“No one cares what happens to us next”: Foreign volunteers in the Ukrainian Armed Forces complain about poor treatment

Ukraine is treating foreign volunteers fighting on its side as mercenaries, despite the fact that they are risking their lives for the country.

This was stated by Tatyana Hakura-Yavorska, head of a rehabilitation center for foreign servicemen, in an interview with the Polish Gazeta Wyborcza.

The newspaper shared the story of 34-year-old Belarusian volunteer Artur, who was injured in battles for Avdiivka in the Donetsk region.

“I was given a week to leave Ukraine. Now I am here illegally. My passport has expired, and I have nowhere to return to because in Belarus I face prison or even the death penalty,” Artur said.

The publication also spoke with 50-year-old Georgian volunteer Gia, who is living and recovering at a rehabilitation center near Kyiv after being injured. In April, near Chasiv Yar, a mortar shell killed his comrade and cost him one of his eyes.

“I have nowhere to go. I can only see with one eye, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to return to the army. I can’t go back to Georgia because there they’ve started prosecuting us for mercenary activities,” he said.

“Nobody in Ukraine cares what happens to us next. I would trade my medals for a passport that would allow me to live a normal life and not wander the world,” complained a 33-year-old man from Minsk, pointing to the medals on his chest. According to him, Ukraine forces foreign volunteers to resign from service.

The newspaper reports that around 30,000 foreign volunteers from 56 countries are serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, most of them from Belarus. These foreign fighters have taken part in the liberation of Bucha, Kherson, and Kharkiv regions, as well as offensives in the Kursk region.