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This is an official account dedicated to foreign volunteers serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

27/10/2026

What Does It Take To Prepare Foreign Volunteers For Service In The Armed Forces Of Ukraine?

The basic training course lasts 65 days: 51 days of intensive training at a training ground, followed by 14 days of training within their future units.

The programme covers weapons handling, tactical training, tactical medicine, radio communications, drone operations, counter-drone measures, and much more. Training also incorporates the threat of drone attacks to help prepare recruits for the realities of modern warfare.

But above all, the goal is to help soldiers complete their missions and stay alive.

Kostiantyn Milevskyi, Head of the Department of Coordination of Military Service of Foreigners in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, explains how the training programme prepares international volunteers for the challenges ahead and why the lives of soldiers remain the top priority.

Read more about the training process, its key stages, and how experienced recruits may eventually return as instructors to pass on their knowledge to future volunteers:
https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/news/drones-tactical-medicine-and-combat-skills-basic-training-foreign-volunteers-ukraine

Learn more about foreign volunteers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and join on the official website: https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/

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21/10/2026

Apex – Demining Expert in Croatia, Drone Pilot in Ukraine

Apex brings five years of experience in demining and explosive ordnance disposal in his native Croatia. Today, he serves as a foreign volunteer in 28 ОМБр ім. Лицарів Зимового Походу (the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after the Knights of the Winter Campaign), where he is learning a new skill: operating drones. He also hopes to put his previous experience to use in his service to Ukraine.

His family and friends supported his decision to come to Ukraine. His first impression of the country was also surprisingly familiar: Apex noticed many similarities between Ukrainians and Croatians, from their culture to their languages.

In our conversation, Apex spoke about military training, learning to operate drones, and offered advice to foreigners planning to come to Ukraine and join its defense.

Read the interview: https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/news/apex-demining-expert-croatia-drone-pilot-ukraine

Learn more about foreign volunteers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and join on the official website: https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/

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15/10/2026

“It’s God’s Calling”: A Colombian Fighter with More Than 80 Combat Missions

A Colombian with the callsign “Caballo Loco” — Spanish for “Crazy Horse” — came to defend Ukraine after nine years of service in the Colombian army. At the time of our conversation, he had completed more than 80 combat missions, fought in the Serebriansky Forest and in the Pokrovsk direction, and faced death on numerous occasions.

Despite the dangers he has experienced and his family’s worries, Caballo sees his presence in Ukraine as a higher calling. He came here to help protect those who cannot defend themselves against unjust aggression.

Read the interview: https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/news/its-gods-calling-colombian-fighter-more-80-combat-missions

Learn more about foreign volunteers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and join on the official website: https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/

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08/10/2026

He Rescued People in Rio de Janeiro — Now He Serves in Ukraine’s Military

A 25-year-old Brazilian serviceman with the call sign “Mamba” came to Ukraine from Rio de Janeiro. In Brazil, he worked as a civilian rescuer, helping people in emergency situations, providing first aid to the injured, and preventing accidents.
In Ukraine, he decided to pursue his long-standing dream of military service and put his professional experience to use as a serviceman of the 159th Separate Mechanized Brigade.

The Brazilian volunteer talks about why he chose this particular unit, how military training helped him develop his professional skills, and what impressed him most about Ukrainians.

Read the interview: https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/news/he-rescued-people-rio-de-janeiro-now-he-serves-ukraines-military

Learn more about foreign volunteers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and join on the official website: https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/

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30/09/2026

Australian with Ukrainian Roots – Combat Medic with the 92nd Brigade. Pt.2

This is the second part of Max’s story — an Australian of Ukrainian descent who came to Ukraine with his family for a holiday in 2021 and, after the full-scale Russian invasion began, chose to stay and defend the land where he was born.
A former nurse, Max is now a combat medic and the head of a medical evacuation group with the 92 ОШБр ім. кошового отамана Івана Сірка, Офіційна сторінка (92nd Separate Assault Brigade named after Koshovyi Otaman Ivan Sirko). Over the years of his service, he has been deployed across much of the eastern front.
In this part, Max talks about how the war has changed since he joined the Armed Forces — from rapid manoeuvres and mass mechanised assaults to a battlefield increasingly shaped by drones, which now influence how soldiers move, fight, and survive. He also explains why Ukraine has become home to him once again, what he would tell foreigners considering military service, and why he believes the experience of this war could shape the future of warfare.

