Introducing the International Legion Fund (ILF)
The International Legion Fund has been providing critical aid to soldiers fighting for Ukraine since August 2022.
What is the International Legion?
On February 28th 2022, four days after the commencement of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to people from around the world to join the resistance against Russian aggression. This marked the beginning of the International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine, which has participated in some of the most important and consequential campaigns of the war, including the liberation of Kharkiv and Kyiv oblasts ,as well as the defense of Lysychansk and Severodonetsk.
Within 3 days of President Zelensky’s appeal, the first volunteers began to arrive in Ukraine. These soldiers did not come here as “elite special forces” units; nor did they arrive as “mercenaries” or “soldiers of fortune”: Legionnaires are contracted members of the Ukrainian armed forces like any other, motivated by the basic moral rightness of Ukraine’s self-defense against Russian aggression, as well as a sense of duty to defend the victims of an unjust war. They volunteered as a matter of conscience as people who believed that there was no other choice but to join the fight for the future of the people of Ukraine in the face of an existential threat. Many of them have given their lives to secure that future.
What is the International Legion Fund?
The International Legion Fund (ILF) itself is an all-volunteer organization created in August 2022 to provide assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Since that time all of our efforts have been devoted to making sure that Legionnaires and Ukrainian soldiers have the supplies and equipment that they need to fight the Russian invaders and liberate Ukraine.
As part of a huge international volunteer movement, we focus on fundraising, procurement, logistics, and delivery of supplies to the Ukrainian military. Despite our name, however, the ILF does not work exclusively with the International Legion: we also provide assistance to other units in the Ukrainian military, the Territorial Defense Forces (TDF), as well as to individual soldiers. We also deliver much-needed aid to civilians and share supplies and humanitarian assistance with hospitals.
The ILF’s focus has evolved along with the requirements of the Ukrainian military: in 2022, the troops were faced with a desperate need for everything from toilet paper, clothes, sleeping bags, socks and underwear, and food. Today, in addition to these sorts of supplies, we also provide first aid kits, helmets, and plate carriers. Importantly, we have increasingly shifted towards delivering more sophisticated technical gear, including night vision devices (NVD), Starlink satellite systems, power banks, and vehicles, all of which provide a crucial tactical edge on the battlefield.
Since its inception, the ILF’s operations have been overseen by Volodymyr Pekarchuk, a native of Lviv and a graduate of the Hennadii Udovenko Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine in Kyiv. With experience working for the Atlantic Council of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Pekarchuk was posted to Ukraine’s permanent mission to the United Nations in 2004. There, he worked on the UN General Assembly Third Committee, which oversees humanitarian affairs, and was instrumental in securing votes that led to Ukraine’s accession to the UN Human Rights Council.
After the conclusion of his posting to New York, Pekarchuk returned to Ukraine to work as a consultant before making the decision to return to government work in 2022. Before he could take up his new position, however, Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Like many other Ukrainians at the time, Pekarchuk immediately volunteered to fight, serving for a time in the Territorial Defense Force.
While serving in the TDF, he was also in contact with the International Legion, and worked in an ad hoc capacity to secure basic gear like helmets, vests, knee & elbow pads, and other supplies for volunteers from abroad, who often arrive to Ukraine with little equipment of their own. But, impressed with the dedication and sacrifice of the Legionnaires, he was inspired to dedicate himself full-time to supporting them in a more organized way. This was the beginning of the ILF. According to Pekarchuk, international volunteers are “no longer ‘foreigners’…once they took up arms for Ukraine, they became Ukrainians.”
But Pekarchuk is not the entire ILF. Today, the organization is sustained by the work of a whole team of international volunteers of all ages, from countries like the US, Poland, Canada, the UK, Sweden, Finland, Germany, and many others. These volunteers come from a number of professional backgrounds: students, military veterans, grassroots activists, fundraisers, and more.
Since May 2022, Pekarchuk and his international team, including the ILF itself, which was created in August 2022, have been able to deliver 30 vehicles; several tons of food supplies; dozens of vests and plate carriers; more than 100 uniform kits; 100s of first aid kits; substantial quantities of medical supplies; Starlink systems; a dozen Mavic-3 drones; night vision gear; power stations, batteries, and power banks; and substantial quantities of various expendables, including fuel, winter tires, spare parts for vehicles, etc.
How can you help?
In order to facilitate its work, the ILF established accounts at several Ukrainian banks, as well as with Paypal and BuyMeACoffee, in order to make donating convenient, easy, and transparent way. We provide photographs of deliveries, as well as other documentation, so that donors know that the equipment they are funding is actually getting to the units we are raising money for. We already enjoy strong support from the soldiers that we help, as well as from their friends and family. These people all do their part to help spread the word.
Now it’s your chance to help!
If you would like to help support the ILF in its mission to support the troops in their defense of Ukraine, the best way you can do so is to donate money: currently, the ILF has accounts set up at PayPal (@DonateToILF@gmail.com); PrivatBank; MonoPay/ApplePay/GooglePay; and BuyMeACoffee.
Every dollar, euro, or hryvnia helps. There is no such thing as a “small donation” and every single contribution works to put critical equipment in the hands of the soldiers who need it in their defense of Ukraine.
Another easy way to help the ILF is to spread the word about us on social media. You can find us on Twitter; Instagram; Facebook; and LinkedIn. The more people we reach, the better our chances of receiving the funds we need to procure equipment for the troops. You can also subscribe to our Substack newsletter, where we will be providing news about the ILF and the work we are doing, upcoming events, fundraising opportunities, and other information about the International Legion and the war.
The ILF is also seeking to develop relationships with corporate and non-profit partners who can provide technical assistance, including laptops, drones, power banks, and vehicles, as well as supplies and humanitarian aid. If you represent an organization that might be interested in partnering with the ILF in this capacity, please contact us via e-mail.
Finally, if you plan on traveling to Ukraine, you can volunteer with the ILF itself. If you are interested in the opportunity to work with the ILF team, please feel free to reach out to us! We’d love to meet you!
What your support means
As Volodymyr Pekarchuk says “there is no other choice but to fight: either we win, or we will die. Volya abo smert`: Either there is a free Ukraine, or there is no Ukraine.” Such words are not merely symbolic, as the world has seen in places like Bucha and Mariupol. Only the soldiers on the front lines stand between victory and defeat; between life and death. Every donation, big or small, helps us get the equipment that soldiers and every delivery is a success that helps to save lives.
As the very existence of the International Legion proves, anyone, from anywhere in the world, can do their part to defend Ukraine. The troops will do the fighting, but they cannot do it alone.
By donating to the ILF and supporting what we do, you are showing that the world stands with Ukraine and helping, in a real, material way, to make sure that the soldiers of the International Legion and other units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have what they need in order to prevail against the enemy.