Deaths of foreign fighters draw renewed attention to volunteers in Ukraine

The deaths of three foreigners killed this week while fighting Ukrainian forces have drawn renewed attention to the thousands of largely unmanaged volunteers who have joined the fight against aggression. strategy of Russia, some of whom have accepted to join the international corps.

Among the dead were 22-year-old Willy Joseph Cancel Jr., a correctional officer and a former Marine who had left Kentucky to fight Ukrainian troops.his uncle said.

Cancel’s father was told that the former marine was killed when his Ukrainian unit was overrun by Russian troops this week, Christopher Cancel said. His body has not yet been recovered.

A Ukrainian Defense Ministry official on Friday confirmed that an American, a British and a Dane were killed fighting the Ukrainian Army’s International Corps. The official requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the deaths.

“The armed forces pay their respects to the sacrifices of foreign heroes who came to protect the Ukrainian people from this barbaric invasion but also to defend freedom and democracy. everywhere,” the corps said in a statement.

Malcolm Nance, a Navy intelligence veteran and former TV commentator who is now the face of the legion, called the dead volunteers “protection of the angels, along with all those who lost his life in this senseless invasion of Russia.”

In an interview before the foreign warplanes were destroyed, Nance said many of the volunteers coming to the country underestimated the danger posed by Russian forces. He said the war was unlike what American veterans might have experienced during the US invasion and occupation of Iraq.

“You are the hunted now,” he said. “And it’s a fully integrated armed army with a giant cannon machine there to chew you up.”

Ukraine and Russia have had suffered great military losses, although their government has not released specific figures. In mid-April, US intelligence agencies estimated that 5,500 to 11,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed and more than 18,000 wounded. Western intelligence agencies estimate Russian military losses from 7,000 to 10,000 killed and 20,000 to 30,000 wounded.

According to a spokesman for the corps, Damien Magrou, a Norwegian lawyer, after enrolling a wide range of volunteers at the start of the war, the International Corps has recently become much more selective in recruiting. Using members, only those with combat experience pass rigorous testing. .

Magrou said the corps rejected the majority of applicants, but some of those who were rejected still made their way to the front lines in the hope of finding another group to fight with.

“We told them there was a shuttle bus back to Poland, the best thing you can do is get a seat on it,” he said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine announced the formation of the corps on February 27, three days after the invasion began, and invited foreign volunteers to fight. Ten days later, the Ukrainian government said it had received 20,000 applications.

The government declined to say how many foreign volunteers are in the country, but it is believed to be several thousand, most of them fighting groups other than the International Corps.

It is not clear when Mr. Cancel joined the corps. According to the Marines, he left the US military last November after being discharged and served time in prison while in custody for an undisclosed criminal charge.

Fighters accepted by the International Federation are contracted to fight with the Ukrainian army and are paid the same salary as Ukrainian soldiers.

In Lviv, western Ukraine, train and bus stations have become hubs not only for Ukrainians, but also for Americans and other foreigners who come to fight or help with aid efforts. .

Dominick Henry, a businessman from New York City who was recently in Ukraine providing logistical support for volunteers, said he has managed to get most of the newcomers to join the humanitarian activities. religion.

“Usually, when the Americans go to war, they have air support, they have everything,” he said. “This time it’s the opposite.”

He said many of those who came to Ukraine to fight the Russians were very disappointed when they were turned away by the fighting forces.

“They came for glory and honor,” said Henry. “They think it will help them take a step forward in life. That is too much of a price to pay. ”