Czechia shows interest in Poland's Ukrainian Legion project.

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The Czech government is looking closely into the formation of the Ukrainian Legion in Poland and might consider its own involvement, Radio Prague reported on July 29. The legion was unveiled earlier this month as a volunteer military unit made up of Ukrainian men living in Poland and trained by the Polish Armed Forces. "The Czech Defense Ministry is gathering information from the Polish side about the creation of the so-called Ukrainian Legion," the ministry's spokesperson, David Polak, told the Idnes.cz news portal.

"Once we have (the necessary information), we will consider our involvement." It remains unclear whether Prague's involvement would encompass creating a similar unit on Czech territory or aiding the creation of the legion in Poland. Czechia has trained over 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers on its territory in 2023, the Czech Defense Ministry said.

Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova commented that the plan could help Ukrainian men who live in Czechia take part in defending their homeland. "Lot of (Ukrainian) citizens want to help their country, but they don't want to return to Ukraine, because they don't know what to expect," Cernochova said in an interview with CT24. There are around 570,000 Ukrainians living in Czechia, including roughly 380,000 living under temporary protection as refugees.

Close to a million Ukrainian refugees live in neighboring Poland. The legion was announced as part of the security agreement signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on July 8. Recruitment for the Ukrainian Legion will be conducted by Ukrainian consular offices.

The volunteers will be conscripted under Ukraine's legislation and trained in Poland by the country's military, he added. "Several thousand" people have registered to participate in the legion as of July 11, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said. The recruits will be allowed to return to Poland after completing their service.

Volunteers recruited to Ukrainian Legion will have right to return to Poland, official says

Warsaw will not be involved in recruiting for the first Ukrainian Legion, and volunteers will be able to return to Poland after completing their service, Pawel Zalewski, Poland's deputy defense minister, told Polskie Radio on July 19.