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Foreign fighters in Ukraine, many in motley groups, face perils if captured

Ukrainian soldiers and foreign fighters wait before advancing in the streets during a clearing-out operation of remaining Russian forces in Irpin, Ukraine, on March 29. Thousands of foreign fighters have gone to fight for Ukraine, but not all join its International Legion. | DANIEL BEREHULAK / THE NEW YORK TIMES

By James C. McKinley Jr. and Jane Arraf
THE NEW YORK TIMES

Jun 18, 2022

Over the past few weeks, a number of the thousands of foreign volunteers who flocked to join the fight against Russia have gone missing or have been captured.

Last week, two Britons and a Moroccan who were taken prisoner while fighting for the Ukrainian armed forces were sentenced to death in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, after being accused of terrorism.

This week, two Americans fighting with a group of foreign soldiers went missing in action near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, which is about 25 miles from the Russian border. Their families fear they have been captured, having disappeared after the platoon came under fire.

Foreign fighters in Ukraine, many in motley groups, face perils if captured

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