An American volunteer who left Pennsylvania to fight for Ukraine believes the outcome here will shape the world for half a century. "Lighthouse", a soldier in the reconnaissance company of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade, came to Ukraine from Pennsylvania, the brigade shared.

Lighthouse is one of thousands of foreigners fighting for Ukraine. Since Ukraine created the International Legion in 2022, volunteers from more than 50 countries, including the US, Britain, and Canada, have joined its ranks, and Lighthouse, a scout from Pennsylvania, is one American who traced the war to its roots and decided to come.

What brought him to Ukraine

The full-scale war in 2022 unsettled him and prompted him to research its causes, which took him back to where the war began. He traced it to the Revolution of Dignity of 2013 and 2014, when Ukrainians drove out a pro-Russian president. Then, Russia responded by seizing Crimea and igniting the war in the east.

"I understood pretty quickly that Ukraine was in a position to be fighting the good fight, and that Russia was being Russia, basically," he said.

He did not leave on impulse. He got in shape, went to the gym, and saved money, but the hardest part was his marriage: putting aside enough that his wife would be secure while he was gone, and making sure she was mentally prepared and would feel supported. She understood his reasoning, he said, and told him, "I support you. I support what you're doing."

Why did Lighthouse choose the 47th?

He chose the brigade carefully. He researched many units and contacted several recruiters before choosing the 47th, which has attracted a substantial foreign contingent, including a mostly Colombian reconnaissance-and-strike group.

What settled his choice was the people. He was able to talk to the men in his squad before he even came, and they would call him every few days.

"Hey, man, how are you doing? Do you need any help figuring out your schedule, or what to bring?" Lighthouse recalled.

They became friends before he got there. Ukraine has felt like home since, he said, a gorgeous place whose people are welcoming and proud of everyone who fights for their country.

He sees the war as the world's fight

For Lighthouse, the stakes reach far beyond Ukraine.

"What happens here now affects the rest of the world and potentially the future for the next 50 years," he said, which is why it matters to him that Ukraine can remain a democracy and stand up to the aggression.

He is not the first American in the 47th to say so. In May, the brigade profiled "Forrest", a 28-year-old North Carolina construction worker who followed the war since 2014 before enlisting and told others, "If you want to fight, go to the 47th."

About 16,000 foreign volunteers from at least 72 countries serve in Ukraine's Defense Forces, Military Ombudsman Olha Reshetylova said. Reshetylova said nearly 40% are citizens of Latin American countries.

The figures show the scale of foreign volunteers' participation in Ukraine's military as Russia's invasion strains Ukraine's manpower. Reshetylova's office monitors their rights and uses complaints to identify recurring problems.

Reshetylova announced the figures during a 4 August meeting of the heads of Ukraine's foreign diplomatic missions.

"Ukraine values [foreign service members'] contribution and understands their responsibility to uphold their rights," she said.

Since 27 January 2026, her office has received more than 300 requests from foreign service members, their relatives, and authorized representatives—requests concerning pay, benefits, supplies, combatant status, medical care, and early contract termination. The office has proposed legal changes in response.

Reshetylova did not explain how the figure of 16,000 was calculated. In February 2026, a Ukrainian Ground Forces official said that more than 10,000 foreigners had served or were serving in Ground Forces units.

That cumulative figure covered a narrower part of Ukraine's Defense Forces and is not directly comparable with Reshetylova's estimate.

Foreign recruits bring combat experience and specialist skills

The International Legion, the main destination of most foreign volunteers, draws members from more than 50 countries. Its members include veterans of the war against ISIS, career soldiers, medics, and newcomers motivated by duty, adventure, experience, or personal loss. 

On the front line, Colombian veterans have played a significant role in aiding Ukrainian forces in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, bringing military and police experience gained fighting drug cartels and rebels in Colombia.

Some foreign service members also contribute specialist skills beyond infantry combat. British bomb-disposal expert Christopher "Swampy" Garrett cleared mines and trained more than 2,000 Ukrainian troops, police officers, and international volunteers.

Garrett was killed on 6 May 2025 while dismantling a Russian explosive device in Izium. 

Contracts, captivity, and the human cost

Beyond the battlefield, foreign service members can face contract disputes in Ukraine, prosecution at home, or imprisonment by Russia.

Finnish volunteer Leo Åland struggled to end his six-month contract. He was killed in combat after serving in Ukraine's military for just over four months.

In December 2025, a Swiss court convicted Avi M. of serving in Ukraine's military. Swiss law prohibits citizens from joining foreign armed forces.

Russia has prosecuted captured foreign members of Ukraine's military as mercenaries rather than treating them as prisoners of war. A Russian court sentenced British fighter James Scott Rees Anderson to 19 years following his capture in Kursk Oblast.