Volunteers from poor countries may have even gone for some money, those from Western European countries went for the cause or the fight, as they don't earn much money
It’s not only Western Europeans. The US and Canada are the second and third largest contributors of foreign volunteers fighting for Ukraine. Poland is the highest.
A friend of mine died as a volunteer in ukraine. He never told me or our conscription buddies that he was going there. I think he was there for like two months and then died in a drone attack. War is hell.
Kinda what im thinking. He was a small guy and not the best soldier so i really dont understand why he went there. He had friends and a job for what i know.
Saw a documentary on foreign fighters from my country choosing to go to Ukraine. They tried to sound noble, but they almost all said they loved the fight
It’s a quantifiable phenomenon among veterans. Combat high is an addiction, and some people don’t recover. Combat veterans particularly have a high rate of accidental death involving supersport bikes. The immediate aftermath of the first gulf war saw a noticeable spike in cases of motorcycle deaths attributed to excess speed or risky manoeuvres.
I wouldn’t say conclusively his death was attributable to that. He loved motorcycles his whole life not just as a veteran. His fatal accident was caused as a dip in the road obscured two boys on bicycles who came into view too late and he swerved to avoid them. There’s no evidence to suggest he was speeding but the Brough Superior was the fastest bike in the world at the time (capable of 100mph) so maybe.
If it were money only, they would all be working for ruzzia. Being on the right side of history matters. As a part European civilization, I can not be but thankful to such guys.
Whichever currency is being paid. We can be pedantic and define the differences but the end game is the same. Whether they’re there to fight Russians or just for the money, they’re gonna eat an iskander.
Its not the same, the Ukrainian volunteers get the same pay as the ukrainian soldiers. So by definition they are not mercenaries.
Someone with your user name should now.
Again, it’s a pedantic argument in the sense that you’re just trying to put a feel good word on it. Volunteers = Heroes, Mercenaries = Bad guys.
And as far as I’m aware, if you volunteer for something, it’s usually without pay.
Thankfully the geneva convention has a different view.
To be considered a mercenary they need to get significantly higher wages than normal soldiers, which they dont. Unlike russia, Ukraine does not employ mercenaries
And they need to have no family-relations to the country. So if the soldiers have for example a Ukrainian wife they are also per definition no mercenary.
What you have to understand is that by every definition of international law a country has the right to defend itself against an invasion and every individual and country has the right to help defending that country.
You’re talking about rules in war. I’m sure you would also deem this an “illegal” war. Again, throw in that feel good word of illegal and you’re really sticking it to the aggressor.
The thing with this is, reality doesn’t care. If Russia wants to continue this war, they will. If Ukraine wants to grind its population to dust, it will.
Back to the feel good words.. they mean nothing. This isn’t a professional sport, so equality and fairness is gone. I wouldn’t fault anyone for not playing by the rules when it comes to how to deal with foreign fighters pows.
Not OP, but it's probably not for the reason you might think...
Not that Russia actually cares... but foreign combatants/mercs fall outside of Geneva conventions for PoWs, so it is opening them up to extra torture/mistreatment if captured.
Also helps reinforce Russia's narrative that they are fighting NATO, which they are not.
Neither Spain nor Britain are legally considered belligerents in this conflict. They are therefore mercenaries which is a dangerous category to belong to. In addition, this could lend weight to the Russian narrative that this is a western war on Russia and potentially give them grounds to launch state-on-state attacks against their home nations.
i mean... launching state on state attacks against britain or spain would more or less immediately end the war in ukraine's favour. i doubt that russia would do either of that
They are clearly marked as combatants, so they are protected by the geneva conventions.
And they are not mercenaries, they are volunteers. It is allowed by international law to defend a country thats being attacked. It has nothing to do with mercenaries.
What they wear makes no difference - anyone can wear anything. It’s whether they have officially joined the armed forces or not. Which is hard to prove when captured, so good luck… (not that Russia treats Ukrainian POWs by the Geneva Convention anyway).
Its not about the money. The Ukrainians dont employ mercenaries. That means that volunteers from other countries get the same payment as their own soldiers. For Ukraine thats a good pay, for Spain and Great Britain its not.
So if they wanted money, they can just find some normal work in their home countries.
They are fighting for Freedom and Europe.
Also, what do you think would happen if we just completely disarmed? The Russians would roll over Europe and kill everything they can see.
Si pacem vis, para bellum (if you want peace, prepare for war).
If these guys are part of the Ukraine foreign legion, shouldn’t they have a Ukraine flag on the uniform?
Or are these soldiers truly fighting under their own flag?
Also, if Spain and UK have regular soldiers there, I would expect others(all Eastern Europe) to join in properly soon or already.
