Foreigners fighting in Ukraine eligible for citizenship

Ukraine’s Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Yenin said Tuesday that foreign nationals who volunteer to fight for Ukraine will be eligible for Ukrainian citizenship, according to the Ukrainian National News Agency, Ukrinform.

“Ukraine is forming an International Legion of Territorial Defense composed of foreigners who want to join the resistance against the Russian aggressors and defend global security,” Ukrinform reported, citing Yenin.

Yenin reportedly said the number of foreign volunteers is growing.

“These people will sign a contract, receive a military passport, which then replaces their residence permit. In the future, if any among these foreign nationals would like to become Ukrainian citizens, our legislation provides a pathway for that,” he said, according to Ukrinform.

Last Thursday, Ukraine’s President said the first of 16,000 foreign fighters were making their way to the country to join the fight against Russia.

No fewer than 150 Nigerians stormed the Ukrainian embassy in Nigeria to enlist last week, following Zelenskyy’s call.

But the Nigerian authorities have vowed to block any move by Nigerian to go ad fight in Ukraine.