Foreigners Abandoned: Inside 1st Rifle International Battalion

In March 2025, MilitaryLand reported on the formation of an international battalion within the 3rd Assault Brigade, including English, Portuguese, and Spanish-speaking volunteers. More recently, MilitaryLand also covered the battalion being revealed in greater detail, with the Spanish Storm unit confirmed to be a linear company of the battalion, rather than the scale of a battalion, and other details relating to the unit being known, such as its structure, commander, and insignia.

Inside the Hardships of the Battalion

Over the last month, information has emerged on the UkraineForeignLegion subreddit, a subreddit used to help prospective foreign volunteers find more about fighting for or supporting Ukraine, piecing together the recent hardships faced by the battalion. This includes reports from relatives and soldiers associated with the battalion.

The first report appeared on the subreddit in early summer 2025, posted by a relative of a fallen soldier in the battalion, in a now-deleted thread. It began with a user asking for information about the unit, prompting a response from the anonymous relative. They described heavy losses during the unit’s first deployment; most were killed, wounded, or left traumatized. The post also claimed there was little communication, inadequate support at the front, and that the unit failed to report soldiers killed in action to avoid administrative or financial responsibilities.

My brother served for them. They got him and around 7 others, out of 25 in the group, killed in the first few weeks. Most of the ones still alive are injured and traumatized. Many of them left the country after this. Oh, did I forget to mention that his friends from the brigade has to tell us that he’s dead? Yeah, the brigade won’t do that for your family. They’ll just let your body rot on the field so they don’t have to pay.

In response to the post, a user claiming to be part of the battalion reported a similar experience, with the unit promising that they would be sent to rear positions for acclimatization but instead were sent straight to the front with poor support and incompetent leadership.

I’m in the 1st Rifle Battalion. We got completely f***ed our first mission. We got told we’d be going to the further lines to get used to being out in the field, but we got put right into the grinder with barely any support and command was no help at all either. I got wounded from that exact thing.

Subreddit moderators removed the post for appearing suspicious and for violating operational security guidelines.

More recently, a Reddit post from a now-verified user, being an anonymous soldier of the battalion, reported similarities to the first post. The post consisted of poor leadership, a lack of coordination, and preventable casualties in the battalion. This included details about commanders being incompetent and showing a lack of care or disregard for the soldiers under their authority.

This unit is absolutely f***ing horrible. We are with commanders who do not know how to lead men into battle and who do not give a sh*t about us. We are just numbers to these people. They have gotten my friends killed which could have been avoided. For example, two of my friends on the very first day were told to resupply a position. But they had no idea where that position was, just told to go in a general direction, no runner, no map, nothing. They got lost and were spotted by drones and then killed by artillery. I had to sit there and listen to them scream for help and then dying on the radio and couldn’t do a damn thing but listen to them die.

Allegedly, differential treatment was prevalent between Ukrainian and foreign soldiers. A soldier was reported to have been on position for several weeks with a broken ankle and was not evacuated, eventually being killed after his position was overrun. Another soldier was in poor physical condition, having difficulties walking or running, and was medically assisted in two incidents related to a Russian gas attack from a drone and carbon dioxide. This soldier was also killed.

Another buddy of mine broke his ankle, he was on position for about two to three weeks with no evacuation. Position was overrun and he was killed. But a Ukrainian who broke his hand was evacuated the same day. He could’ve still been alive if he was evacuated out when he was supposed to. Another friend had messed up knees and couldn’t really walk or run. We also had to perform CPR on him twice because he stopped breathing once because drones dropped gas, and another because of carbon dioxide. We requested evacuation for him but they refused. He was killed by Russian forces and again could’ve still been alive if he was evacuated out.

The anonymous soldier also spoke in detail about unequal treatment between Ukrainian and foreign soldiers when it came to casualty evacuation and medical care. He further raised concerns about wounded soldiers being forced to remain in position, even when they were no longer physically fit for duty. More alarmingly, the soldier reported that troops were being beaten and threatened with execution, even multiple soldiers at a time, though the reasons for these actions were unclear.

They have sent men back to positions to dig in arm slings due to shrapnel, and are only digging with one arm. They refuse to evacuate and have caused so many deaths that could have been prevented. They have beaten us and also threatened to shoot multiple people.

The Road Ahead for the Foreigners

The battalion’s future remains deeply uncertain. Given the current information at hand, it leaves two possibilities: the battalion will continue high attrition, drawing in waves of foreign volunteers and will end up being killed, wounded, or traumatized, or a shift brought about by prompt, meaningful investigation and reforms across the battalion. Anonymous sources have reported a shift in the battalion’s leadership, with Bohdan Korzhenko, formerly the deputy commander of the brigade’s 1st Mechanized Battalion, appointed to replace the previous commander, who is now under investigation.

Foreign personnel continue to serve elsewhere in the brigade, primarily within its mechanized, assault, and reconnaissance battalions. This includes Canadian volunteers, who reportedly fought in the 2nd Assault Battalion during the fall of Avdiivka in early 2024, as well as foreign teams embedded in the 2nd and 3rd Companies of the 2nd Mechanized Battalion. In addition, former members of Chosen Company now serve in the Tempest Group, an international contingent within the brigade’s Reconnaissance Battalion.

In contrast, the newly formed Azov International Battalion experienced a far more successful first deployment – known as Operation Lionheart, with footage yet to be released. According to multiple soldiers in the unit, the mission was carried out effectively, liberating positions in Novopaske, west of Toretsk. Their performance suggests a more structured approach, potentially reflecting efforts to address the known challenges faced by foreign volunteers and improve overall effectiveness.

The recruitment of foreign volunteers worldwide to assist in addressing ongoing manpower shortages within Ukrainian units continues. However, challenges in effectively integrating these volunteers persist, even with experienced and highly regarded formations like the 3rd Assault Brigade. Whether these issues will be resolved, and lessons fully absorbed, remains to be seen.

Source: posts by verified users on the UkraineForeignLegion subreddit, social channels of the 1st Rifle International Battalion of the 3rd Assault Brigade, social channels of the International Legion