First Unit Of Belgian Volunteer Fighters Depart To Ukraine - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th March, 2022) The first batch of Belgian volunteer fighters left for Ukraine to counter Russian troops, the EUobserver newspaper reported, citing the Ukrainian Embassy in Belgium.

Seven men departed Belgium on Thursday for the Polish-Ukrainian border, and 18 others are expected to follow them in the coming days after filling all the necessary applications and holding interviews, the embassy told the newspaper.

A total of 70 people applied to the mission to volunteer, including Belgians, Brazilians, French, Georgians, Italians, Latvians, Moroccans, as well as nationals of Luxembourg and Sweden, the embassy specified. Some of the applicants have military experience.

According to the report, Ukraine has set up international hotlines to advise those willing to come to the country to participate in the hostilities.

The Belgian Foreign Ministry recommended the population to refrain from going to Ukraine due to security risks, and said that it was analyzing legal grounds and consequences for foreign fighters in Ukraine, the newspaper said.

Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine last week after the breakaway Donbas republics appealed for help in defending themselves against the Ukrainian military. The operation is solely targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure and the civilian population is not in danger, Moscow maintains.