"GLOBAL ISSUES, LEADERSHIP CHOICES":

In late February, Ukraine invited foreign fighters to come to the defense of Ukraine and announced the creation of a "foreign legion" to deploy these foreign fighters. Within 10 days, Ukraine said 20,000 people from 52 countries had expressed interest in joining. At the same time, Russia said these foreign fighters would be considered mercenaries, not regular combatants, which not only potentially exempts them from the protocols governing the treatment of prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions, if Russian history is any guide, it suggests Russian forces may execute them on sight. This article from Foreign Policy examines the history and law surrounding foreign fighters: foreignpolicy.com/2022/03/15/ukraine-war-foreign-fighters-legion-volunteers-legal-status