Polish President Karol Nawrocki has signed a law exempting Polish citizens who are fighting or have fought on the side of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the war with Russia from liability.
This was reported by the press service of the Office of the President of Poland.
“On March 26, Polish President Karol Nawrocki signed: the law of March 13, 2026 on the non-application of criminal liability to citizens of the Republic of Poland who took or are taking part on the side of Ukraine in the armed conflict caused by the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine,” the report says.
According to the document, Poles who joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since April 2014 will not be subject to punishment.
It is indicated that such servicemen are obliged to notify the Minister of National Defense of the country in writing about the date and place of commencement of service in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as the date and place of its termination. This must be done within six months after returning to Poland. Failure to comply with this rule entails criminal liability in the form of a fine or imprisonment for a term of up to two years.
What is known about the creation of the International Legion?
On February 27, 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky called on foreign citizens to join the resistance to Russian troops in Ukraine. A separate International Legion of Territorial Defense will be created from foreigners who express a desire to join. And the next day Zelenskyy introduced a temporary visa-free regime for foreign volunteers.
On February 28, 2022, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported that several thousand foreign citizens had volunteered to join the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine.
In March 2022, it became known that 70 Japanese, including 50 former members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and two veterans of the French Foreign Legion, applied to join the Ukrainian International Legion of Terro Defense.
In November 2025, the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine changed their approach to integrating foreign volunteers, expanding their service opportunities and increasing the effectiveness of their involvement in combat units.