TEAM UKRAINE INTERNATIONAL
VOLUNTEER CORPS
On August 11th Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced, amid concerns about mass corruption: “All of the heads of Ukraine’s military recruiting centers will be dismissed.” Zelenskiy said a review of Ukraine’s recruiting centers revealed signs of professional abuse ranging from illegal enrichment to transporting draft-eligible men across the border despite a wartime ban. "This system should be run by people who know exactly what war is and why cynicism and bribery during war is treason," he said in a public statement. Zelenskiy said top general Valery Zaluzhny would be responsible for implementing Friday’s decision and that new candidates for the posts would first be vetted by Ukraine’s domestic security service, the SBU.
Friday’s move comes at a particularly sensitive moment for Kyiv with its slow counteroffensive hampered by extensive Russian defences across the southeast.
Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have been killed or wounded in fighting since Russia invaded in February 2022. Ukraine has increasingly faced recruitment challenges as the war, now in a brutal phase, nears the 18-month mark, people are wondering after all the recent scandals with so many recruiters being fired, who’s going to organize the recruitment of thousands of volunteers trying to join to fight from across the globe?
One organization said to have recruited “Thousands” of fighters for Ukraine has managed to steer clear of the recent recruitment scandals and is going “stronger than ever” according to resources including the Ukrainian Commanders working with Team Ukraine International Volunteer Corps. A Non-Profit group made up of “100% Volunteers” and “very little room for corruption” the group is made up of mostly soldiers fighting in Ukraine actively or veterans of the conflict.
The group has been actively recruiting for the Ukrainian military since the war broke out early in 2022. The group has a verified 7.5 thousand members in its facebook group: “International Volunteer Network Ukrainian Military.” Their website www.teamukraineinternational.com is a major information hub for people looking to join and includes: applications, forms, links, unit information and probably the answer to any question one could think of in its FAQ section when it comes to volunteering in Ukraine.
In this article we are going to take a closer look at the Team Ukraine International Volunteer Corps. Who they are, what they do and we're going to interview some of its leaders, members and recruits. How can one join the Ukrainian military? What would make one want to fight in a foreign conflict in a country not their own? These are all questions we're going to let these people answer for themselves right here.
I found out about TUI Volunteer Corps from a personal friend fighting in Ukraine who had used their services when enlisting. It was after he had ordered me one of their t-Shirts that I started looking at their website. I was quite impressed by the information that was available and that these guys were all soldiers or vets so I reached out to the email address provided by the website and was responded to promptly by a guy named “Lee”, a soldier who was fighting on the front lines while working with TUI “on the side” recruiting. Later I was connected with the groups “Commander” who goes by the name “Forrest” who agreed to be interviewed with “members of his team” on the condition that we agreed to publish information on how to contact or find them online. All of the information we got was accurate and the “Commander” was way more than cooperative so we agreed.
We started things off with: “Tell us about the group. Who are you guys? What do you guys do?”
Forrest, Founder and Commander of Operations at TUI tell us: “We're basically a bunch of vets and active soldiers who assist recruits in joining the Ukrainian military. We're “recruiters” so to speak but were not signing contracts or doing official work. We're not out looking for people or trying to convince people to join. There's thousands of people all over who have already made up their mind that this is what they want. We provide a network for those looking to join, screen them and make sure 1 that they're serious, 2 that they're able and 3 we find out what kind of experience they may have (not a requirement). If they make it through our screening process then we refer them to a recruiter who is working for a specific unit in the army. Someone who is new with no fighting experience in Ukraine we usually send to the ILDU (International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine). We recommend everyone new in Ukraine going through the ILDU 1st to get proper training and experience before ever ever going anywhere else. Someone with experience fighting in Ukraine who's looking for a good action unit we might send to the 3rd Assault Brigade. Some people are just looking to switch units and want to know what is available, we assist them in finding a good unit that fits them.
We’ve all been through the recruiting process and have the inside info on everything from what to bring, what to expect to even whats going on within the units concerning recruiting or more information that may be of value to someone who’s trying to decide what unit to sign a contract with. We’ve got connections all over the Ukrainian military. Most units you could mention; we either have someone in it or have someone who was in it at one time. So we know who’s who as far as the units go. Now as for as TUI goes, we got the UVB (Ukrainian Volunteer Battalion), the FVC (French Volunteer Corps), the SVC (Spanish Volunteer Corps) and some others. We classify recruits into groups and work with them separately each with its own leadership and Commander. We go over options with the recruits and send them to whatever is best decided on an individual basis. TUI consists of all races and nationalities both male and female.”