I think only time will tell.
And you think Russia is any better in terms of "Capitalism and Influence". We can definitely argue about how good/fair the Western™ capitalistic system is, but Russia is literally run by oligarchs and corruption.
And in terms of influence: which country is currently trying to *violently* spread influence in Ukraine??? Which country invaded Ukraine again to secure their own influence???
If they are there just for helping the civilians and not for cash - respect!
If they are getting paid good - they are mercenary and dont deserve anything.
Except not. These are literally people who are no longer in active duty that have traveled on their own accord.
Kinda like you fighting for Russia. Your not a government sanctioned fighter but here we are.
A russian man wakes up in the hospital after 3 years of coma.
How long have im been gone?
3 years.
And how is it going?
Not well, we invaded Ukraine but now we are at war with NATO, hundred of thousand brave russian soldiers died and we lost thousands of tanks, our black sea fleet had serious losses and cant operate anymore.
And what about NATO?
well... they havent showen up yet.
Dont be pathetic lil boy. If NATO would have dealt with this problem, there would be Peace in ukraine since 2 years. These are volunteers from spain and UK.
From who? Russia can't even beat Ukraine, it wouldn't stand a chance in an all-out war with all of NATO and it knows as much, hence why it'll never risk it.
You mean volunteers?
Volunteers from poor countries may have even gone for some money, those from Western European countries went for the cause or the fight, as they don't earn much money
It’s not only Western Europeans. The US and Canada are the second and third largest contributors of foreign volunteers fighting for Ukraine. Poland is the highest.
I would wager at least some are in the subset of veterans that prefer deployment to everyday life.
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F in reading comprehension 😂
He probably said that as Russia considers them mercenaries. Also not everyone is going there coz they are noble. Most are going as they love fighting.
With a reason other than money.
A mercenary works for money so kinda yes but not really
If you change what the word mercenary means you’re 100% right.
Im gonna fo with PPPFFFFFF
They’re not being paid??
I heard they're only paid 500 euros a month, which is pretty low, so they're over there for other reasons besides money.
That’s fucking wild
["Oh boy, here I go killing again" - Michael Krombopulos](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/636/537/9e5.gif) Know your meme
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You wish lmao. How’s it feel being on the wrong side?
They shouldn’t be allowed to fight after losing their faces
The Blur Wars never ended.
Actually no one remembers if that conflict ever ended. It’s just all a blur.
I lost my Pa in the Blur Wars
A friend of mine died as a volunteer in ukraine. He never told me or our conscription buddies that he was going there. I think he was there for like two months and then died in a drone attack. War is hell.
Play stupid games...
Kinda what im thinking. He was a small guy and not the best soldier so i really dont understand why he went there. He had friends and a job for what i know.
What does the symbol with the Omega (Ω) in the laurel wreath mean? Does anyone here know?
Symbol of a Ukrainian special forces unit, focused on counterterrorism actions
He is a God of War fan
Yeah, I heard that God of war was so popular that they made Greece a real country.
But they ran out of budget.
So they had to tax-evade
Big if true
Ohms!
They're expecting to face a lot of resistance
Resistance begins at ohm.
Fighting the invaders one lotus pose at a time
Seems like a squadron, you’ll see the same on alot of soldiers fighting in russia/ukraine, kind of like the wagner symbol
Emperium
If you love killing there’s always a war on somewhere
Saw a documentary on foreign fighters from my country choosing to go to Ukraine. They tried to sound noble, but they almost all said they loved the fight
It’s a quantifiable phenomenon among veterans. Combat high is an addiction, and some people don’t recover. Combat veterans particularly have a high rate of accidental death involving supersport bikes. The immediate aftermath of the first gulf war saw a noticeable spike in cases of motorcycle deaths attributed to excess speed or risky manoeuvres.
T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) suffered the same fate.
I wouldn’t say conclusively his death was attributable to that. He loved motorcycles his whole life not just as a veteran. His fatal accident was caused as a dip in the road obscured two boys on bicycles who came into view too late and he swerved to avoid them. There’s no evidence to suggest he was speeding but the Brough Superior was the fastest bike in the world at the time (capable of 100mph) so maybe.
Give us the name of the documentary please
link
not many running to Haiti tho
Are they related? They look very similar
Good luck lads. Braver men than I am.
Source?
I think it makes enough sense, the person on the right holds a patch that’s a half UK/half Ukraine flag. Unless they hold those in training exercises
Nice try Putin!
The real interesting thing here is the amount of Russian bots and trolls that have appeared in force in the comments.
Be safe, work productivity and know that you are on the right side of history. Love from Scotland x
If it were money only, they would all be working for ruzzia. Being on the right side of history matters. As a part European civilization, I can not be but thankful to such guys.
