‘If Ukraine Falls, the Free World Falls’: Why Foreign Volunteers Fight

Support for Ukraine goes beyond weapons and sanctions. Foreign volunteers from multiple countries are fighting on Ukraine’s side

Support for Ukraine goes far beyond weapons and sanctions: volunteers from across the world – including Belarusian, Russian, Chechen and Georgian formations as well as many individuals – fight under Ukrainian command.

Three volunteers in the 41st Separate Mechanized Brigade’s drone unit – a 56-year-old German explosives expert called Opa, an American from Colorado nicknamed Denver, and a French drone engineer known as Sova – say they joined because they see Ukraine’s survival as central to European security and democracy.