Well Paid Foreign Volunteers Expected To Comprise 50% of Ukraine Infantry

With dramatically increased pay and greater flexibility about choosing with which unit they wish to serve - part of a broader set of reforms for military service - Ukraine expects that as many as 50% of front line troops will eventually be foreign volunteers. 

Unlike the Russians who have tricked and bullied unsuspecting foreign workers lured to Russia by promise of jobs that didnt exist and then pressed into service, Ukraine is openly recruiting volunteers with military experience from other countries. South Americans have been particularly eager to fill the ranks, but Europeans, Asians and even some Americans have joined as well. JL

Alona Mazurenko reports in Ukraine Pravda:

The Ukrainian Defence Ministry aims to have up to 50% of assault and infantry positions in the Ukrainian Armed Forces filled by foreign nationals. "There are going to be dozens of companies that will bring in thousands of people every month to serve in Ukraine – because salaries on the front line are becoming competitive, the companies will earn UAH 300,000 (around US$6,600) per foreign recruit. Secondly, a market is emerging for companies that will bring people in transparently, with no corruption and no schemes. We've introduced a new services procurement procedure in order to launch this project."

Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov believes that dozens of companies will emerge in Ukraine that will bring in thousands of foreign nationals from abroad to serve in Ukraine.

Source: Fedorov in an interview with the YouTube channel PRESSING

Quote: "This is already a tested mechanism. There are already several institutions [recruitment centres] in Ukraine that bring in foreign nationals. They bring them in by the hundreds and have brought in thousands already…

And we are confident that there are going to be dozens of companies that will bring in thousands of people every month to serve in Ukraine – because, again, salaries on the front line are becoming extremely competitive.

Secondly, a market is emerging for companies that will bring people in transparently, with no corruption and no schemes. Essentially, we've introduced a new services procurement procedure in order to launch this project.

A government resolution on this will be adopted soon. It's a complex mechanism, but one that will definitely produce a good result for us."

Details: Fedorov explained that Ukraine already has a working system in place that determines how foreign nationals go through basic military training, how they join Ukraine's Armed Forces, issues relating to interpreters, logistics costs, training costs and so on.

He noted that Ukraine recently opened a private air defence market where around 30 companies are already operating, and the Ministry of Defence has decided to create a similar market for foreign recruits, allowing the companies involved to obtain a licence: "Quickly and transparently, and they will earn UAH 300,000 (around US$6,600) per foreign recruit."

Quote: "Payments will be made incrementally so that quality and training are factors in how effectively a company performs this task."

Background: The Defence Ministry aims to have up to 50% of assault and infantry positions in the Ukrainian Armed Forces filled by foreign nationals.