Ukrainian Legion to begin training in Poland by end of 2024

The first unit of the Ukrainian Legion will begin training at one of the training grounds in Poland by the end of 2024.

According to Ukrinform, the recruitment centre said the first volunteers will sign contracts with the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the centre's base in Lublin in 2024. After signing, they will be sent to one of the training grounds in Poland for further training. 

Contracts can be signed for either a specified term of three years or until the end of the martial law.

Training will not take place at the Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian Brigade base; instead, instructors from NATO countries will conduct the training at designated locations. Following this initial training, soldiers requiring further instruction in their chosen specialisation may undergo additional preparation at other training grounds.

Under a bilateral agreement, the Ukrainian side will provide the legion volunteers with military uniforms and medical supplies, while Poland will supply the necessary infrastructure, equipment, and weapons during the training period. 

Discussions are still ongoing regarding whether Poland will assume full responsibility for equipping this volunteer unit with its own equipment and weapons for their subsequent deployment to Ukraine in the combat zone. 

"There was a preliminary agreement with the Polish side, but this issue is still being resolved," stated a representative of the centre, adding that the Ukrainian side is counting on maximum support from Warsaw.

As of early November, it was reported that over 500 applications had been submitted to the Ukrainian Legion in Poland from 30 countries around the world.

On 2 October, Polish National Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that the number of Ukrainians volunteering for the Ukrainian Legion in Poland has been extremely low. 

By the end of the month, Piotr Łukasiewicz, Poland's Charge d'Affaires in Ukraine, announced that the country is prepared to train Ukrainian recruits, but Ukraine must first gather sufficient personnel.