Then we asked: “How many members does TUI Volunteer Corps have? How many recruits do you get?”
Forrest tells us: “There’s really no way to add it up but other than the social media group with almost 8 thousand members, id say were about 250-300 deep combining all the active TUI Volunteer groups together with about 20 admins who manage the chats, groups and social media. Our board of Directors is about 15 people who govern the organization. Our steering committee is about 25-30 people who network and focus on our vision. We’ve got about 40 active soldiers who volunteer their time on the side to working with us. Each TUI Volunteer Unit has its own Commander.
As far as recruits go, like I said there’s no way to really count. But looking at the ones I know i can count myself then all of my colleagues who have been doing the same thing since the conflict began I’d say its safe to say that we’ve recruited well over a thousand if not thousands in this organization.”
“How did your organization start? When did it start?”
Well, as for me I’ve been at this since the war started, its just grown since day 1 and now its pretty amazing to see how far we’ve come. Then Matt Commander of the UVB has been as well. A large bulk of TUI is the UVB Ukrainian Volunteer Battalion which started at the beginning of the war too. I’ve been operating with my team and hes been operating with his and when we met we knew right off the bat that we were uniting forces. So this whole thing has been going on since the war started. Operating together with our teams united for about 6 months so these last 6 months have been crazy and we have grown a lot. There’s ALWAYS a line of recruits waiting to be screened and there’s ALWAYS a unit looking for recruits. This is team work, the workload is so big that it takes all of us coordinating constantly.
Then, here’s a classic story about how some of our main guys came together: About 6 months ago I had a large group of recruits I smuggled onto an ILDU base in Yaroyiv. Using one of my recruits inside the base I orchestrated an unauthorized pick up and delivery of a large group of unexpected recruits. It caused quite an uproar but at the end not only were all of my recruits allowed to sign up and live on base immediately but I got a phone call of appreciation from a recruiting commander. All of the recruits from this stunt are hardcore riding members of TUI today and some of our best recruiters. Sicily who’s on the ground now in Ukraine went on from this incident to become one of TUI’s top Commanders. Hamza from this group just entered into Ukraine for his second time as well has been a VIP member of TUI Volunteer Corps since we pulled that off. That was around the time I met Matt the UVB Commander.
We’ve come a long way, we got supporters all over the world, we’re highly trusted and respected by all of the other volunteer organizations. Other organization’s leadership comes to us for advice. We work really hard at our jobs and enjoy the fruit of our labor by seeing a high level in productivity.”
“Does TUI do anything besides recruiting or that pretty much it?”
Forrest: “Yes, we actually do a lot more than recruiting. I like to call it Aid & Assist. Whatever pops up that we can help with. Someone might need a safe place to take a break from battle, do laundry and shower. Someone might be broke and needs a few dollars for food. Last month we actually purchased a med-evac vehicle for the 59th. A few months ago a guy on our team raised money for a 7 thousand dollar attack drone. Apart from recruiting, then helping them get to Ukraine, putting our recruits in temporary safe-houses- everyones on the “network” so things pop up and we “Aid&Assist” in different ways. We are looking for sponsors and ways to branch out so we can do more financially in the future. Some of the stuff we do Im not going to talk about here. Lets just say were a little more than the “Bolshevik Safari Travel Agency”. Nothing “too” crazy.”
We also are building a support network for Ukrainian veterans worldwide.
Then we interviewed “B-91” a recruit turned- “Bolshevik Safari Travel Agent” who’s back in Ukraine again with an entire squad of TUI Volunteer Corps recruits. B-91 has been working with TUI for a few months now while waiting to return to Ukraine.
B-91 is a US Army veteran of 6 years, an Afghanistan veteran who tells us: “I came across TUI prior to planning my second trip back to Ukraine, to get help with changes and other vital information I needed prior to leaving the states. I’m currently undergoing medical training to become a combat medic. Also I am a diesel mechanic. I am trying to become versatile so I can help the unit anyway they need me to. My mission is to help the Ukrainian people be liberated and to feel safe and at home again. I took an oath in the United States Army to defend freedom foreign and domestic, which includes helping to combat terrorism no matter where at in the world.”
