Foreign nationals who will volunteer to fight for Ukraine against Russian forces will be eligible to claim Ukrainian citizenship, the country’s Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Yenin said in a statement. He also revealed that the number of foreign nationals participating in Ukraine’s defense has been growing.

Ukrinform, the Eastern European country’s news agency, reported that Ukraine will be forming an International Legion of Territorial Defense citing Yenin. 

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“Ukraine is forming an International Legion of Territorial Defense composed of foreigners who want to join the resistance against the Russian aggressors and defend global security”, Yenin said in a statement.

While explaining the process of claiming citizenship in Ukraine, the Deputy Interior Minister said that the foreign volunteers would need to sign a contract, after which they will receive their military passport. The passport will officially replace their residence permit.

“If any among these foreign nationals would like to become Ukrainian citizens, our legislation provides a pathway for that”, Yenin said, according to Ukrinform.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement last week that nearly 16,000 foreign nationals have already volunteered to fight against the Russian forces and are making their way to Kyiv. Ukrainian embassies have been helping recruit foreign fighters, some without any military training, according to reports from CNN.

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On the other hand, Russia has reportedly also taken similar steps to facilitate its invasion of Ukraine. According to reports from Wall Street Journal citing US officials, Moscow has been recruiting Syrian fighters, who have expertise in urban warfare.

While western allies of Ukraine have not deployed any military forces to defend Kyiv against Russia, NATO countries in Eastern Europe have been promised safety by the United States.