US trained Afghanistan soldiers want to fight for Ukraine. How Kyiv reacted to the proposal?

Even as Russia is relying on irregular foreign soldiers in its military effort against Ukraine, the Ukrainian defense ministry doesn't seem to be ready to consider such a proposal yet. Volodymyr Zelensky-led Ukrainian government has turned down hundreds of US-trained Afghan soldiers who wanted to join its war effort against Russia.

According to the reports published on the news platform SEMAFOR, the induction of Afghani troops doesn't seem to be part of Ukraine’s military strategy yet. The news platform even quoted one Afghanistan soldier, Sgt. Maj. Kadim who called Russia’s invasion a “war against democracy and humanity and a full-scale genocide.” He added that there are hundreds of Afghan soldiers wanting to fight for Ukraine.

After Russia invaded the country in 2022, Zelensky created Ukraine’s International Legion and during the first month of the war around 20,000 people from 50 countries volunteered to fight for Ukraine. The applicants include 300 Afghan nationals, including 150 members of the Ktah Khas, a counter-terrorism unit of the Afghanistan army trained by the United States.

The sources close to the Ukrainian government told SEMAFOR that people in the government have concerns regarding infiltration by spies, as Russia has a considerable presence in Afghanistan.

The development came as both Russian and Ukrainian defense forces are witnessing a huge casualty in the fight for Bakhmut.

Serhiy Cherevatyi, a representative of the Ukrainian military, informed that 221 soldiers who supported Moscow were killed and over 300 were injured in the Bakhmut area. The Russian defense ministry stated that as many as 210 Ukrainian soldiers died in the wider Donetsk region of the front line.

Although Moscow did not give exact figures for Bakhmut, the town in eastern Donetsk has been the location of one of the most violent and protracted battles of the year-long conflict, leaving the town almost completely deserted.

The Ukrainian government maintained that it was maintaining its position in Bakhmut and effectively resisting Russian military forces. The commander responsible for defending Bakhmut emphasized that the town's defense was critical for launching a Ukrainian counter-attack.

(With inputs from agencies)