Canada has barred its soldiers from joining Ukraine’s “international brigade” of foreign fighters, amid growing concern that captured troops could be used as a Russian propaganda tool.
Speaking to Canadian parliament’s defence committee on Wednesday, Lt Gen Frances Allen, the vice-chief of the defence staff, said top brass had issued an order preventing full-time service members and part-time reservists from travelling to join Ukraine’s newly formed foreign legion.
The rule, which also applies to soldiers on leave, follows a call last month from the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, for volunteers to defend his country from Russia’s invasion.
Thousands are believed to have answered, including enough Canadians to form their own battalion – the Canadian Ukrainian Brigade. While some veterans have used their skills for humanitarian work, others have picked up arms.
Canada has barred its soldiers from joining Ukraine’s “international brigade” of foreign fighters, amid growing concern that captured troops could be used as a Russian propaganda tool.
You really slant your reading to serve your purpose don’t you?
That only applies to currently serving members of the military. Soldiers can’t serve two masters now can they? Perhaps you are not aware of that as I’ve not heard mention of your military service? Of course many of them may be retired and miss the excitement but they are free to go.
If they really wish to join the fight with an international brigade serving soldiers need merely resign from the Canadian Military? We don’t have a draft. I suspect many of the volunteers are Canadians from previous diasporas from Ukraine as we have about 1.5 million of them including our current Deputy Prime Minister*** and many probably served in our military.
*** who may become our PM after the next Federal election if I’m reading it right.
The local news here has covered some USians saying they were going to Ukraine to fight: old, fat, no military experience. I hope they don’t hinder the Ukrainians too much.
He’s actually there, doing something, rather than talking big while still in the US.
According to the VA, the largest cohort of US vets are post-gulf war, 1990, 7.8M, vs 5.9M from Nam. Of all vets, some 19M, 27% are under age 50. A sizeable force could be assembled, if the US chose to organize something like the AVG (Flying Tigers), who were mercs in the pay of the Chinese government.
When Russia first invaded, some pointed out that, while the Russian draftees have not been in a shooting war, the Ukrainians have been fighting a civil war for 8 years, so have a lot of combat vets in their ranks.
A sizeable force could be assembled, if the US chose to organize something like the AVG (Flying Tigers), who were mercs in the pay of the Chinese government.
Or, perhaps the French Foreign Legion?
The Foreign Legion (French: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army with a specific command and comprising several specialities: infantry, cavalry, engineers, airborne troops.[8]
It was created in 1831 to allow the incorporation of foreign nationals into the French Army.[9]
It was created in 1831 to allow the incorporation of foreign nationals into the French Army.[9]
The legion was an official formation of the French Army. Following that pattern would put the US in direct conflict with Russia.
If the AVG was part of the US Air Corps, that would have put us in direct conflict with Japan in April 41, rather than December. By FDR expediting the sale of the planes and recruitment of pilots, but them being in the pay of the Chinese government, the US was not in direct conflict with Japan.
I think that the idea was for Ukraine to form a foreign legion in its own military, accepting volunteers from other countries.
That’s the only way to keep NATO powers out of it officially, is for the formations to be paid by Ukraine. Like the British “Eagle Squadrons”.
The Eagle Squadrons were three fighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force (RAF) formed with volunteer pilots from the United States during the early days of World War II (circa 1940), prior to America’s entry into the war in December 1941.
The La Fayette Escadrille (French: Escadrille de La Fayette) was the name of the French Air Force unit escadrille N 124 during the First World War (1914–1918). This escadrille of the Aéronautique Militaire was composed largely of American volunteer pilots flying fighters
The Eagle Squadrons were three fighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force (RAF) formed with volunteer pilots from the United States during the early days of World War II (circa 1940), prior to America’s entry into the war in December 1941.
Many US pilots joined the RCAF early in WWII (the pay and food was reputed to be better) than the Brits provided. }};-D