August M
Foreign fighters serving in Ukraine say they were blindsided by a plan to break up the International Legion and scatter its battalions across new units. Many warn that dissolving the group could erode trust, disrupt hard-won coordination and put volunteers at greater risk on the front line.
Foreign fighters serving in Ukraine say they are confronting unexpected upheaval, as whispers of a major restructuring leave many unsure whether the International Legion — the unit that drew them to the war — will survive in recognizable form.
According to the Kyiv Independent, soldiers from Latin America, Europe and beyond say they worry new commanders may struggle with the language gaps and uneven levels of combat readiness among foreign recruits.
A Brazilian drone operator told the outlet, “The legion should remain united, not be dissolved,” reflecting a broader fear that cohesion built in wartime cannot easily be replicated elsewhere.
Official plan emerges
Only after these concerns surfaced did details about the restructuring become clearer. Digi24 reported that Ukrainian authorities intend to reassign roughly 1,000 legionnaires into other brigades, while transforming the Legion’s training battalion into a center for incoming foreign volunteers.
The Kyiv Independent cited an officer familiar with the plan who said the three combat battalions would be absorbed into either the Land Forces or the newly created Assault Forces by year’s end.
In mid-November, Ukraine’s Land Forces acknowledged the reorganization publicly on Facebook, saying the goal was “better integration, equal opportunities with Ukrainian soldiers, and more rational use of human resources.” The post added that foreign volunteers should be placed “in the units where they are most needed.”
Pushback from within
Not all commanders agree with the approach. Colonel Ruslan Miroshnichenko, known as “Santa,” argued to the Kyiv Independent that the plan is “absurd,” stressing that foreign troops “left their homeland and rose to fight despite the high probability of dying.” He warned that trust is vital.
For many volunteers, the Legion’s identity has served as both motivation and support network. With its future uncertain, some say they are reconsidering whether to extend their six-month agreements.
Sources: Kyiv Independent, Digi24, Facebook Land Forces post.
