Foreign volunteer Kim studies Ukrainian, helps Ukraine's military, and renounces US citizenship to join Defense Forces
She first became interested in the country during the Orange Revolution, which the US media covered widely. Later, her interest grew into a deeper study of Ukrainian history, culture, and language.
Many people are surprised when they hear how fluently Kim speaks Ukrainian and assume she comes from a Ukrainian diaspora family. But that is not the case — her family has no Ukrainian heritage.
A few years before the full-scale invasion, Kim asked her colleague from Odesa to help her learn Ukrainian. He advised her to learn Russian, but Kim deliberately chose Ukrainian.
After that, she worked on the language on her own:
In 2022, Kim came to Ukraine. At first, she helped the military as a volunteer, and at the end of that year, she met soldiers from the 101st Separate Territorial Defense Brigade of Zakarpattia.
That was when her attitude toward helping Ukraine shifted from a matter of principle to a personal decision — not only to support Ukrainian defenders, but also to join their ranks.
Kim made her final decision after traveling through different regions of Ukraine — from Zhytomyr and Poltava to Mukachevo. What she saw and experienced convinced her to connect her future life with Ukraine.
She officially renounced her US citizenship and submitted documents to obtain a Ukrainian passport.
Kim is now carrying out combat missions in the Sumy sector alongside her comrades from the 101st Separate Territorial Defense Brigade of Zakarpattia, defending Ukraine's border against Russian occupiers.
Her unit describes Kim's story as an example of how belonging to Ukraine can be not only a matter of origin, but also a conscious choice, convictions, and readiness to defend the state.
Background
In 2022, Ukraine formed a separate unit made up of foreigners — the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine.
In February 2026, it became known that Ukraine's international defense legions had been integrated into the Ground Forces' assault units. After the transformation, service members received expanded service opportunities, as well as access to additional weapons and resources of regular formations.
Volunteers from 75 countries currently serve in units of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On average, about 600 foreigners sign contracts every month.
- Last
- July, 23
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
News by day
24 of July 2026