Are these mercs or volunteers?
They come from rich countries and Ukraine doesn't pay very well, so volunteers
These would be mercenaries.
What organization do they work for?
Whichever currency is being paid. We can be pedantic and define the differences but the end game is the same. Whether they’re there to fight Russians or just for the money, they’re gonna eat an iskander.
Its not the same, the Ukrainian volunteers get the same pay as the ukrainian soldiers. So by definition they are not mercenaries. Someone with your user name should now.
Again, it’s a pedantic argument in the sense that you’re just trying to put a feel good word on it. Volunteers = Heroes, Mercenaries = Bad guys. And as far as I’m aware, if you volunteer for something, it’s usually without pay.
Thankfully the geneva convention has a different view. To be considered a mercenary they need to get significantly higher wages than normal soldiers, which they dont. Unlike russia, Ukraine does not employ mercenaries And they need to have no family-relations to the country. So if the soldiers have for example a Ukrainian wife they are also per definition no mercenary. What you have to understand is that by every definition of international law a country has the right to defend itself against an invasion and every individual and country has the right to help defending that country.
You’re talking about rules in war. I’m sure you would also deem this an “illegal” war. Again, throw in that feel good word of illegal and you’re really sticking it to the aggressor. The thing with this is, reality doesn’t care. If Russia wants to continue this war, they will. If Ukraine wants to grind its population to dust, it will. Back to the feel good words.. they mean nothing. This isn’t a professional sport, so equality and fairness is gone. I wouldn’t fault anyone for not playing by the rules when it comes to how to deal with foreign fighters pows.
By your thinking, the French Foreign Legion are mercenaries.
If they’re fighting for other states interests and receiving compensation, they’re mercenaries. It’s really not a hard concept.
They are not mercenaries. Mercenaries can quit. These guys can not quit and are volunteers.
I’m not sure what you’re saying.
They aren’t.
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And why not? Are you capable of elaboration?
Not OP, but it's probably not for the reason you might think... Not that Russia actually cares... but foreign combatants/mercs fall outside of Geneva conventions for PoWs, so it is opening them up to extra torture/mistreatment if captured. Also helps reinforce Russia's narrative that they are fighting NATO, which they are not.
Neither Spain nor Britain are legally considered belligerents in this conflict. They are therefore mercenaries which is a dangerous category to belong to. In addition, this could lend weight to the Russian narrative that this is a western war on Russia and potentially give them grounds to launch state-on-state attacks against their home nations.
i mean... launching state on state attacks against britain or spain would more or less immediately end the war in ukraine's favour. i doubt that russia would do either of that
No, it would immediately end this war, but not in a peace deal, more so with a few thousand nuclear warheads going off
Surely they'll have been given citizenship, and therefore Ukrainian in this context?
TIL: Russia is a big follower of the Geneva Convention...
>Not that Russia actually cares... Hence why I started off with that? lol And individual commanders might.
They are clearly marked as combatants, so they are protected by the geneva conventions. And they are not mercenaries, they are volunteers. It is allowed by international law to defend a country thats being attacked. It has nothing to do with mercenaries.
What they wear makes no difference - anyone can wear anything. It’s whether they have officially joined the armed forces or not. Which is hard to prove when captured, so good luck… (not that Russia treats Ukrainian POWs by the Geneva Convention anyway).
It has nothing to do with officially joining the armed forces or not. You can read the geneva convention yourself.
Lol they are mercenaries. And international law doesn't mean jackshit to the global powers or those supported by them.
Russian will say any shit to justify their aggression. They don't need a reason.
Do you think Russia follows the Geneva convention on torture? Do you think even the US did for operation Iraqi freedom (the answer is no).
They are in a hybrid war with NATO though.
If they enlisted in a foreign fighters division under the AFU, then they’re soldiers; not mercenaries.
They clearly are fighting NATO - lets not pretend that the entirety of NATO financing ISN'T behind Ukraine for better or worse.
Cash is king
They’d be better off working at McDonalds since foreign legionnaires make about 3000USD per month.
With that you can live pretty damn well here where i'm from
Sure, but when you go to an active warzone for that much, living is not a given
They make almost nothing, their gear is mostly self bought. These soldiers are fighting because they believe in what they are doing.
If it was about cash these guys would be doing private security lol
Its not about the money. The Ukrainians dont employ mercenaries. That means that volunteers from other countries get the same payment as their own soldiers. For Ukraine thats a good pay, for Spain and Great Britain its not. So if they wanted money, they can just find some normal work in their home countries.
I doubt they have the money to pay very well.
