In mid-November, a wave of outrage swept through the military and para-military community over the disbandment of the International Legions of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. There are four such units in the Ground Forces in total – three combat and one training.

Some military analysts, volunteers, and, less often, the fighters themselves wrote that battalions which not only conduct combat operations but also specialize in recruiting foreigners and working with them were suddenly being liquidated, and the servicemembers themselves were being transferred to assault units. Among the initiators of such a decision, volunteers and fighters assumed, could be the head of the Assault Forces Directorate under the Commander-in-Chief, Valentyn Manko. The issue is that assault units, especially now – when there are breakthroughs at the front – require constant reinforcement.

In a comment to *Ukrainska Pravda*, Valentyn Manko did not directly answer whether he was the initiator of the disbandment of the International Legions. He only noted that “commissions and inspections” are currently working in these units, and once these inspections are completed, “a decision will be made.”

On 16 November, the Ground Forces themselves issued an official communication on the matter. Their version of the story went roughly as follows: the legion format introduced in 2022 has fulfilled its role and exhausted itself, the structure of the Defence Forces and the needs of combat units are changing, so foreigners will be employed where “they are needed most.”

“Foreign volunteers who sign a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine will have broader opportunities for service – including the right to choose a combat brigade, direction, and specifics of employment, in accordance with the servicemember’s training, experience, and preferences,” the Ground Forces’ statement said.

According to *Ukrainska Pravda*, the story of the disbandment of the Foreign Legions began on 30 October. On that day, the mentioned units received a classified directive from the Ministry of Defence and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi regarding the liquidation of their military units. The deadline is the end of 2025.

A couple of weeks ago, the 2nd International Legion contacted our editorial office with a request to voice its position on the disbandment of its military unit. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that the 2nd Legion, by decision of the president and the Commander-in-Chief, was used to test a new tactic for employing light infantry and UAVs in combat, and state funds were allocated for this. Due to the decision to liquidate the legion, this experiment was not completed.

What causes the greatest indignation among the fighters of the 2nd Legion regarding the decision to liquidate their military unit, what is innovative about their work, and how this may affect the recruitment of foreigners into the Ukrainian army – read in an interview with the deputy commander for artillery of the 2nd International Legion of the Defence of Ukraine, Lieutenant Colonel Andrii Spivak.

# Liquidation of the legions, an unfinished experiment based on the 2nd Battalion, and the ability to “constantly advance”

**– Mr. Andrii, how and when did you find out that your military unit, the 2nd International Legion, was to be liquidated?**

– I learned about it about three weeks ago – this is open information, and to be honest, it was a shock for me.

Our International Legion is a special military unit. Not only because we have foreigners and know how to serve alongside them, but also because we are involved in a special experiment.

By decision of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, we are piloting an innovation. Together with the Training Command of the Ground Forces, we developed its concept, its training program, conducted successful trials, were approaching the finish, I began preparing a report for the Commander-in-Chief, and then… How can a project initiated by the Commander-in-Chief himself be shut down before its results are reported?

**– What is the essence of the innovation you were piloting?**

– We are the only military unit in the Armed Forces in which changes to light infantry tactics are being tested – that is, the bread and butter of the entire army. We work on the organic combination of drones and infantry actions.

The concept was approved by the Ground Forces Commander Drapatyi in January this year. We developed programs for it, spent funds, brought the best instructors of the Ground Forces to the training ranges – to train both infantry and UAV crews. And starting in May, we began testing this tactic at the front: first in the Pokrovsk direction, now in another no less intense area.

We prepare trained, professional infantry which will execute tasks after the enemy’s battle formations have been destroyed or severely damaged. If our innovation is scaled across all combined-arms brigades and corps of the Ground Forces, it will help change the course of the war.

How does our tool differ from what is written in the statutes? In the fact that our drones support and enable infantry actions at the battalion level.

