Zelensky orders parallel training tracks for foreign volunteers, new National Guard recruitment center by November
President Volodymyr Zelensky held a Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief meeting focused on recruiting foreign volunteers into Ukraine's Defense Forces. He ordered both a 58-day basic military training program under the Ministry of Defence and a 21-day intensive program under the National Guard's Khartiia Corps, and tasked officials with launching a new National Guard foreign recruitment center by November.
Key points
- President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (Stavka) on recruiting foreign volunteers into Ukraine's Defense Forces.
- Zelensky tasked officials with launching a new National Guard foreign recruitment center in November.
- The Ministry of Defence and the General Staff proposed a 58-day basic general military training (BZVP) program for foreign volunteers.
- The Khartiia Corps proposed a 21-day intensive training program for foreign volunteers.
- Zelensky ordered both approaches to be implemented in parallel, with the National Guard handling the 21-day track and the Ministry of Defence the 58-day BZVP track.
- Zelensky set deadlines so the program would receive real funding and organizational support and designated responsible officials.
- Yuriy Butusov, who commands a UAV company in the Khartiia Corps' 23rd Assault Regiment, said all assault positions in the unit are held exclusively by foreign volunteers and described resolving the foreign volunteer issue as a priority for Ukraine's Defense Forces and for the country's survival.
What happened
President Volodymyr Zelensky convened a meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (Stavka) dedicated to recruiting foreign volunteers into Ukraine's Defense Forces. Practical problems affecting foreign volunteers, previously not discussed at the highest level, were raised for the first time at the meeting. Two competing training proposals were on the table: the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff pushed for a 58-day basic general military training (BZVP) program, while the Khartiia Corps proposed a shorter 21-day intensive course. Zelensky ordered both tracks to run in parallel — the Ministry of Defence retaining the 58-day BZVP pipeline and the National Guard permitted to conduct 21-day training. He set deadlines for the foreign volunteer program to receive real funding and organizational support and designated responsible officials. A key deliverable is the launch of a new foreign recruitment center within the National Guard by November. At the meeting, journalist and 23rd Assault Regiment UAV company commander Yuriy Butusov reported that all assault positions in his regiment are filled exclusively by foreign volunteers, that the Khartiia Corps brought in most of the foreigners in 2026 (with about half funded by volunteers rather than the state), and that a Latin American queue of more than 5,000 volunteers is waiting to be accepted into infantry positions. Butusov framed resolving the foreign volunteer issue as one of the priorities of the Defense Forces and as important for the survival of the Ukrainian nation and economy.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Both supplied articles, from Ukrainian outlets NV and ZN.UA, frame the Stavka meeting as a decisive operational step forward. The coverage emphasizes concrete deliverables — a new National Guard recruitment center by November, the dual 58-day and 21-day training tracks, deadlines and designated responsible officials — and stresses that practical problems concerning foreign volunteers were discussed for the first time at such a high level. The framing centers on Ukrainian domestic institutions: the President, the Stavka, the Ministry of Defence and General Staff, and the National Guard's Khartiia Corps.
Background
The Khartiia Corps, part of the Second Corps of the National Guard, has been the main conduit for foreign volunteers in 2026, bringing in most of the foreigners — with about half transported using volunteer funds rather than state financing. All assault positions in the 23rd Assault Regiment's UAV company, commanded by journalist Yuriy Butusov, are filled exclusively by foreign volunteers operating in several brigade sectors. More than 2 billion people worldwide, according to a statement made at the meeting, live in countries involved in various military conflicts, and in several countries there are reportedly lines of volunteers asking for help to travel to Ukraine, though only a small percentage have so far been able to reach the country. A reported queue of over 5,000 Latin American volunteers is said to be waiting to be accepted into Rapid Assault Group infantry positions in Ukraine.