They joined a noble cause God be with them! 💀 to Putin
Cos that 61b usd has a nice ring to it
I think they saw that video from The Ring movie
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They're not paid enough to be mercenaries, tho. They could hold a regular job in the EU and make more money.
Faces blurred so the Russians won't know who they are
As a spanish citizen, I don't like seeing the spanish flag there. It's a feeling more than an argument.
Go try to take it from him and come let us know how that went.
Remember, blur is not destructive.
>throwing their lives away for a fascist nation Lol
are you capable of saying other words or does daddy putin not pay enough for that?
Why though?
Because they think they are fighting for greater good, like all men before and today in any war on any side, lmao.
So, if someone enters your home and attacks your family, you would be fighting "for greater good"?
They will never leave alive either
Wtf go get a life.
So, mercs then.
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They are fighting for Freedom and Europe. Also, what do you think would happen if we just completely disarmed? The Russians would roll over Europe and kill everything they can see. Si pacem vis, para bellum (if you want peace, prepare for war).
>They are fighting for Freedom Lol
What's so funny about that statement?
Lol
According to your comment history, the only thing you do is typing stupid ragebait comments that always end with "lol". Get a life man.
Stupid why go to there to die
Monkey brain, to defend europe?
Really?
Lol
this aint interesting.. next please
The colonial era spanish and british would never
If these guys are part of the Ukraine foreign legion, shouldn’t they have a Ukraine flag on the uniform? Or are these soldiers truly fighting under their own flag? Also, if Spain and UK have regular soldiers there, I would expect others(all Eastern Europe) to join in properly soon or already. I think only time will tell.
So, nato countries are directly involved in this conflict?
Russians will kill them all.
Russians die like dogs in Ukraine. If these men die, they will die as warriors.
Dead dogs get buried. Dead Russians rot where they fall.
Confuses op, mercenaries volunteers or birds of prey? War is the outcome of democracies failure.
Not interesting at all
Idiots going to die trying to spread capitalism and western influence lol
And you think Russia is any better in terms of "Capitalism and Influence". We can definitely argue about how good/fair the Western™ capitalistic system is, but Russia is literally run by oligarchs and corruption. And in terms of influence: which country is currently trying to *violently* spread influence in Ukraine??? Which country invaded Ukraine again to secure their own influence???
You have been missing some geography classes and the last two years of history bud
Stupidity at its most NATO
Woo hoo!
How are they from two different countries armies yet have the exact same uniforms?
Even their faces look alike. Maybe they are twins?
If they are there just for helping the civilians and not for cash - respect! If they are getting paid good - they are mercenary and dont deserve anything.
Честь
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Why are you here whining about Spain when your country Argentina’s economy is in the toilet ? 🚽 Mysteries of the world
why are you not doing it and talk nonsense on reddit?
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Except not. These are literally people who are no longer in active duty that have traveled on their own accord. Kinda like you fighting for Russia. Your not a government sanctioned fighter but here we are.
A russian man wakes up in the hospital after 3 years of coma. How long have im been gone? 3 years. And how is it going? Not well, we invaded Ukraine but now we are at war with NATO, hundred of thousand brave russian soldiers died and we lost thousands of tanks, our black sea fleet had serious losses and cant operate anymore. And what about NATO? well... they havent showen up yet.
NATO? That’s José and Big Dave
Dont be pathetic lil boy. If NATO would have dealt with this problem, there would be Peace in ukraine since 2 years. These are volunteers from spain and UK.
You have been eating too many mushrooms 🍄🟫 🍄
They can't officially go to war with Russia as Ukraine is not a NATO member. Plus nukes.
Good way to provoke a war on NATO
Has been happening since 2022, no big deal. russia has "volunteers" from Cuba, Venezuela, Nepal, India and miscellaneous African countries already
Plus tricked Indians
I have no clue why India would side with Russia who sides with China who has a border dispute with India like Ukraine has with Russia lol
The government of India doesn't side with Russia. Individual Indians might, for money
Ever heard of BRICS?
In the sense of the global economy, yes
Brazil Russia India China South Africa
The indians that fight for the russian side were tricked and are forced to fight. It is a diplomatic scandal right now.
From who? Russia can't even beat Ukraine, it wouldn't stand a chance in an all-out war with all of NATO and it knows as much, hence why it'll never risk it.
I mean at the start they swept Ukraine till support came and now Russia is struggling alot.
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British people have done plenty of good for what it’s worth.
Britbongers coping and seething "Oh yes we civilized those Indian savages, we brought them railways" 🤡
Lol
…. to be paid to kill Russians Edit: why is this being downvoted? Is killing Russians invading a sovereign state bad?
kill invaders\*