**– And now these UAVs operate at what level – corps, brigade? Meaning they are less accessible to an infantry commander?**

– At the battalion level there are UAV units, but these units do not have, let’s say, the full range of tools (meaning that battalion-level UAV units may, for example, operate at shorter depth and perform a limited range of tasks – UP). The brigade has more capabilities.

And in our legion it historically happened that the UAV component is very strong.

We have roughly 50–50 Ukrainians and foreigners. Foreigners are mainly infantry who perform tasks, Ukrainians are the pilots. Why so?

Our foreigners are usually people with military or police backgrounds, and they came to Ukraine specifically to take part in combat. Their motivation may differ, but they are oriented toward active operations – and that is exactly what we need. We teach them our tactics and then integrate them with UAV crews. This is how we combine our infantry with UAVs.

All developed armies of the world will fight in exactly this proportion: the minority – infantry, the majority – UAVs. And always together, from training to employment.

**– Forgive my insistence, I am still trying to understand how your innovative tactic of using UAVs and infantry works.**

For example, near Pokrovsk there is a Russian position N that you need to bring back under your control – how would you do that?

– We will never attack a position from one side. We will give the battalion commander the ability to approach this position from multiple directions. We will distract on one, bring in mechanized units and strike on another. Or, for example, destroy an important target for the enemy along the diversion axis, forcing him to disrupt his plans, use reserves there, reinforce that spot. And while he does this, we will exploit it.

We are a scalpel that inflicts pain on the enemy. We draw his attention while the commander can employ his main “fist.”

In fact, what we propose and pilot allows the infantry commander of a mechanized unit to conduct active operations constantly. As someone great once said, a commander must constantly advance, even in defense.

**– “Constantly advancing” – Oleksandr Syrskyi will obviously like that…**

– That is precisely why, I believe, the Commander-in-Chief personally made two decisions, in January and in March, concerning the preparation and employment of our unit.

As far as I know, two out of the three international legions have already been transferred to assault units, which will later become part of the Assault Forces.

**– And your legion?**

– Ours, which in terms of complexity and the presence of all capabilities is the most fully equipped, is currently undergoing transformation. In the process of liquidation as a military unit.

**– People who read this interview will obviously have questions about the effectiveness of your new tactic. What did the test period in the Pokrovsk direction show?**

– Near Pokrovsk there were several commissions that reviewed our actions; they all recognized that our experiment is viable and that our actions were successful.

I also want to add that foreigners require a somewhat special approach. There are linguistic and cultural barriers, they need the mission explained very clearly, and we always allocate time for this.

# Selection into the legion and bilingual battle management

**– If the Commander-in-Chief’s decision to liquidate your legion remains in force, which assault regiment will your people end up in?**

– I operate only with open information, so I do not know into which units and formations our people will be assigned. But the fact that our unit is being liquidated by the end of this year means that its personnel will likely be offered to the newly created Assault Forces.

**– Are there no foreigners in the assault regiments?**

– I don’t know, but I can say that the foreigners who came to us came specifically to the Ground Forces and under our conditions. They know how we employ infantry. Everyone, both Ukrainians and foreigners, passed selection. Everyone here is a volunteer.

I say that our legion is an IT company that went to the front. The management culture, planning, employment – in all this we are somewhat different from others. We have a high proportion of people with education and knowledge of languages. After leaving the Armed Forces in 1999, I spent more than 20 years as a program manager at a well-known international institution, where the working languages were English and French. And that helps me greatly now.

I command the battle in two languages – Ukrainian and English. Next to me sits the duty operations officer who knows Spanish. He is not an ordinary translator; essentially, he is a commander who understands tactics and can explain the mission to the infantry in a way they understand.

\* \* \*

*At the moment, Ukrainska Pravda knows the final destination of only one of the legions — the 1st. It is being transferred to the 475th Separate Assault Regiment CODE 9.2, commanded by Hero of Ukraine Oleksandr Nastenko, callsign “Flint.”*

*Interestingly, the 475th Regiment does not belong to the Assault Forces Directorate headed by Manko; it is directly subordinate to the Commander of the Ground Forces, Hennadii Shapovalov. One of UP’s highest-ranking interlocutors in the 475th Regiment assures that the transfer process is proceeding quite calmly.*

\* \* \*

**– How long did you train your people for frontline employment under this new tactic?**

– Two and a half months.

