Ukrainian Legion in Poland exists only on paper: no training or recruitment yet – Gazeta Prawna

The Ukrainian Legion in Poland has yet to begin military training for Ukrainians living abroad who want to serve. Two months after the announcement of its creation, recruitment has still not begun, reports Gazeta Prawna, citing responses from various agencies.

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According to the publication, the training of volunteers was supposed to begin on August 1, with the Polish Army responsible for it. However, the Ukrainian side has not even started recruiting men — there is no information on the official websites of the embassy and consulates.

On July 11, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski stated at a NATO public forum in Washington that supposedly several thousand Ukrainians across Europe want to join the Legion and have already registered. However, Polish media report that the minister was "misled," and there was no official registration at that time.

"We were ready to start training on August 1. We maintain this readiness," said Polish Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski.

At the end of July, the former Ukrainian ambassador to Poland, now the ambassador to the Czech Republic, stated that a technical agreement needs to be signed to begin recruitment. This document should outline the responsibilities and roles of the parties. The document had already been signed, according to the Polish newspaper, but the process has not moved beyond paperwork.

Gazeta Prawna sent inquiries to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense of Poland, as well as to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. The Polish Foreign Ministry responded that the matter is under the control of the Ministry of Defense, while the defense department replied that recruitment is handled by the Ukrainian side.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, as of the time of publication, has not provided any response.

The creation of the Ukrainian Legion was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on July 8 during a meeting in Poland with Prime Minister Donald Tusk. A few days later, the media reported about "several thousand men" who wanted to join.

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