Ukraine's embattled President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appealed to people across the world to join the resistance against Russia's invasion and enlist in Ukraine's armed forces.
"Anyone who wants to join the defense of Ukraine, Europe and the world can come and fight side by side with the Ukrainians against the Russian war criminals," he said a statement on the government website just after 8 a.m. local time (1 a.m. ET).
Zelenskyy accused Russia of "using very vile tactics with all elements of war crimes under Geneva 1949 Convention," including killing civilians.
"This is not just Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This is the beginning of a war against Europe, against European structures, against democracy, against basic human rights, against a global order of law, rules and peaceful coexistence," he said.
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He invited foreigners to join an international territorial defense legion, and said anyone could contact the defense attaché at the Ukrainian embassy in their country for more details.
Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, echoed the president's call and added in a tweet: "Together we defeated Hitler, and we will defeat Putin, too."
This is a live update. Click here for complete coverage of the crisis in Ukraine.