**– State funds were used for this?**

– Yes. The training center had instructors, logistical support, ammunition, and so on. We conducted fairly intensive training, so I think the amount was significant.

**– But this seems illogical: on the one hand, the Commander-in-Chief and the Commander of the Ground Forces give the “green light” for an experiment based on your legion, allocate funds for it, allow the military to spend time in training — two and a half months is a luxury. On the other hand, the same Commander-in-Chief is now shutting down this project?**

– It is precisely this illogic that frustrates me. I cannot rationalize or explain it in any way. I want us to be allowed to finish the experiment — it requires just a couple more months, and if the leadership likes the result, we will continue the work. If not, then another decision will be made.

We want to stay within the Ground Forces.

We have our own brand — the 2nd International Legion. We have been developing it for nearly three years. We have an established cycle from recruiting to supporting a foreigner or Ukrainian through to the end of service. People come to us specifically because of this brand. Only the legions work systematically with foreigners. We have a full set of personnel with experience and language skills. We receive several dozen applications from foreigners every month.

As for Ukrainians: a couple of weeks ago we ran an SMS campaign; as a result, we received about two thousand applications.

**– Wow, I thought that recruitment method no longer worked.**

– Most of them, by the way, have never served.

**– How did the foreign servicemembers in your unit react to the potential disbandment?**

– With shock and a lack of understanding as to why this is happening.

# “We would gladly report our results to Syrskyi.”

**– How did you react to the idea of separating assault units into a distinct branch of service when it first appeared? The President announced this intention in September, after the successful performance of assault units on the Dobropillia salient.**

– Honestly, until receiving information about our liquidation and subsequent transfer, I hadn’t really thought about it. Though I understand that the Defense Forces need as wide a range of tools as possible in the hands of commanders at various levels to accomplish missions.

However, what we are piloting and proposing is the antithesis of the assault forces. Assault forces are a specialized type of troops for specific tasks. What we propose is a solution for general-purpose units — from battalion level and up. We are for everyone and for large-scale tasks.

**– You mentioned that a special commission came to the Pokrovsk direction to evaluate your work. Has the Commander-in-Chief found time for you? He now travels to the front weekly, sometimes several times a week.**

– Unfortunately, no. Near Pokrovsk, during the employment of the 2nd Legion, we had an official inspection initiated by the Commander-in-Chief, followed by an internal investigation also initiated by him. Both the inspection and the investigation concluded that there were no complaints against us and that we are fighting effectively.

Both I and the commander would gladly report our results to the Commander-in-Chief.

**– Mr. Andrii, but you have been in the Ukrainian army for a long time. Have you tried, through informal channels or former comrades, to reach the General Staff or the Commander-in-Chief, to explain your position — that a project on which significant resources were spent is now being halted?**

– First, this was officially reported to the Commander of the Ground Forces. Second, as far as I know, this was also supposed to be reported to the Commander-in-Chief. The results are unknown to me.

**– Do you hope that you can still stop this decision?**

– I hope that common sense will prevail and that we will be allowed to complete the experiment by early 2026. Then they will listen to our proposal on scaling it, and afterward make a final decision. That is first.

Second, in my opinion, it is very dangerous to leave the Ground Forces without legions, because this will reduce — and in the long term may completely destroy — the very idea of foreigners coming to serve in the Ground Forces. After all, there will simply be no international, specialized units for them.

We must encourage foreigners to fight for us — this is critical. We must do everything to ensure they join the Armed Forces of Ukraine and not the enemy’s army. And what is happening now is the exact opposite. And personally, this pains me.

What am I supposed to tell my people?

*Olha Kyrylenko, UP*

We risk losing foreigners – the 2nd International Legion of the AFU has spoken out against the disbandment of its unit