Read the interview: https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/uk/news/avstraliyets-z-ukrayinskym-korinnyam-boyovyy-medyk-92-yi-bryhady-ch2

Learn more about foreign volunteers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and join on the official website: https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/

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24/09/2026

Australian with Ukrainian Roots – Combat Medic with the 92nd Brigade

Max is an Australian of Ukrainian descent who came to Ukraine with his family for a holiday in 2021. Before that, he worked as a nurse in a hospital in Australia. When the full-scale invasion began, he decided to stay and use his medical experience to help Ukrainian servicemembers.

Today, Max is a combat medic and the head of a medical evacuation group in the 92 ОШБр ім. кошового отамана Івана Сірка, Офіційна сторінка (92nd Separate Assault Brigade named after Koshovyi Otaman Ivan Sirko). Over the years of his service, he has served in various parts of the eastern front, experienced the loss of fellow servicemembers, and repeatedly applied his medical skills to save lives.
This is his story — about the decision to stay, adapting to war, and work in which every life saved matters.

Read the interview: https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/news/australian-ukrainian-roots-combat-medic-92nd-brigade

Learn more about foreign volunteers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and join on the official website: https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/

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16/09/2026

Mando: An Alaskan Marine Turned A Ukrainian Drone Operator

Mando came to Ukraine from Alaska with five years of U.S. Marine Corps experience — and a decision his family initially struggled to accept.
A former light armored reconnaissance Marine who deployed to Afghanistan, Mando had been thinking about Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion. He believed his military experience could be useful here, but he also knew that surviving at the front required more than training: “You can't buy a good mentality and you can't buy a good physical shape.”
Now serving in a drone platoon, Mando is learning to operate FPV drones and a heavy quadcopter capable of carrying a 25-kilogram payload.
For him, Ukraine has become more than a place to serve. He says he wants to remain here indefinitely — even if the war ends.
Meet Mando, an American volunteer from Alaska who came to Ukraine to serve and found a future here.

Read the interview: https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/news/mando-alaskan-marine-turned-ukrainian-drone-operator

Learn more about foreign volunteers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and join on the official website: https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/

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09/09/2026

“To Serve and Protect” – Trasante, a Brazilian Combat Medic in Ukraine

After years in Brazil’s fire and rescue services, 34-year-old volunteer with the callsign “Trasante” came to Ukraine from the southern state of Santa Catarina to defend a cause he believes in — and to gain firsthand experience of one of the most intense battlefields of modern warfare.
Serving with the 159th Mechanized Brigade, he trains alongside Ukrainian and foreign soldiers, bringing years of emergency-response experience while absorbing new skills from professionals from around the world. For him, Ukraine is more than a place to serve: it is a unique school of modern warfare.

Read the interview: https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/news/serve-and-protect-trasante-brazilian-combat-medic-ukraine

Learn more about foreign volunteers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and join on the official website: https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/

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02/09/2026

Rebel: From Electrician in Germany to Ukrainian Soldier

For German volunteer Rebel, the road to Ukraine began not with military experience, but with conversations. After working alongside Ukrainians in Germany and later teaching English and German to Ukrainian students, he heard firsthand about the war and the lives it had disrupted. He initially came to help civilians, but their stories eventually convinced him to take a more direct role.
Today, Rebel serves in Ukraine’s Armed Forces and has joined a drone unit, where his experience as a mechanic and electrician has found a new purpose. He speaks about his family’s initial concerns, the training that made him stronger and more disciplined, his plans to extend his service, and why he believes Germany should do more to support Ukraine.

Read the interview: https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/news/rebel-electrician-germany-ukrainian-soldier

Learn more about foreign volunteers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and join on the official website: https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/

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27/08/2026

Vilão: From a Mechanic in Brazil to a Ukrainian Soldier

Thirty-year-old Vilao had never served in the military. He worked as a fuel pump mechanic in Brazil before moving to France, where he trained and worked in construction. But after following the news about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he decided to come and help those who are unable to defend themselves.

Today, the Brazilian serves with the 159th Separate Mechanized Brigade. He talks about how someone with no military experience makes the journey from civilian life to becoming a soldier, why his fellow soldiers have become his family, and what future volunteers should be prepared for.

Read the interview: https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/news/vilao-mechanic-brazil-ukrainian-soldier

Learn more about foreign volunteers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and join on the official website: https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/

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