provided by the Polish side. Ukraine provides uniforms and rear support, and Poland provides weapons and equipment," the message reads.

As mentioned, the volunteer process involves:

• signing a contract;

• undergoing a 35-day training at the training facility;
• receiving additional training at NATO bases in Europe.

As First Deputy Minister of Defense Ivan Havryliuk said, a military medical commission works at the base of the center, which determines the suitability of candidates for service.

Over a dozen employees from Ukraine's armed forces are assigned to the center, offering consultations and assistance with document preparation.

Assuming the medical commission is successful and the contract is finalized, the volunteers will proceed to the training grounds for a 35-day training program.

As Havryliuk pointed out, in the future, members of the Ukrainian Legion may be deployed to enhance their abilities at one of NATO's European bases for several additional months.

He mentioned that Ukraine has supplied uniforms and rear support, while Polish allies have provided weapons and equipment.

How to sign up for the Ukrainian Legion?

The recruitment center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Ukrainian Consulate in Lublin, located at Spokojna 2.

Volunteers can also complete an application on the Ukrainian Legion's official website or through their local consulate or embassy.

The commander will invite candidates who hold Ukrainian passports for an interview. During the interview, their military position will be determined, their documents will be checked, and they will receive a referral for a medical examination.

If the medical evaluation goes well, the volunteer will be given the contract signing date, typically two weeks after all necessary screenings have been finished.

^{Photo: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine}

For reference:

President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk signed a bilateral security agreement on July 8. Additionally, Kyiv and Warsaw agreed to cooperate on training personnel for the Security and Defense Forces. They also agreed to create a volunteer legion of Ukrainian citizens residing in the European Union to be stationed in Poland.

The head of state announced that the Ukrainian Legion will undergo training in Poland and receive support from international partners. Any Ukrainian citizen who joins the legion will have the opportunity to sign a contract with Ukraine's armed forces. Currently, both parties are finalizing the details of these agreements.

However, the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, later refuted this information. He stated that enlisting enough volunteers to create the brigade was not feasible.

Recently, the Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov also appealed to Ukrainians residing in EU countries and called on them to voluntarily join Ukraine's defense by signing a contract with Ukraine's armed forces.

"Our volunteers will receive the most modern training from allies from Poland, Lithuania, and other EU countries. The Legion will be equipped with the best equipment from our international partners, increasing its effectiveness on the battlefield.

Ukrainians who are in Poland and other EU countries will be able to voluntarily join the defense of Ukraine by signing a contract with the armed forces," the head of the Ministry of Defense emphasized.

It is worth adding that the representatives of the third separate assault brigade conducted "DVIZH" recruiting events abroad.

As previously mentioned, fighters who had participated in battles in Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and the Kharkiv region attended the meetings.