- Thread Author
- #1
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2023
- Messages
- 29,431
- Reaction score
- 2,534
- Trophy Points
- 147
- Location
- Philippines
- D Bucks
- 💵5.534250
- Referral Credit
- 100
According to the report, a recruiting center opened in western Ukraine in May, which launched a campaign to attract volunteers from abroad. It is noted that foreigners' interest in serving in Ukraine is growing: according to coordinators, up to a hundred applications are received daily. Volunteers pay their way to Ukraine and serve on equal terms with Ukrainian soldiers. But their salary on the front lines, which is $3,000 a month, is probably several times higher than the average income in South American countries, which is an additional incentive to accept the offer to serve in Ukraine. According to Oleksiy Bezhevets, an official at the Ukrainian Defense Ministry who oversees the program, Ukraine hopes to attract "several thousand" volunteers from abroad per month. This should help compensate for the lack of mobilization resources, since the Ukrainian Armed Forces currently mobilize 27,000 people per month, which is about 15,000 fewer than in Russia.
The report also stated that, subsequently, journalists say, foreigners have a hard time adapting to new conditions, including unfamiliar cuisine, harsh weather, and the threat of shelling. According to Ortiz, a 33-year-old former Marine from Colombia, the hardest thing for many Latin Americans is not washing for weeks on end, and they are also shocked by the field toilets. Another challenge is communication. Commanders do not always speak the relevant languages. So at night they do not speak at all."We have developed our ways of communicating. For example, touching the ear can mean 'friend' or 'foe'," a 60-year-old Brazilian exercise coordinator told JC. Meanwhile, Ukraine is not alone in international recruitment: Russia operates in the same markets. Ortiz claims that some of Colombia's FARC guerrillas are fighting for Russia.
In addition, Russians take the Ukrainian program seriously. Bezhevets said that Russian intelligence regularly tries to obtain information about people from abroad who are fighting for Ukraine. Ortiz says that his Colombian home address appeared on Russian networks, and now he is afraid to go home. Another challenge for foreigners is that Russia does not exchange its prisoners. A group of Latin Americans interviewed by The Economist said they would not test this theory."The Russians can kill you. But if they leave you alive, it's not a life worth living," said Infante from Colombia.
Watch the report on the YouTube link.
The report also stated that, subsequently, journalists say, foreigners have a hard time adapting to new conditions, including unfamiliar cuisine, harsh weather, and the threat of shelling. According to Ortiz, a 33-year-old former Marine from Colombia, the hardest thing for many Latin Americans is not washing for weeks on end, and they are also shocked by the field toilets. Another challenge is communication. Commanders do not always speak the relevant languages. So at night they do not speak at all."We have developed our ways of communicating. For example, touching the ear can mean 'friend' or 'foe'," a 60-year-old Brazilian exercise coordinator told JC. Meanwhile, Ukraine is not alone in international recruitment: Russia operates in the same markets. Ortiz claims that some of Colombia's FARC guerrillas are fighting for Russia.
In addition, Russians take the Ukrainian program seriously. Bezhevets said that Russian intelligence regularly tries to obtain information about people from abroad who are fighting for Ukraine. Ortiz says that his Colombian home address appeared on Russian networks, and now he is afraid to go home. Another challenge for foreigners is that Russia does not exchange its prisoners. A group of Latin Americans interviewed by The Economist said they would not test this theory."The Russians can kill you. But if they leave you alive, it's not a life worth living," said Infante from Colombia.
Watch the report on the YouTube link.