Ukraine War: Tamil Nadu youth, rejected twice by Indian army, joins Ukrainian forces

A twenty-one-year-old from Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore has enlisted in the Ukrainian paramilitary forces to fight against Russia.

Sainikesh Ravichandran was pursuing aerospace engineering at the National Aerospace University in Kharkiv since 2018 and has now joined the Georgian National Legion, a paramilitary force.

He had earlier applied to join the Indian Army but was reportedly rejected twice because of his height. He had also unsuccessfully approached the U.S. Consulate to join the American armed forces.

Indian fighters have joined International Legion, Ukraine’s volunteer military force to fight the invading Russian forces, The Kyiv Independent reported quoting Ukrainian ground forces.

Citizens of other countries like the U.S., U.K., Sweden, Lithuania, and Mexico are also reportedly serving in the volunteer military force.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on March 1 allowing temporary visa-free entry for foreigners, except Russians, who wish to join the International Legion of Defence of Ukraine.