Ukraine Backs Foreign Recruitment Center for National Guard

The Ukrainian government has approved the establishment of a dedicated Recruitment Center for Foreigners and Stateless Persons within the National Guard of Ukraine, Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi announced on Friday, Sept. 18. Speaking on the initiative, Koretskyi stated that the specialized center is designed to centralize and oversee the recruitment pipeline for foreign volunteers seeking contract military service.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The institution will coordinate all administrative and operational phases of accession, managing candidate interviews, background checks, credential verification, and subsequent military training programs. Koretskyi emphasized that the intake process must be streamlined and accelerated to ensure that vetted volunteers can rapidly reinforce frontline combat units facing persistent Russian pressure. “Recruiting foreign volunteers to the Defense Forces is one of the state’s priorities. The task is to scale up this work and attract more people to the Ukrainian army who are ready to defend our state together with Ukrainians,” Koretskyi said. Military contract service The establishment of the center reflects ongoing efforts by Ukrainian authorities to institutionalize and scale foreign participation within statutory security structures. While thousands of international volunteers have served across various branches of the Defense Forces since the start of Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion – primarily within the International Legion – the new structure within the National Guard aims to formalize intake standards, improve operational vetting, and eliminate administrative delays. Other Topics of Interest Putin Accuses Ukraine of Sabotaging Peace Negotiations Vladimir Putin claimed Kyiv is sabotaging peace negotiations, while Volodymyr Zelensky warned Moscow seeks Ukraine’s complete subjugation. Under the new operational mandate, the National Guard will work to guide candidates through legal documentation, medical evaluations, and specialized combat instruction before deploying them to operational brigades. Government officials noted that standardizing the recruitment pipeline will also enhance integration and coordination between foreign personnel and regular Ukrainian units, providing clear contractual guarantees, competitive pay, and medical coverage equivalent to domestic service members. AWOL simplified return deadline The push to expand foreign recruitment coincides with broader domestic force replenishment and personnel retention programs across the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Alongside external recruitment drives, the Ukrainian military is preparing to conclude its temporary simplified return program for service members who left their units without official leave (known by the Ukrainian acronym SZCh), which is scheduled to close on Sept. 20, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Military authorities reported that voluntary returns accelerated significantly in late summer, with the number of soldiers returning to active duty in August 2026 exceeding new unauthorized departures. Under that framework, service members who departed their posts on or before June 12, 2026, are permitted to voluntarily resume active duty with significant procedural flexibility, including the option to choose their preferred military branch, duty station, and operational role while retaining standard pay, allowances, and social protections without facing punitive administrative penalties. The General Staff highlighted that the simplified return mechanism does not extend to unauthorized departures occurring after the June 12 cutoff date. Personnel who left their units after that deadline remain subject to standard statutory prosecution under Ukrainian criminal law, underscoring Kyiv’s calibrated balance between enforcing military discipline and recovering trained manpower for frontline operations. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.