Ukraine was a magnet for foreign fighters. After 2 bruising years, many are disillusioned or dead.

Sat, 05/11/2024 - 06:28

Soldiers on the Armored Infantry Vehicle 2 (BMP-2). The road to the city, the outskirts of Avdiivka on February 14, 2024 in Avdiivka district, Ukraine. — Ukrainian soldiers near Avdiivka, eastern Ukraine, on February 14, 2024.
Vlada Liberova/Libkos/Getty Images

Ukraine's International Legion was born in 2022, a home for foreigners eager to fight Russia.
Ukraine said 20,000 signed up, though experts said 4,000 was a more realistic peak figure.
In 2024, the legion is depleted by years of harsh reality and casualty rates extreme even for Ukraine.

Three days after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a clarion call for "friends of peace and democracy" to join the fight from abroad.