Russia has threatened to prosecute all foreigners traveling to Ukraine to fight the Eastern European nation, while Moscow continues to insist on its internationally condemned invasion.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine came in the second week on Thursday after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale attack on February 24th. Ukrainians responded vigorously, with thousands of ordinary civilians joining the fight to defend their country from Moscow’s unprovoked actions of aggression.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky announced last Sunday that he was creating an “international” legion to join foreigners if they wanted to help the country defend itself against Russia. In a video address Thursday, Zelensky said 16,000 foreign volunteers were already on track to fight alongside Ukrainians.
“The first of 16,000 is coming to protect the freedom and life of us and everyone. I am sure it will be successful,” he said.
A man who said his name was Ian, who is 61 years old from a town near Liverpool in Britain, is preparing to enter Ukraine to join the battle against the Russian army at a border crossing on March 3 in Medica. Poland. Ukrainian President Zelensky has called on foreign nationals to join his army in the fight against Russia. Sean Gallup / Getty Images
In response to the creation of Ukraine’s new foreign legion, a Russian army spokesman said Moscow would not treat these volunteers in the same way as Ukrainian soldiers – threatening them with more serious consequences if captured.
“I want to make an official statement that none of the mercenaries that the West sends to Ukraine to fight for the nationalist regime in Kyiv can be considered fighters in accordance with international humanitarian law or enjoy the status of prisoners of war. “Said the Russian defense. This was stated by the spokesman of the ministry Igor Konashenkov on Thursday, the Russian agency TASS reported.
Konashenkov went on to say that “at best, they can expect to be prosecuted as criminals.” He warned foreigners “to think a dozen times before” before traveling to fight with Ukrainians.
Russia has faced a significant international backlash over Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. The United Nations General Assembly adopted a widely supported resolution condemning Russia’s actions on Wednesday, with 141 of the 193 members of the assembly voting in favor. Only four countries – Syria, Belarus (which supports Russia militarily), North Korea and Eritrea – voted against international condemnation. Thirty-five other nations – including China and India – abstained.
Meanwhile, the United States, European allies, Canada and a number of other countries have imposed heavy financial sanctions on the Russian economy, as well as on Putin and other leaders in Moscow. Internally, Putin’s war has also faced criticism, prompting Moscow to crack down on dissidents. More than 6,800 anti-war protesters have already been arrested, but even billionaires and other high-ranking members of Russian society have criticized the war.
“Russia’s Vladimir Putin has tried to shake the very foundations of the free world, thinking it could lead him astray. But he was very confused,” President Joe Biden said in a speech to Congress on Tuesday. the state of the Union.
“He thought he could enter Ukraine and the world would turn upside down. Instead, he encountered a wall of power he had never expected or imagined. He met with the Ukrainian people, “Biden continued. “From President Zelensky to every Ukrainian, their fearlessness, their courage, their determination literally inspires the world,” he said.