About 700 Ukrainians in Europe apply to join legion: Kyiv                                         Kyiv, Ukraine | AFP | Tuesday 11/12/2024 - 16:42 UTC+1 | 267 words

Some 700 Ukrainians living in Europe have signed up to join the Ukraine Legion, a fighting force being formed abroad, Kyiv said Tuesday.

Kyiv is looking for ways to replenish the ranks of its struggling army after nearly three years of brutal and costly fighting with Russia. 

Ukraine said early last month that it had opened a first recruitment office in the Polish city of Lublin with the aim of encouraging Ukrainians to enlist in the Legion. 

"The Legion's recruitment centre has received about 700 applications from Ukrainians from around Europe so far," the defence ministry said on social media.

Lieutenant Colonel Petro Gorkusha said the Legion had received applications from Ukrainians in countries including Ireland and Germany.

The defence ministry said in its statement that the Ukrainian consulate in Lublin had "hosted the signing of contracts by the first group of Ukrainian citizens living abroad to serve in the Ukrainian Legion".

It did not specify how many had joined but added that the volunteers had gone "immediately" to undergo basic military training at a Polish army ground. 

"The training will last 35 days, after which the servicemen will be able to continue their training in their chosen specialities at NATO bases in Europe," he added.

Ukraine has struggled with deepening manpower shortages over recent months and is embroiled in an unpopular debate about how to bolster the military's ranks.

Last month, Ukraine announced it would aim to bolster its ranks by 160,000 people over the next three months.

And earlier this year Kyiv estimated that around 300,000 Ukrainians of combat age were living in Poland.