Zelensky enacts legislation permitting foreign mercenaries to hold officer positions within country’s armed forces
Date
10/28/2024 8:21:31 AM
(MENAFN) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has recently enacted legislation permitting foreign mercenaries to hold officer positions within the country’s armed forces. The Ukrainian parliament, known as the Verkhovna Rada, passed the law on October 10, and Zelensky signed it into effect shortly thereafter, as reported on the official Ukrainian government website.
This new law enables foreigners who have contractual agreements with the Ukrainian military to assume leadership roles, irrespective of their nationality. During discussions in September regarding the legislation, Egor Chernev, the deputy head of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense, and intelligence, emphasized the necessity of the law in addressing a significant shortage of command staff within the armed forces. "We all understand the current situation with the officer corps. There are problems. Indeed, we have a shortage," Chernev remarked in an interview with the broadcaster Rada, highlighting a growing interest among former military officers from abroad to join the Ukrainian ranks.
However, the move has drawn criticism from Russian officials. Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, commented on Telegram that the new law was designed to enable foreign commanders to more actively deploy Ukrainian soldiers in high-risk situations. “A Ukrainian [officer] might feel sorry for another Ukrainian and not send him to a certain death. But this is not what Zelensky is being paid for,” she asserted, implying that the decision reflects a ruthless military strategy.
Since the escalation of conflict between Moscow and Kyiv in February 2022, Russia's Defense Ministry has reported the arrival of at least 13,387 foreign mercenaries in Ukraine. The majority of these individuals hail from countries such as Poland, Georgia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, with Poland contributing the largest contingent at 2,960 personnel.
The enactment of this law marks a significant shift in Ukraine's military strategy as it seeks to bolster its command structure amidst ongoing hostilities, while also raising questions about the implications of integrating foreign mercenaries into the national military framework.
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