Putin "Volunteers Willing to Fight Ukrainian Forces Are Welcome"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Russian President Vladimir Putin said on the 11th (local time), "Volunteers who want to fight against the Ukrainian army should be welcomed."

According to Sputnik News and others, President Putin made this statement at the National Security Council on the same day. He said, "If there are people who volunteer not for money but to help the residents of the Donbas region, it is necessary to meet them halfway and assist them in going to the combat zone."

Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu reported that many volunteers, including 16,000 from the Middle East, are ready to help the residents of Donbas.

Just before the invasion of Ukraine, President Putin recognized the independence of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), established by pro-Russian separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region, Donetsk and Luhansk (Luhansk). Along with this, he approved Minister Shoigu's proposal to send Western military equipment captured during the invasion to the DPR and LPR.

Ukraine has also actively appealed for volunteer participation early on. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the 26th of last month, "Those who want to participate in defending Ukraine, please come to Ukraine; everyone defending Ukraine is a hero."

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said it would provide weapons to volunteers and assign them to official units. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as of the 6th, about 20,000 foreign volunteers have crossed into Ukraine to participate in combat against Russian forces.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.