80,000 Ukrainians returning from abroad to fight, ministry says

Ukraine’s Interior Ministry says 80,000 of its citizens have returned from abroad to help defend the country since February 24.

“Ukrainian citizens who work or temporarily live abroad are returning to their homeland to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it says in a statement. “They join the ranks of the Armed Forces, other military formations and territorial defense forces.”

Almost all of the 80,000 are men, it notes.

Non-Ukrainians are also traveling to the country to join the war, according to reports, answering a call for a foreign legion by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Japan says 70 of its citizens, including veterans of its defense forces and the French Foreign Legion, have applied to travel there to fight, Reuters reports.

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