Like many foreigners willing to fight the Russians, Paul Hughes arrived in Ukraine waiting to be given a gun and led straight to the front line. And, like many aspiring fighters, had decided to come to Ukraine out of a whim. Mr Hughes, 57, is a Calgary-based anti-poverty activist who spent some time with Princess Patricia Lightweight Infantry years ago. He felt compelled to take part in the fighting in Ukraine after the Russian army invaded last month, even though all he knew about the country was that it contained a city called Kyiv. A generous donor gave him a plane ticket and, after traveling on a roundabout route that included a short reservation in Germany, Mr. Hughes arrived in Lviv on March 4 willing to enlist in the newly formed International Legion for Territorial Defense. “I literally thought when I crossed the border that they would give me a gun,” Hughes recalled. He quickly discovered that the legion was inadequately equipped and disorganized. “They could not guarantee me a gun,” he said. “I do not go anywhere near Russia without a weapon. So I did it all. “ Foreign fighters flocking to war zones are not new, but they usually operate in an informal capacity or as mercenaries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has taken the unusual step of actively recruiting foreigners by calling on “citizens of the world” to take part in the fight against the Russians. He created the international legion as a special branch of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Force, a largely civilian operation, and his government has estimated that some 20,000 people from more than 50 countries have registered. Although it is difficult to verify the numbers, there is no doubt that thousands of willing warriors from Canada and elsewhere have joined the Ukrainian cause and provided crucial support on the battlefield. But some foreign fighters found the experience unexpectedly scary and dangerous. Mark Preston-Horin came to Ukraine from Victoria, hoping to serve as a doctor.ANTON SKYBA / The Globe and Mail Mark Preston-Horin, 43, came to Ukraine from Victoria in early March, hoping to use his experience as a medical correspondent in his local fire service in the Ukrainian army. He was told to join the international legion, but officials could not guarantee him a doctor’s post. They said he had to sign a contract to stay indefinitely. “They said, ‘You can not leave until we tell you when you are allowed to leave,’” Preston-Horin said. “They take your passport number and mark it and you are not allowed to leave the country until you are released.” He refused to sign the contract, but soon found his way to another paramilitary group, called the Georgian Legion. It consists mainly of Georgians who have been fighting alongside the Ukrainian army in the eastern part of the country since 2014. The legion is affiliated with the Ukrainian army and has become a popular choice for foreign fighters from Canada, the US and Europe. Mr Preston-Horin trained a group of young volunteers in first aid. He said most of the 35 recruits did not have helmets, bulletproof vests and weapons, and were only given a vague promise that the material would eventually arrive. The Legion commanders “wanted to grow, and that’s how my interest in volunteering stopped,” he said. He left the legion, he added, and the other 35 men left. Matthew Van Dyke came to Ukraine to train the country’s Territorial Defense Force, which is largely made up of citizens.ANTON SKYBA / The Globe and Mail Matthew Van Dyke, founder of the US-based Sons of Liberty International, which has provided military training in many countries, questioned the seriousness of the international legion. He arrived in Lviv recently to begin training members of the Land Defense Force in civilian combat tactics, but said he was not impressed by what he saw for the foreign fighter unit. The volunteers he has met are inexperienced, lack equipment and seem only interested in getting a quick battle report. “I think the international legion was something designed as a propaganda tool to spread the message that this is the world against [Russian President Vladimir] “Putin and that they are fighting for something more than Ukraine,” he said. “They do not have the infrastructure or the time to really do any kind of international unit.” His message to Canadians thinking of coming to Ukraine and joining the legion: “No. “You’re probably wasting your time.” Foreign fighters in Ukraine may be in legal – as well as natural – danger. Ottawa was not clear if the law allows Canadians to start to participate in the war. Meanwhile, the Russian military has said it will treat foreign prisoners as criminals, not prisoners of war. For its part, the Ukrainian army has sung the praises of foreign fighters and insisted that no fighter will be forced into battle. “Any help is worth its weight in gold,” Brigadier General Kyrylo Budanov, who heads the legion, told CNN this month. After leaving the legion, Mr. Hughes stayed in Ukraine, but changed course. HUGS, or Helping Ukraine Grassroots Support, is an organization that carries food and medical supplies to shelters across the country. The team has two trucks and recently received an ambulance. Mr. Preston-Horin and many other former members of the Legion have also joined the HUGS. “We are doing a lot more than just going out and trying to stop a Russian bullet,” Hughes said.
