Ukraine hiring militias to fight Russia: offers over 2 million Malawi Kwacha per day

Ukraine is offering $2,000 (K2.1 million) per day and citizenship to people from other countries to fight in its war against Russia.

Volunteers will qualify for Ukrainian citizenship, first deputy interior minister Yevhen Yenin said in a TV interview. Nearly 20,000 people from 52 countries have signed up to become volunteers in the war with Russia, reported the Guardian.

Major-General Igor Konashenkov, a Ukrainian defence ministry spokesperson, said approximately 200 Croatians had joined to fight in the international brigade.

Adverts for the international fighters have appeared on an employment website, Silent Professionals, for those working in the private military and security industry.

“Only highly experienced candidates who possess at least 5+ years of military experience in this region of Europe will be considered for this role — no exceptions,” reads the advert.

Reuters reported that fighters arriving in Ukraine say they are attracted by the quest to stop “unprovoked attack in a once-in-a-generation showdown between the forces of democracy and dictatorship”.

The news site added that some veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan said the Ukraine war offers a chance to use fighting skills they felt their own governments no longer appreciated.

However, there are concerns that some people joining the war have little or no combat experience.

Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February and reports indicate that Ukraine’s armed forces are heavily outnumbered by Russia’s. However, Ukraine has so far mounted significant resistance.