Ohio veteran Henry Hoeft heads to Ukraine to fight Russia in legion
Henry Hoeft was browsing Facebook on February 26 when he learned that the Ukrainian government had formed a volunteer military unit for foreign fighters to join the war against Russia.
It had been two days since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his forces to invade neighboring Ukraine, and Hoeft, 28, a resident of Frazeysburg, Muskingum County, watched in horror as Russian missiles and bombs were fired take the life of hundreds of civiliansincluding children.
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Hoeft – a former US Army infantryman and half Ukrainian on his father’s side – decided he had to help.
How Ohioan Henry Hoeft applied to join the Ukrainian International Legion
Just show a copy of passport and proof of military experience for US citizens to join the new International Territorial Defense Legion of Ukraine. And Hoeft immediately applied to the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, DC.
On social media platforms, thousands of would-be foreign fighters pool resources and coordinate travel plans. It only took Hoeft a few hours to assemble a group of eight volunteers: himself, six other American veterans from around the country and a former soldier from the United Kingdom.
Before the end of the day, the team had booked their tickets to Poland, where local coordinators would ferry them across the border to fight alongside Ukrainian soldiers.
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Hoeft is among 16,000 foreigners who, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, enlisted in the country’s international legion within days despite immense personal risk and legal uncertainty. More … than 3,000 US citizens would have applied, and hundreds have already arrived in Ukraine.
Hoeft interrupted his studies of aeronautical engineering at Muskingum University, took a leave of absence from his job as a quality technician and began packing for his next trip on Monday.
In her travel bag, a photo of her 5-year-old son, who lives with the boy’s mother, sits alongside three pairs of boots, a solar-powered generator and other cold-weather gear. protect it from the freezing temperatures of Ukraine.
“Russia is shooting at civilian structures, and there are children who are dead,” Hoeft said. “The fact that so many veterans across countries are stepping up is very inspiring to me. We believe that if we can hold Putin down long enough, we can eventually stop a world war.
Americans rush to fight in Ukraine despite discouragement from US government
American volunteers like Hoeft enter a war zone amid questionable legal grounds and the discouragement of their own government. While several European nations encouraged volunteers to enlist in the legion, the US government was reluctant to give its approval.
“The Ukrainians have shown their courage and they are using all the resources and all the levers at their disposal to defend themselves. We applaud their bravery,” a U.S. Department of Pronouncements spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “However, our travel advisory remains: U.S. citizens should not travel to Ukraine, and those in Ukraine should depart immediately if safe to do so using commercial or private options for ground transportation. “
The legal ambiguities that come with working for a foreign armed force make the matter even more complicated. It is “not a crime under United States law for an individual to travel abroad for the purpose of enlisting in a foreign military.” At the same time, a violation of the law may occur if someone was recruited or hired in the United States, depending on the State Department website.
Hoeft drove from his home in Frazeysburg, about 57 miles northeast of Columbus, to Buffalo, Guernsey County, on Wednesday to collect his emergency passport. While driving, he received a call from an FBI agent advising him not to go to Ukraine.
“He told me that I have no support from the US government in any way when I’m there, and if I have any problems I just have to call the embassy,” Hoeft said. “I get it. They don’t want to be involved if Russia hurts us, and they don’t want to escalate the conflict by saying they’re sending American troops.
Russian officials threaten to prosecute volunteers fighting for Ukraine ‘like criminals, at best’
Meanwhile, Russian officials have said that all “foreign mercenaries will not enjoy the rights granted to legitimate combatants under international humanitarian law” and will face criminal charges, or worse, if captured in Ukraine.
“At best, they can expect to be prosecuted as criminals,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. Recount Russian news agency TASS. “We urge all foreign citizens who may be planning to go and fight for the nationalist regime in Kyiv to think a dozen times before hitting the road.”
But these warnings did not deter those like Hoeft from deciding to travel to Ukraine to participate in the war.
Since Hoeft announced his plans on social media, dozens of supporters have reached out to him on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, Whatsapp and even TikTok to donate money or ask him how they can also sign up for the international legion.
“The reason I feel like we’re doing the right thing is that in this conflict, there really aren’t two sides to the story,” Hoeft said. “There is bipartisan support for the Ukrainian people and support across countries. To me, that’s proof that we’re doing the right thing.
Ohio veteran to fly to Poland on Monday amid uncertainty
Amid overwhelming uncertainties, Hoeft has no idea what to expect after arriving in Poland on Monday.
A number of Ukrainian government websites have been taken down in a massive denial of service attack, said Mykhailo Fedorov, head of Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation. his Telegram channel.
The website of the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington DC, responsible for coordinating American volunteers, was inaccessible at the time of this report.
Hoeft never heard from the embassy after submitting his application. He only saw on the embassy’s Telegram channel that eligible volunteers had to go directly to the recruiting station in Lviv, a city in western Ukraine, for further instructions and probably to obtain weapons and hardware, he said.
Local coordinators in Poland, whom Hoeft got in touch with via social media, booked an Airbnb for him and his teammates in Warsaw. There they will wait for other volunteers to arrive and then find a way – either by bus, taxi or with the help of a private rental company – to cross the border into Ukraine.
“I hope the war will end tomorrow, but I’ll be here as long as it takes,” Hoeft said. “When I explained everything to my son, I don’t think he fully understands what’s going on. He just knows that I’m going on a trip and that I love him and will be back.”
Yilun Cheng is a Report for America staff member and covers immigration issues for the Dispatch. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps him keep writing stories like this. Consider making a tax-deductible donation https://bit.ly/3fNsGaZ.
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