KYIV: The Ukrainian military has launched a new initiative to entice fighting-age men living abroad to enlist, as Kyiv desperately tries to replenish its depleted forces on the front lines.

The establishment of the so-called Ukrainian Legion comes after more than two years of fighting, which has seen heavy casualties drain the military of manpower needed to battle Russia’s advancing forces.

The creation of the new unit was part of a wider security agreement signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk earlier this week.

“We call on all Ukrainians in Europe to join the Ukrainian Legion. Your contribution is invaluable in our struggle for freedom and independence,” Defence Minister Rustem Umerov announced on social media on Tuesday.

The initiative aims to recruit volunteers from the pool of Ukrainian men living in Europe, especially Poland and Germany, which are home to the largest numbers of Ukrainian refugees. An estimated 300,000 Ukrainian men of fighting age are believed to be living in Poland alone.

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian men are believed to have been residing in Europe before the war, while an untold number of others fled after the Russian invasion — some legally and others through illicit means.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2024