“Skippy” also a recruiter who’s been working with TUI on the side while fighting in Ukraine was recently injured in a death defying car accident while leaving the front lines told us: “ I ended up with TUI by chance. I got added to a group and ended up linking up with other people that also wanted to help people get to appropriate units. With my contacts I knew I could help. My job at TUI is as a recruiter. I help people find units and help them get in contact with people from those units. I’ve been a fighter in this conflict since September 2022 and just arrived in my home country to recover from a car accident in Ukraine that should have killed me. I’ve always wanted to be a part of something that was bigger than myself and actually give back to humanity, when Ukraine was invaded, I found my calling.”
We managed to get in contact with “Matt” the Commander of the Ukrainian Volunteer Battalion at TUI. Matt has been recruiting and supporting Ukraine since the war started. We asked Matt how he got involved with TUI and why did he pick this organization to work with? He answers: “I ended up learning there was another consultant [Forrest] working on similar projects as me, a passion to help Ukraine. TUI is a great way to provide a one-stop-shop for those volunteering in Ukraine. This fit nice with my current group at the time. It has helped make us more efficient as well as provided a lot of great resources and information to our volunteers.”
About his job/position at TUI Matt tells us: “I lead the Ukrainian Volunteer Battalion. We are a sub-group within the TUI umbrella. I moderate questions etc concerning the recruitment process. I help in a non-combat role but my main skill set is logistics and connections. Putting people who have a need or questions in touch with those who can help or have the answers.” “The attack on Ukraine itself, the images I saw of the brutality towards civilians. A deep calling inside me just would not relent so I finally acted up my inner calling and joined to help.” is why Matt says he got involved.
We caught up with “Ken” who’s been fighting in Ukraine as well as assisting TUI with its duties. Ken recently returned home to Texas USA where hes on medical recovery from a combat related injury. Ken tells us: “I networked with other volunteers and got connected with TUI. My job is primarily to offer advice to those new in Ukraine and new to the military. I have experience in both the Ukrainian and United States military. I joined the conflict because I dont like bullies, rapists and murderers.” Ken plans on returning to the battlefield in December or January.
We also talked to “Spider”, who joined the fight in Ukraine in October 2022. Spider is a US Army combat veteran with 2 tours in Iraq. When asked how he got involved with all this he said: “I was already interested in volunteering, then I met Forrest in a telegram chat. I traveled to Ukraine using contacts he gave me and the entire ordeal went pretty smoothly. Everything he told me was pretty much what he said it was. So we stayed in touch and became friends. I help out where I can, Im pretty busy most of the time with my unit but I help out in the facebook group and with helping people find a good unit when I can. I got involved in the conflict because my heritage is Ukrainian, I have family here and I couldnt sit by and watch this happen. I had to do something.”
Then we talked to Kevin, one of the founders of the Ukrainian Volunteer Battalion who is in Ukraine right now: “I founded the UVB with 3 other people to help Ukraine fight the invasion. In my opinion Germany hasnt done enough to end Russia's war of aggression as quickly as possible, especially when it comes to delivering useful weapons systems that protect both the military and the civilian population. Thats why it was so important to me to build the UVB group to organize a network that can help through donations. For a long time I took over organization and planning of the group to organize relief supplies but I wanted more so I decided to join the Ukrainian Army. This war not only affects Ukraine but also all of Europe and that is why it is so important for me to do something now because the aggressor will not stop taking over countries if we do not stop him.”
“Bolshevik Safari Travel Agent” “MurMur” says: “I ended up with TUI because I joined a FB group dedicated to the international legion and saw that they were active.
I picked this organization because I saw them doing positive work and actively recruiting for the legion.
My job at TUI is to find possible recruits, vet them and find them the best possible fit/route for them in Ukraine.
My situation with the Russo-Ukraine war is that I enlisted in the legion during the first year, didn’t hear back but started to donate to units in need of funds, I felt there was more I could do so I connected with TUI and they got me recruiting and figuring out my path to defend Ukraine.
What drove me to get involved in Ukraine is these people had their lives completely disrupted by this war, people have died all because of Putin’s greed, I can’t sit back and watch it happen without doing what I can to end it.”
We asked Forrest about the situation in Ukraine with all the recruiters getting caught up in corruption scandals: “Yea Ive heard about it. Im pretty busy its hard to keep up with things. I wish they would let me and my team come in there and show them what we can do. We’re doing what we do with pretty much zero money and very little backing. Its the passion that drives us. If we had those kind of resources and backing, it’d be phenomenal.”
Forrest says he plans to meet with Ukrainian officials on how TUI can be of more assistance, especially considering the circumstances of UA’s current recruiting dillema.
More info can be found at www.teamukraineinternational.com or by emailing teamukraineinternational@gmail.com