On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zalensky announced that any foreigners who wished to fight for Ukraine would be welcomed with open arms and given weapons 鈥� and there are many who are answering the call.
A wave of foreign nationals arriving in Ukraine, from all walks of life 鈥� from a known for his satire of Trumps supporters, to a ., have flown over to Europe with little-to no training.
Ukraine鈥檚 Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba after the initial announcement that the country had received hundreds of requests from foreigners who wished to join the fighting.
In response, he said Ukraine had set up a foreign legion entitled 鈥淚nternational Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine.鈥�
Kuleba urged anyone wishing to join the foreign legion to sign up at their nearest Ukrainian embassy in their home country, and that their entry into Ukraine 鈥渨ill be simplified to the maximum extent possible.鈥�
Thirty-five year-old Eric Creager of Minnesota told 麻豆影视鈥� correspondent Daniele Hamamdjian at the border crossing of Medyka, Poland, that although he has no military training, the fight for 鈥渇reedom鈥� is paramount.
鈥淔ighting for freedom is important. It doesn't necessarily have to be at home,鈥� Creager said. 鈥淭hese people have lost their homes because they're being invaded and wars are won by people who show up.鈥�
Describing how he saw the situation in Ukraine unfolding on television, Creager said watching 鈥�60-year-olds who work in coffee shops [who] are being handed Kalashnikovs鈥� with no one to help them spurred his action.
鈥淚鈥檇 rather professionals do this instead of me,鈥� he conceded, adding that while he has handled weapons back in the U.S., it doesn鈥檛 鈥渃ount for anything,鈥� in a real war.
鈥淚 graduated high school when [the American invasion of] Iraq was getting started and I didn鈥檛 feel like it was an honourable or just war, so I decided not to join.鈥� Creager said, adding that he believes the U.S. was not justified 鈥渋n any鈥� of its military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan. 鈥淲e should not be going into other people鈥檚 homes and starting wars 鈥� that鈥檚 what Russia did鈥攁nd that鈥檚 why it鈥檚 wrong.鈥�
Despite the fear, Creager is determined to do what he feels is right.
鈥淚鈥檓 terrified, I know there is a good chance I will be killed by somebody who is better armed and trained than me,鈥� he said. 鈥淓verybody likes to talk about freedom, but freedom really only shows up when people are willing to fight for it, whether it be at the ballot box or in a war.鈥�
鈥淛ust because I don鈥檛 know them, I will probably never get to meet most of them or speak the same language doesn鈥檛 mean they shouldn鈥檛 be allowed to live their lives,鈥� Creager said.
Twenty-three year-old Olav Nese of Norway also flew to Poland to cross the border into Ukraine to fight Russian forces. Like Creager, he also has no military training.
鈥淩ussia has invaded Ukraine, they are not supposed to be there, they have targeted civilians and Ukraine has asked for help,鈥� Nese said when asked why he chose to fight. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the least I can do.鈥�
Nese said he only has experience holding and using hunting rifles, but that did not deter him from his decision.
鈥淭hey needed help, I suppose one more volunteer can鈥檛 hurt,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f we don鈥檛 help them, who will come to help when we need help? If no one shows up to help them, how can we complain when no one shows up to help us?鈥�
Nese said he is aware and afraid of the repercussions Russia could inflict on Norway, noting that Finland and Sweden are not in NATO. 鈥淚f Russia invades them, we will have Russia on all our borders, it will only be Russia鈥hen it would be a quick, one-hour war, then Norway wouldn鈥檛 be Norway anymore鈥� he said.
鈥淚 hope if we stop them here, I won鈥檛 have to fight them back home.鈥�
Both men said their families back home questioned their decision to leave and fight for Ukraine.
鈥淢y parents said they understand what I am doing, but they don鈥檛 support it,鈥� Creager said, while Nese admitted that his parents 鈥渢hink I am crazy, at least their texts say that,鈥� he said.
Some governments have given their blessing for their citizens to fight in Ukraine, such as Latvia and Denmark. In the U.K., Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that she would 鈥渁bsolutely鈥� support British nationals who went to join the newly formed foreign legion 鈥� however Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said those with no military training should join the war efforts.
At a press conference Monday, Defence Minister Anita Anand replied to a journalist鈥檚 question about Canadians who may want to join the foreign legion, responding that although the government 鈥渦nderstands the desire鈥� of some Canadians to go, the advice to not travel to Ukraine for security reasons remains.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly also answered the question, noting that the government has advised Canadians to leave Ukraine since Feb. 1, and the advisory for Canadians to avoid travel to Ukraine for security reasons has been in place for 鈥渟ome time.鈥�
鈥淎t the same time, we understand that people of Ukrainian descent want to support their fellow Ukrainians and also a desire to defend the motherland, in that sense it鈥檚 their own individual decision,鈥� she said.
CTVNews.ca reached out to Joly鈥檚 office to ask if Canadians who do go to Ukraine to fight will face legal repercussions once they return home, but did not receive a reply by time of publication.
And for those who are still mulling over the decision to help Ukraine, Creager had some harsh words.
鈥淲hat are you guys doing? How come nobody else is showing up? We鈥檙e a kid from Norway and a middle-aged man who works in data-entry and we鈥檙e fighting a war?鈥� he said. 鈥淓verybody saw this coming.鈥�
