New Ukrainian Legion to Be Formed and Trained in Poland

A new volunteer unit called the Ukrainian Legion is set to be formed in Poland, made up of Ukrainians residing in the European Union.

The formation of the unit is provided for in the security agreement signed in Warsaw on July 8, 2024.

The security agreement also provides for the training of this unit in Poland.

“The Ukrainian Legion will be trained in Poland and equipped with the help of our partners. Every Ukrainian citizen who decides to join the Legion will be able to sign a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Volodymyr Zelensky noted.

The parties are currently working out all the nuances of these agreements.

The agreement states that Ukrainians living in other countries, not only in Poland, will also be able to participate in the training process.

The participants will agree on the procedure for selecting, training, manning, and supplying weapons, equipment, and ammunition, as well as on the social and financial support of such military personnel and the status of their stay in Poland.

Zelensky added that this unit is being formed based on the positive experience of the Ukrainian-Polish-Lithuanian brigade.

In 2014, the goal of creating a joint Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian brigade was to increase mutual trust and cooperation between the countries and to train the military.

“We have a very positive experience of the Ukrainian-Polish-Lithuanian brigade, and based on this experience, we will give Ukrainian citizens who are now in Poland, Lithuania, and other EU countries the opportunity to voluntarily join the defense of Ukraine,” Zelensky said.

As previously reported, the security agreements between Ukraine and Poland also stipulate that the Polish government will start encouraging Ukrainians to return home to serve in the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

Some 4.3 million Ukrainians are living in European Union countries as of January, 2024, of whom about 860,000 are adult men, the Eurostat database estimates.