Ukraine quietly disbanded the International Legion at the end of 2025, a unit created for foreign volunteers following Russia’s full-scale invasion. This was reported by Le Monde, citing its own sources.
According to the French newspaper, the decision to dissolve the International Legion was taken by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on December 31, 2025, without any public announcement. The unit had been established on February 27, 2022, to recruit foreign volunteers to help defend Ukraine.
Le Monde reports that the legion’s units were gradually disbanded and their fighters transferred to other military formations. In particular, the second battalion was given a reprieve until mid-February 2026, after which its personnel were integrated into a territorial defence unit.
The outlet says the changes came as a shock to many legionnaires and had a negative impact on morale. At the same time, Le Monde notes that another international unit operating within Ukraine’s military intelligence structure was not disbanded.
There have been no public comments from the General Staff or Ukraine’s Defence Ministry regarding this information at the time of publication.